Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet Common Name: CADMIUM OXIDE Synonyms: Cadmium Monoxide CAS Number: 1306-19-0 Chemical Name: Cadmium Oxide RTK Substance Number: 2200 Date: February 2008 Revision: January 2017 DOT Number: UN 2570 Description and Use EMERGENCY RESPONDERS >>>> SEE BACK PAGE Cadmium Oxide is an odorless, white powder or a red or Hazard Summary brown crystal. It is used in electroplating semi-conductors, Hazard Rating NJDHSS NFPA metal alloys, and batteries, as a catalyst, intermediate and HEALTH 4 - vermicide, and in making glass. FLAMMABILITY 0 - REACTIVITY 0 - CARCINOGEN POISONOUS GASES ARE PRODUCED IN FIRE Hazard Rating Key: 0=minimal; 1=slight; 2=moderate; 3=serious; Reasons for Citation 4=severe Cadmium Oxide is on the Right to Know Hazardous Substance List because it is cited by OSHA, ACGIH, DOT, Cadmium Oxide can affect you when inhaled. NIOSH, NTP, DEP, IARC and EPA. Cadmium Oxide is a CARCINOGEN. HANDLE WITH This chemical is on the Special Health Hazard Substance EXTREME CAUTION. List. Contact can irritate the skin and eyes. Exposure can irritate the nose and throat. Exposure to Cadmium Oxide may cause a flu-like illness called metal fume fever. Cadmium Oxide can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and SEE GLOSSARY ON PAGE 5. abdominal pain. Inhaling Cadmium Oxide can irritate the lungs. Higher FIRST AID exposures may cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency. Eye Contact Repeated low exposures can cause liver and kidney Immediately flush with large amounts of water for at least 15 damage, anemia, and loss of sense of smell. minutes, lifting upper and lower lids. Remove contact lenses, if worn, while rinsing. Skin Contact Workplace Exposure Limits Remove contaminated clothing and wash contaminated skin with soap and water. The following exposure limits are for Cadmium: Inhalation OSHA: The legal airborne permissible exposure limit (PEL) is Remove the person from exposure. 0.005 mg/m3 averaged over an 8-hour workshift. Begin rescue breathing (using universal precautions) if breathing has stopped and CPR if heart action has stopped. NIOSH: Recommends that exposure to occupational Transfer promptly to a medical facility. Medical observation is recommended for 24 to 48 hours after carcinogens be limited to the lowest feasible overexposure, as pulmonary edema may be delayed. concentration. ACGIH: The threshold limit value (TLV) is 0.01 mg/m3 (as total 3 EMERGENCY NUMBERS particulate), and 0.002 mg/m (as the respirable Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 fraction), averaged over an 8-hour workshift. CHEMTREC: 1-800-424-9300 Cadmium Oxide is a CARCINOGEN in humans. There NJDEP Hotline: 1-877-927-6337 may be no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen, so all National Response Center: 1-800-424-8802 contact should be reduced to the lowest possible level. CADMIUM OXIDE Page 2 of 6 Determining Your Exposure Cancer Hazard Cadmium Oxide is a CARCINOGEN in humans. There is Read the product manufacturer’s Material Safety Data evidence that Cadmium and Cadmium compounds cause Sheet (MSDS) and the label to determine product lung and prostate cancer in humans and lung cancer in ingredients and important safety and health information animals. about the product mixture. Many scientists believe there is no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen. For each individual hazardous ingredient, read the New Jersey Department of Health Hazardous Substance Fact Reproductive Hazard Sheet, available on the RTK Program website There is limited evidence that Cadmium Oxide is a (http://nj.gov/health/workplacehealthandsafety/right-to- teratogen in animals. Until further testing has been done, it know/) or in your facility’s RTK Central File or Hazard should be treated as a possible teratogen in humans. Communication Standard file. Other Effects You have a right to this information under the New Jersey Cadmium Oxide can irritate the lungs. Repeated exposure Worker and Community Right to Know Act, the Public may cause bronchitis to develop with coughing, phlegm, Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) Act and/or shortness of breath. if you are a public worker in New Jersey, and under the Repeated low exposures can cause liver and kidney federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) if you damage. are a private worker. Exposure can cause anemia, loss of sense of smell (anosmia), and/or discoloration of teeth. The New Jersey Right to Know Act and the PEOSH Hazard Communication Standard (N.J.A.C. 12:100-7) requires most employers to label chemicals in the Medical workplace and requires public employers to provide their employees with information concerning chemical hazards Medical Testing and controls. The federal OSHA Hazard Communication Before first exposure and every 12 months thereafter, OSHA requires your employer to provide (for persons exposed to Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) requires private employers greater than or equal to 0.0025 mg/m3 of Cadmium) a work to provide similar information and training