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Chemical Sampling Information (CSI)
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General Description

Synonyms: Glutaric dialdehyde; 1,5-Pentanedial

OSHA IMIS Code Number: 1361

Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number: 111-30-8

NIOSH Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS) Identification Number: MA2450000

NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards - Glutaraldehyde: Physical description, chemical properties, potentially hazardous incompatibilities, and more

Exposure Limits and Health Effects

Exposure Limit

Limit Values

HE Codes

Health Factors and Target Organs

OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)

Not established

 

 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Recommended Exposure Limit (REL)

0.2 ppm
(0.8 mg/m3)
Ceiling

HE14

Eye, nose, and throat irritation

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value (TLV) (2001)

0.05 ppm
(0.2 mg/m3)
Ceiling

SEN; A4

HE14

Nose, throat, eye, and skin irritation; skin sensitization and contact dermatitis

CAL/OSHA PEL

0.05 ppm
(0.2 mg/m3) Ceiling

HE9

Respiratory sensitization, allergic sensitization, asthmatic sensitization

National Toxicology Program (NTP) carcinogenic classification: Not listed

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) carcinogenic classification: Not listed

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) carcinogenic classification: Not listed

EPA Inhalation Reference Concentration (RfC): Not established

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Inhalation Minimal Risk Level (MRL): Not established

NIOSH Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) concentration: Not established

Notes on Other Potential Health Effects

  1. Patch testing indicated an 8-fold incidence of allergy to glutaraldehyde among health-care workers compared with that of non-health-care working peers (Shaffer and Delsito 2000).
  2. Even though glutaraldehyde has been extensively tested for genetic activity in vitro and in vivo, the results disagree (Zeiger et al. 2005).
  3. NIOSH assigned glutaraldehyde a "SK: DIR (COR)-SEN" skin notation (skin corrosion and skin sensitization) based on sufficient human and animal data (NIOSH 2011).
  4. The ACGIH TLV was established in 1997. The CalOSHA PEL was established in 2006 based on the documentation for the TLV.

Date Last Revised: 11/16/2012

Literature Basis:

  • ACGIH: Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) and Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs) - Glutaraldehyde. 2001.
  • California Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board: Initial [70 KB PDF, 11 pages] and Final [124 KB PDF, 10 pages] Statement of Reasons. July 6, 2006.
  • NIOSH: Skin Notation Profiles - Glutaraldehyde. April 2011.
  • NIOSH: Recommendations for Occupational Safety and Health - Compendium of Policy Documents and Statements. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). NIOSH Publication No. 92-100. (1992).
  • NIOSH/IPCS: International Chemical Safety Cards - Glutaraldehyde. December 4, 2000.
  • Shaffer, M.P. and Delsito, D.V.: Allergic contact dermatitis from glutaraldehyde in health-care workers. Contact Dermatitis 43(3): 150-156, 2000.
  • Zeiger E, Gollapudi B, Spencer P: Genetic toxicity and carcinogenicity studies of glutaraldehyde—a review. Mutat Res. 589(2):136-51. March 2005.

Monitoring Methods used by OSHA

Laboratory Sampling/Analytical Method:

  • sampling media: Two Coated Glass Fiber Filters (Open Face) in one cassette separated by a spacer. The filters are coated with 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) and Phosphoric Acid.
    analytical solvent: Acetonitrile
    minimum time: 15 Minutes
    maximum flow rate: 1.0 L/min (Ceiling)
    current analytical method: High Performance Liquid Chromatography; HPLC/UV
    method reference: OSHA Analytical Method (OSHA 64)
    method classification: Fully Validated
    note: Samples must be kept at reduced temperature and shipped to lab cold.

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