Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

LEAD AZIDE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Detonator.

SYNONYMS

N6-Pb, Pb(N3)2, "lead (II) azide", "lead (II) azide", "lead hexanitride", "lead aziomide",
"initiating explosive"

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Explosive when dry.
Extreme risk of explosion by shock, fire, friction or other sources of ignition.
Danger of cumulative effects.
May cause harm to the unborn child.
Possible risk of impaired fertility.
Harmful: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure through
inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed.
Harmful by inhalation and if swallowed.
Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long- term adverse effects in the
aquatic environment.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

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.  Considered an unlikely route of entry in commercial/industrial environments.  Azides, if swallowed, can cause breathlessness and rapid heart beat within 5 minutes. Nausea, vomiting, headache, restlessness and diarrhea can occur within 15 minutes. Other symptoms include low blood pressure which cannot be corrected, abnormal breathing, reduced body temperature, reduced blood pH, convulsions, collapse and death. Continued administration can cause increased sensitivity. Poisoning can cause headaches and acidosis. Several grams of sodium azide can cause liver, pulmonary and brain swelling with death occurring in less than an hour. Large doses of azide increases the blood pressure and causes generalized convulsions, followed by depression and collapse.  

EYE

  Although the material is not thought to be an irritant, direct contact with the eye may produce transient discomfort characterized by tearing or conjunctival redness (as with windburn).  

SKIN

  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.  Open cuts, abraded or irritated skin should not be exposed to this material.  Toxic effects may result from skin absorption.  

INHALED

  The material is not thought to produce respiratory irritation (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless inhalation of the material, especially for prolonged periods, may produce respiratory discomfort and occasionally, distress.  Azide vapors are irritating and cause bronchitis and lung edema. If inhaled, sore throat, cough, dizziness, shortness of breath and fainting can result. Inhalation can result in similar symptoms as ingesting the substance. Other effects include eye irritation, headache, low blood pressure and collapse. Blindness, rigidity, liver and brain damage is possible.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Ample evidence exists that developmental disorders are directlycaused by human exposure to the material.  

  Principal routes of exposure are by accidental skin and eye contact andinhalation of generated dusts.  Workers exposed chronically to hydrazoic acid ( produced in aqueous solutions of sodium azide ) frequently complain about headache. Rapid falls in blood pressure can also result.  Lead, in large amounts, can affect the blood, nervous system, heart, glands, immune system and digestive system. Anemia may occur. If untreated muscles may become paralyzed, and there may be brain damage. Symptoms include joint and muscle pain, weakness in the back of the forearm and wrist and in the shin muscles, headaches, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, vomiting, blue line on gums, sleep disturbance and a metallic taste in the mouth. The pressure in the brain may increase with high doses,  and cause brain damage, coma, and death. Early signs include loss of appetite and weight, constipation, tiredness and irritability, headache, weakness. Later there may be vomiting,  nervousness, and muscle pains in the arms and legs. Serious cases cause severe vomiting, inco-ordination, stupor, permanent eye damage, high blood pressure, multiple nerve disorders of the head resulting in paralysis and loss of reflexes, delirium, convulsions and coma. The kidneys may become irreversibly damaged, and the nervous system may become affected causing mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and jerks and seizures.  Lead can accumulate in the skeleton for a very long time.  Lead can cross the placenta, and cause miscarriage, stillbirths and birth defects. Exposure before birth can cause mental retardation, behavioral disorders and infant death. Lead can also cause reduced sex drive, impotence, sterility and damage the sperm of males, increasing the potential for birth defects. Periods in women can also be affected.