Common Name: SELENIOUS ACID CAS Number: 7783-00-8 RTK Substance number: 2762 DOT Number: UN 3283 Date: September 1999 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- HAZARD SUMMARY * Selenious Acid can affect you when breathed in and by * Exposure to hazardous substances should be routinely passing through your skin. evaluated. This may include collecting personal and area * Contact can irritate and burn the skin and eyes. air samples. You can obtain copies of sampling results * Breathing Selenious Acid can irritate the nose and throat. from your employer. You have a legal right to this * Breathing Selenious Acid can irritate the lungs causing information under OSHA 1910.1020. coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposures * If you think you are experiencing any work-related health can cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary problems, see a doctor trained to recognize occupational edema), a medical emergency, with severe shortness of diseases. Take this Fact Sheet with you. breath. * Exposure can cause headache, nausea, vomiting, WORKPLACE EXPOSURE LIMITS abdominal pain, pallor and fatigue. The following exposure limits are for Selenious Acid * Repeated exposure can cause garlic odor of the breath, (measured as Selenium): metallic taste, increased dental cavities, and loss of hair and nails. OSHA: The legal airborne permissible exposure limit * Repeated exposure may cause personality changes of (PEL) is 0.2 mg/m3 averaged over an 8-hour depression, anxiety or irritability. workshift. * Selenious Acid can damage the nervous system. * Selenious Acid may damage the liver and kidneys. NIOSH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is 0.2 mg/m3 averaged over a 10-hour workshift. IDENTIFICATION Selenious Acid is a white, crystalline (sand-like) solid. It is ACGIH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is used as a component for gun blueing, a reagent, an oxidizing 0.2 mg/m3 averaged over an 8-hour workshift. agent, and an isotope for labeling radiopharmaceutical compounds. * The above exposure limits are for air levels only. When skin contact also occurs, you may be overexposed, even REASON FOR CITATION though air levels are less than the limits listed above. * Selenious Acid is on the Hazardous Substance List because it is regulated by OSHA and cited by ACGIH, WAYS OF REDUCING EXPOSURE DOT, NIOSH, DEP, HHAG and EPA. * Where possible, enclose operations and use local exhaust * Definitions are provided on page 5. ventilation at the site of chemical release. If local exhaust ventilation or enclosure is not used, respirators should be HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE BEING worn. EXPOSED * Wear protective work clothing. The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most employers * Wash thoroughly immediately after exposure to Selenious to label chemicals in the workplace and requires public Acid and at the end of the workshift. employers to provide their employees with information and * Post hazard and warning information in the work area. In training concerning chemical hazards and controls. The addition, as part of an ongoing education and training federal OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 1910.1200, effort, communicate all information on the health and requires private employers to provide similar training and safety hazards of Selenious Acid to potentially exposed information to their employees. workers. SELENIOUS ACID page 2 of 6 This Fact Sheet is a summary source of information of all If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the potential and most severe health hazards that may result from following are recommended: exposure. Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance and other factors will affect your susceptibility to * Consider chest x-ray after acute overexposure. any of the potential effects described below. * Exam of the nervous system. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for damage already done are not a substitute for controlling Acute Health Effects exposure. The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur immediately or shortly after exposure to Selenious Acid: Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal right to this information under OSHA 1910.1020. * Contact can irritate and burn the skin and eyes. * Breathing Selenious Acid can irritate the nose and throat. Mixed Exposures * Breathing Selenious Acid can irritate the lungs causing * Because smoking can cause heart disease, as well as lung coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposures cancer, emphysema, and other respiratory problems, it may can cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary worsen respiratory conditions caused by chemical edema), a medical emergency, with severe shortness of exposure. Even if you have smoked for a long time, breath. stopping now will reduce your risk of developing health * Exposure can cause headache, nausea, vomiting, problems. abdominal pain, pallor and fatigue. WORKPLACE CONTROLS AND PRACTICES Chronic Health Effects The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at Unless a less toxic chemical can be substituted for a hazardous some time after exposure to Selenious Acid and can last for substance, ENGINEERING CONTROLS are the most months or years: effective way of reducing exposure. The best protection is to enclose operations and/or provide local exhaust ventilation at Cancer Hazard the site of chemical release. Isolating operations can also * There is no evidence that Selenious Acid causes cancer in reduce exposure. Using respirators or protective equipment is animals. This is based on test results presently available to less effective than the controls mentioned above, but is the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services sometimes necessary. from published studies. In evaluating the controls present in your workplace, consider: Reproductive Hazard (1) how hazardous the substance is, (2) how much of the * Selenious Acid may damage the developing fetus at doses substance is released into the workplace and (3) whether that are toxic to the mother. harmful skin or eye contact could occur. Special controls should be in place for highly toxic chemicals or when Other Long-Term Effects significant skin, eye, or breathing exposures are possible. * Repeated exposure can cause garlic odor of the breath, metallic taste, increased dental cavities, and loss of hair In addition, the following control is recommended: and nails. * Repeated exposure may cause personality changes of * Where possible, automatically transfer Selenious Acid depression, anxiety or irritability. from drums or other storage containers to process * Selenious Acid can damage the nervous system. containers. * Selenious Acid may damage the liver and kidneys. Good WORK PRACTICES can help to reduce hazardous MEDICAL exposures. The following work practices are recommended: * Workers whose clothing has been contaminated by Medical Testing Selenious Acid should change into clean clothing For those with frequent or potentially high exposure (half the promptly. TLV or greater), the following are recommended before * Do not take contaminated work clothes home. Family beginning work and at regular times after that: members could be exposed. * Contaminated work clothes should be laundered by * Urine test for Selenium (should be less than 100 individuals who have been informed of the hazards of micrograms per liter of urine). exposure to Selenious Acid. * Liver and kidney function tests. SELENIOUS ACID page 3 of 6 * Eye wash fountains should be provided in the immediate * NIOSH has established new testing and certification work area for emergency use. requirements for negative pressure, air purifying, * If there is the possibility of skin exposure, emergency particulate filter and filtering facepiece respirators. The shower facilities should be provided. filter classifications of dust/mist/fume, paint spray or * On skin contact with Selenious Acid, immediately wash or pesticide prefilters, and filters for radon daughters, have shower to remove the chemical. At the end of the been replaced with the N, R, and P series. Each series has workshift, wash any areas of the body that may have three levels of filtering efficiency: 95%, 99%, and 99.9%. contacted Selenious Acid, whether or not known skin Check with your safety equipment supplier or your contact has occurred. respirator manufacturer to determine which respirator is * Do not eat, smoke, or drink where Selenious Acid is appropriate for your facility. handled, processed, or stored, since the chemical can be * If while wearing a filter or cartridge respirator you can swallowed. Wash hands carefully before eating, drinking, smell, taste, or otherwise detect Selenious Acid, or if smoking, or using the toilet. while wearing particulate filters abnormal resistance to * Use a vacuum or a wet method to reduce dust during breathing is experienced, or eye irritation occurs while clean-up. DO NOT DRY SWEEP. wearing a full facepiece respirator, leave the area immediately. Check to make sure the respirator-to-face PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT seal is still good. If it is, replace the filter or cartridge. If the seal is no longer good, you may need a new respirator. WORKPLACE CONTROLS ARE BETTER THAN * Be sure to consider all potential exposures in your PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.