HUEBNERITE
Flammability | 0 | |
Toxicity | 2 | |
Body Contact | 0 | |
Reactivity | 0 | |
Chronic | 2 | |
SCALE: Min/Nil=0 Low=1 Moderate=2 High=3 Extreme=4 |
Naturally occurring mineral. Regeant
W(MnO4), hubnerite, "manganese tungstate", wolframite
Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging to the health of the individual. If given orally, tungsten can accumulate in the spleen, kidney and liver. Symptoms of poisoning include diarrhea, stoppage of breathing and circulatory collapse leading to death. Loss of appetite, abdominal pain, incoordination, trembling and shortness of breath can occur; weight loss is also common. Poisonings rarely occur after oral administration of manganese salts because they are poorly absorbed from the gut.
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. Open cuts, abraded or irritated skin should not be exposed to this material. 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.
The material is not thought to produce either adverse health effects or irritation of the respiratory tract following inhalation (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless, adverse effects have been produced following exposure of animals by at least one other route and good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable control measures be used in an occupational setting. Tungsten is relatively inert and produces few respiratory effects.
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.