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Chemical Sampling Information |
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| Boric Acid |
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General Description
Synonyms: Basilit B; Boracic acid; Boron trihydroxide; Orthoboric acid; Trihydroxyborone
OSHA IMIS Code Number: B141
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number: 10043-35-3
NIOSH, Registry of Toxic Effects (RTECS) Identification Number: ED4550000
Chemical Description and Physical Properties: Odorless, colorless crystals or white powder
molecular formula: BH3O3
molecular weight: 61.84
melting point: 171°C
Health Factors
Potential symptoms: Irritation of eyes, skin, respiratory tract; cough, sore throat; skin rash; kidney damage, diminished urinary output; metabolic acidosis; INGES. ACUTE: Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; neurologic symptoms (headache, tremulousness, irritability, delirium, seizures); skin redness on palms, soles and buttocks followed by peeling.
Health Effects: Irritation-Eyes, Nose, Throat, Skin---Mild (HE16); Acute toxicity (CNS, kidney) (HE4); Potential developmental and reproductive hazards (HE5).
Affected organs: Eyes, skin, respiratory system, kidneys, CNS (In animals: testes)
Notes:
- In animals, developmental toxicity included a decreased fetal weight and increased incidence of "short rib XIII," whereas reproductive toxicity included inhibition of spermatogenesis and testicular atrophy. Boron accumulates in bone, but not in testes.
- Boric acid is excreted unchanged in the urine with a plasma half-life in the range of 12 to 27 hours in humans. Boron in bone, however, remained elevated eight months after the end of exposure of rats to boric acid in their feed. The role in these processes of a recently characterized borate transporter in cell membranes remains to be elucidated.
- A study of workers exposed to boric acid and boron oxide dust (which reacts with water to form boric acid) concluded that significant symptoms of upper respiratory tract and eye irritation occurred at dust levels less than 10 mg/m3.
- EPA's oral reference dose (daily oral exposure likely to be without an appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime) of boron is 0.2 mg/kg/day (based mainly on animal studies with boric acid).
- The FDA has a 5% maximum limit for boric acid concentrations in consumer goods applied to the skin and hair (e.g., cosmetics and personal care products).
- The California Department of Health Services established a notification level for boron of 1 milligram per liter of drinking water.
Date Last Revised: 12/06/2005
Literature Basis:
- California Department of Health Services-Drinking Water Program: Drinking Water Notification Levels, 2005.
- U.S. EPA Integrated Risk Information System: Toxicological Review of Boron and Compounds (CAS 7440-42-8), 2004 (EPA 635/04/052).
- Chapin, R.E., et al.: The effects of dietary boron on bone strength in rats. Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 35(2): 205-215, 1997.
- Garabrant, D.H., Bernstein, L., Peters, J.M. and Smith, T.J.: Respiratory and eye irritation from boron oxide and boric acid dusts. J. Occup. Med. 26(8): 584-586, 1984.
- Ku, W.W. and Chapin, R.E.: Mechanism of the testicular toxicity of boric acid in rats: in vivo and in vitro studies. Environ. Health Perspect. 102(Suppl. 7): 99-105, 1994.
- Moore, J.A., et al.: An assessment of boric acid and borax using the IEHR evaluative process for assessing human developmental and reproductive toxicity of agents. Reprod. Toxicol. 11(1): 123-160, 1997.
- Pahl, M.V., Culver, B.D. and Vaziri, N.D.: Boron and the kidney. J. Ren. Nutr. 15(4): 362-370, 2005.
- Park, M., Li, Q., Shcheynikov, N., Zeng, W. and Muallem, S.: NaBC1 is a ubiquitous electrogenic Na+-coupled borate transporter essential for cellular boron homeostasis and cell growth and proliferation. Mol. Cell 16(3): 331-341, 2004.
- Pohanish, R.P. (editor): Boron, Boric Acid and Borax. In, Sittig's Handbook of Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals and Carcinogens, Fourth Ed., Vol. 1. Norwich, NY: Noyes Publications, William Andrew Publishing, 2002, pp. 355-357.
Monitoring Methods used by OSHA
Laboratory Sampling/Analytical Method:
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sampling media: Low Ash Polyvinyl Chloride (LAPVC) filter
maximum volume: 960 Liters maximum flow rate: 2.0 L/min
current analytical method: Gravimetric &/or Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma; ICP/DCP-AES
method reference: OSHA SLTC In-House
method classification: Not Validated
note: Submit as a separate sample. When analysis of this compound is requested, an elemental analysis for Boron is performed and reported as the compound. If sample is considered a nuisance dust then no standard available and sample is collected & analyzed gravimetrically. See Particulates not otherwise regulated (Total Dust)
Wipe sampling:
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sampling media: Whatman smear tab
analytical solvent: Deionized water
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