ZINC THIOCYANATE
Flammability | 0 | |
Toxicity | 2 | |
Body Contact | 2 | |
Reactivity | 0 | |
Chronic | 2 | |
SCALE: Min/Nil=0 Low=1 Moderate=2 High=3 Extreme=4 |
Analytical reagent, swelling agent for cellulose esters, textile dyeing assistant.
Intermediate
C2-N2-S2-Zn, Zn(SCN)2, "zinc thiocyanide", "zinc sulphocyanate", "zinc sulphocyanide",
"zinc sulfocyanate", "zinc sulfocyanide", "zinc rhodanide", "zinc rhodanate", "thiocyanic
acid, zinc salt", "thiocyanate zinc"
Contact with acids liberates very toxic gas.
Harmful by inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed.
Accidental ingestion of the material may be harmful; animal experiments indicate that ingestion of less than 150 gram may be fatal or may produce serious damage to the health of the individual. Soluble zinc salts produces irritation and corrosion of the alimentary tract with pain, and vomiting. Death can occur due to insufficiency of food intake due to severe narrowing of the esophagus and pylorus. Probable lethal dose of thiocyanate (rhodanate), in man, is between 15 and 30 gm (ingested at one time). Several acute fatalities are recorded with death coming in 10 to 48 hours. Large overdoses induce vomiting, extreme cerebral excitement, delirium, convulsions and spasticity of the extensor muscles leading to seizure (opisthotonus).
Although the material is not thought to be an irritant, direct contact with the eye may cause transient discomfort characterized by tearing or conjunctival redness (as with windburn). Slight abrasive damage may also result. The material may produce foreign body irritation in certain individuals.
Skin contact with the material may be harmful; systemic effects may resultfollowing absorption. The material is not thought to be a skin irritant (as classified using animal models). Abrasive damage however, may result from prolonged exposures. Good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable gloves be used in an occupational setting. Entry into the blood-stream, through, for example, cuts, abrasions or lesions, may produce systemic injury with harmful effects. Examine the skin prior to the use of the material and ensure that any external damage is suitably protected.
Inhalation of dusts, generated by the material, during the course of normalhandling, may be harmful. There is some evidence to suggest that the material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage. Persons with impaired respiratory function, airway diseases and conditions such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, may incur further disability if excessive concentrations of particulate are inhaled. Welding or flame cutting of metals with zinc or zinc dust coatings may result in inhalation of zinc oxide fume; high concentrations of zinc oxide fume may result in "metal fume fever"; also known as "brass chills", an industrial disease of short duration. [I.L.O] Symptoms include malaise, fever, weakness, nausea and may appear quickly if operations occur in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas.
Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems. Based on experience with animal studies, there is a possibility that exposure to the material may result in toxic effects to the development of the fetus, at levels which do not cause significant toxic effects to the mother. Long term exposure to high dust concentrations may cause changes in lung function i.e. pneumoconiosis; caused by particles less than 0.5 micron penetrating and remaining in the lung. Prime symptom is breathlessness; lung shadows show on X-ray. Welding or flame cutting of metals with zinc or zinc dust coatings may result in inhalation of zinc oxide fume; high concentrations of zinc oxide fume may result in "metal fume fever"; also known as "brass chills", an industrial disease of short duration. [I.L.O] Symptoms include malaise, fever, weakness, nausea and may appear quickly if operations occur in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas. Subacute or chronic poisonings by thiocyanate produce profuse discharge from the nostrils, skin rashes, weakness, fatigue, spinning sensation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, disorientation and forgetfulness.