Common Name: AMMONIUM PERMANGANATE CAS Number: 13446-10-1 RTK Substance number: 0110 DOT Number: UN 1482 Date: February 1988 Revision: August 2000 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- HAZARD SUMMARY WORKPLACE EXPOSURE LIMITS * Ammonium Permanganate can affect you when breathed No occupational exposure limits have been established for in. Ammonium Permanganate. This does not mean that this * Contact can irritate the skin and eyes. substance is not harmful. Safe work practices should always * Breathing Ammonium Permanganate can irritate the be followed. nose, throat and lungs. * Ammonium Permanganate is a HIGHLY REACTIVE WAYS OF REDUCING EXPOSURE CHEMICAL and a DANGEROUS EXPLOSION * Where possible, enclose operations and use local exhaust HAZARD. ventilation at the site of chemical release. If local exhaust ventilation or enclosure is not used, respirators should be IDENTIFICATION worn. Ammonium Permanganate is a violet-brown or dark purple, * Wear protective work clothing. crystalline (sand-like) solid. * Wash thoroughly immediately after exposure to Ammonium Permanganate and at the end of the REASON FOR CITATION workshift. * Ammonium Permanganate is on the Hazardous * Post hazard and warning information in the work area. In Substance List because it is cited by DOT and NFPA. addition, as part of an ongoing education and training * This chemical is on the Special Health Hazard Substance effort, communicate all information on the health and List because it is REACTIVE. safety hazards of Ammonium Permanganate to * Definitions are provided on page 5. potentially exposed workers. HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE BEING EXPOSED The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most employers to label chemicals in the workplace and requires public employers to provide their employees with information and training concerning chemical hazards and controls. The federal OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 1910.1200, requires private employers to provide similar training and information to their employees. * Exposure to hazardous substances should be routinely evaluated. This may include collecting personal and area air samples. You can obtain copies of sampling results from your employer. You have a legal right to this information under OSHA 1910.1020. * If you think you are experiencing any work-related health problems, see a doctor trained to recognize occupational diseases. Take this Fact Sheet with you. AMMONIUM PERMANGANATE page 2 of 6 This Fact Sheet is a summary source of information of all WORKPLACE CONTROLS AND PRACTICES potential and most severe health hazards that may result from exposure. Duration of exposure, concentration of the Unless a less toxic chemical can be substituted for a hazardous substance and other factors will affect your susceptibility to substance, ENGINEERING CONTROLS are the most any of the potential effects described below. effective way of reducing exposure. The best protection is to --------------------------------------------------------------------------- enclose operations and/or provide local exhaust ventilation at the site of chemical release. Isolating operations can also HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION reduce exposure. Using respirators or protective equipment is less effective than the controls mentioned above, but is Acute Health Effects sometimes necessary. The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur immediately or shortly after exposure to Ammonium In evaluating the controls present in your workplace, consider: Permanganate: (1) how hazardous the substance is, (2) how much of the substance is released into the workplace and (3) whether * Contact can irritate the skin and eyes. harmful skin or eye contact could occur. Special controls * Breathing Ammonium Permanganate can irritate the should be in place for highly toxic chemicals or when nose, throat and lungs. significant skin, eye, or breathing exposures are possible. Chronic Health Effects In addition, the following controls are recommended: The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at some time after exposure to Ammonium Permanganate and * Where possible, automatically transfer Ammonium can last for months or years: Permanganate from drums or other storage containers to process containers. Cancer Hazard * Before entering a confined space where Ammonium * According to the information presently available to the Permanganate may be present, check to make sure that an New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, explosive concentration does not exist. Ammonium Permanganate has not been tested for its * Wherever Ammonium Permanganate is used, handled, ability to cause cancer in animals. manufactured, or stored, use explosion-proof electrical equipment and fittings, as it reacts explosively to shock or Reproductive Hazard friction. * According to the information presently available to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Good WORK PRACTICES can help to reduce hazardous Ammonium Permanganate has not been tested for its exposures. The following work practices are recommended: ability to affect reproduction. * Workers whose clothing has been contaminated by Other Long-Term Effects Ammonium Permanganate should change into clean clothing promptly. * Ammonium Permanganate has not been tested for other * Do not take contaminated work clothes home. Family chronic (long-term) health effects. members could be exposed. MEDICAL * Contaminated work clothes should be laundered by individuals who have been informed of the hazards of exposure to Ammonium Permanganate. Medical Testing * Eye wash fountains should be provided in the immediate There is no special test for this chemical. However, if illness work area for emergency use. occurs or overexposure is suspected, medical attention is * If there is the possibility of skin exposure, emergency recommended. shower facilities should be provided. * On skin contact with Ammonium Permanganate, Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and immediately wash or shower to remove the chemical. At present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for the end of the workshift, wash any areas of the body that damage already done are not a substitute for controlling may have contacted Ammonium Permanganate, whether exposure. or not known skin contact has occurred. * Do not eat, smoke, or drink where Ammonium Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal Permanganate is handled, processed, or stored, since the right to this information under OSHA 1910.1020. chemical can be swallowed. Wash hands carefully before eating, drinking, smoking, or using the toilet. * Use a vacuum or a wet method to reduce dust during clean-up. DO NOT DRY SWEEP. AMMONIUM PERMANGANATE page 3 of 6 PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT * Be sure to consider all potential exposures in your workplace. You may need a combination of filters, WORKPLACE CONTROLS ARE BETTER THAN prefilters or cartridges to protect against different forms of PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. However, for a chemical (such as vapor and mist) or against a mixture of some jobs (such as outside work, confined space entry, jobs chemicals. done only once in a while, or jobs done while workplace * Where the potential for high exposure exists, use a controls are being installed), personal protective equipment MSHA/NIOSH approved supplied-air respirator with a full may be appropriate. facepiece operated in a pressure-demand or other positive- pressure mode. For increased protection use in OSHA 1910.132 requires employers to determine the combination with an auxiliary self-contained breathing appropriate personal protective equipment for each hazard and apparatus operated in a pressure-demand or other positive- to train employees on how and when to use protective pressure mode. equipment. * Exposure to 5 mg/m3 (as Manganese) is immediately dangerous to life and health. If the possibility of exposure The following recommendations are only guidelines and may above 5 mg/m3 (as Manganese) exists, use a not apply to every situation. MSHA/NIOSH approved self-contained breathing apparatus with a full facepiece operated in a pressure- Clothing demand or other positive-pressure mode. * Avoid skin contact with Ammonium Permanganate. Wear protective gloves and clothing. Safety equipment QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS suppliers/manufacturers can provide recommendations on the most protective glove/clothing material for your Q: If I have acute health effects, will I later get chronic operation. health effects? * All protective clothing (suits, gloves, footwear, headgear) A: Not always. Most chronic (long-term) effects result should be clean, available each day, and put on before from repeated exposures to a chemical. work. Q: Can I get long-term effects without ever having short- Eye Protection term effects? * Wear impact resistant eye protection with side shields or A: Yes, because long-term effects can occur from repeated goggles. exposures to a chemical at levels not high enough to * Wear a face shield along with goggles when working with make you immediately sick. corrosive, highly irritating or toxic substances. Q: What are my chances of getting sick when I have been Respiratory Protection exposed to chemicals? A: The likelihood of becoming sick from chemicals is IMPROPER USE OF RESPIRATORS IS DANGEROUS. increased as the amount of exposure increases. This is Such equipment should only be used if the employer has a determined by the