to their and medical history and exam which shall include: employees. Blood test for Cadmium (levels should be less than This Fact Sheet is a summary of available information 5 micrograms per liter of whole blood) regarding the health hazards that may result from exposure. Urine test for Cadmium (levels should be less than Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance and other 3 micrograms per liter of urine) factors will affect your susceptibility to any of the potential Urine test for Beta-2 microglobulin to detect kidney damage effects described below. Liver and kidney function tests Lung function tests Complete blood count Health Hazard Information If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the Acute Health Effects following are recommended: The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur immediately or shortly after exposure to Cadmium Oxide: Consider chest x-ray after acute overexposure Contact can irritate the skin and eyes. OSHA requires your employer to provide you and your doctor Exposure can irritate the nose and throat. with a copy of the OSHA Cadmium Standard (29 CFR Exposure to Cadmium Oxide may cause “metal fume 1910.1027 or 1926.1127). fever.” This is a flu-like illness with symptoms of metallic taste in the mouth, headache, fever and chills, aches, chest Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and tightness and cough. The symptoms may be delayed for present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for several hours after exposure and usually last for a day or damage already done are not a substitute for controlling two. exposure. Cadmium Oxide can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal right Inhaling Cadmium Oxide can irritate the lungs causing to this information under the OSHA Access to Employee coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposures may Exposure and Medical Records Standard (29 CFR 1910.1020). cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency, with severe shortness of breath. Chronic Health Effects The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at some time after exposure to Cadmium Oxide and can last for months or years: CADMIUM OXIDE Page 3 of 6 Mixed Exposures Personal Protective Equipment Smoking can cause heart disease, lung cancer, emphysema, and other respiratory problems. It may worsen The OSHA Personal Protective Equipment Standard (29 CFR respiratory conditions caused by chemical exposure. Even if 1910.132) requires employers to determine the appropriate you have smoked for a long time, stopping now will reduce personal protective equipment for each hazard and to train your risk of developing health problems. employees on how and when to use protective equipment. More than light alcohol consumption can cause liver damage. Drinking alcohol can increase the liver damage The following recommendations are only guidelines and may caused by Cadmium Oxide. Cigarette smoke contains some Cadmium. Because it is not apply to every situation. hard for the body to eliminate Cadmium, it tends to build up in the body. Any workplace exposure adds to these levels. Gloves and Clothing Avoid skin contact with Cadmium Oxide. Wear personal protective equipment made from material which can not be Workplace Controls and Practices permeated or degraded by this substance. Safety Very toxic chemicals, or those that are reproductive hazards or equipment suppliers and manufacturers can provide recommendations on the most protective glove and clothing sensitizers, require expert advice on control measures if a less material for your operation. toxic chemical cannot be substituted. Control measures Safety equipment manufacturers recommend Nitrile and include: (1) enclosing chemical processes for severely Neoprene for gloves and DuPont Tyvek®, or the equivalent, irritating and corrosive chemicals, (2) using local exhaust as a protective material for clothing. ventilation for chemicals that may be harmful with a single All protective clothing (suits, gloves, footwear, headgear) exposure, and (3) using general ventilation to control exposures to skin and eye irritants. For further information on should be clean, available each day, and put on before work. workplace controls, consult the NIOSH document on Control Banding at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ctrlbanding/. Eye Protection Wear eye protection with side shields or goggles. The following work practices are also recommended: Do not wear contact lenses when working with this substance. Label process containers. Provide employees with hazard information and training. Respiratory Protection Monitor airborne chemical concentrations. Improper use of respirators is dangerous. Respirators Use engineering controls if concentrations exceed should only be used if the employer has implemented a written recommended exposure levels. program that takes into account workplace conditions, Provide eye wash fountains and emergency showers. requirements for worker training, respirator fit testing, and Wash or shower if skin comes in contact with a hazardous material.