ZINC MANGANESE, YELLOW WURTZITE
Flammability | 0 | |
Toxicity | 2 | |
Body Contact | 2 | |
Reactivity | 0 | |
Chronic | 2 | |
SCALE: Min/Nil=0 Low=1 Moderate=2 High=3 Extreme=4 |
Colourant. Regeant
"wurtzite, manganese yellow"
Very toxic to aquatic organisms.
Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging 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. Poisonings rarely occur after oral administration of manganese salts because they are poorly absorbed from the gut. If ingested, sulfide salts can form hydrogen sulfide, causing headache, cyanosis, low blood pressure, loss of consciousness, tremors and convulsions.
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.
The material is not thought to produce adverse health effects or skin irritation following contact (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless, 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 may produce health damage*. Inhalation of dusts, generated by the material during the course of normal handling, may be damaging to the health of the individual. 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. Manganese fume is toxic and produces nervous system effects characterized by tiredness. Acute poisoning is rare although acute inflammation of the lungs may occur. A chemical pneumonia may also result from frequent exposure. Inhalation of freshly formed metal oxide particles sized below 1.5 microns and generally between 0.02 to 0.05 microns may result in "metal fume fever". Symptoms may be delayed for up to 12 hours and begin with the sudden onset of thirst, and a sweet, metallic or foul taste in the mouth. Other symptoms include upper respiratory tract irritation accompanied by coughing and a dryness of the mucous membranes, lassitude and a generalized feeling of malaise. Mild to severe headache, nausea, occasional vomiting, fever or chills, exaggerated mental activity, profuse sweating, diarrhea, excessive urination and prostration may also occur. Tolerance to the fumes develops rapidly, but is quickly lost. All symptoms usually subside within 24-36 hours following removal from exposure.
Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems. 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. Manganese is an essential trace element. Chronic exposure to low levels of manganese can include a mask-like facial expression, spastic gait, tremors, slurred speech, disordered muscle tone, fatigue, anorexia, loss of strength and energy, apathy and poor concentration. 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.