ETİ HOLDİNG A.Ş.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

DEPARTMENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

BORIC ACID

HEALTH AND SAFETY DATA SHEET

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prepared by

 

Dr. Ayhan MERGEN

Erhan TEKTAŞ

 

 

 

 

ETİ HOLDİNG A.Ş.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

(06377) Güvercinlik / ANKARA, TÜRKİYE

TEL    : ++90 312 397 2570

FAX   : ++90 312 397 1655

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 2003

 

 

 

 

 1. Identification of the Substance / Preparation and the Company / Undertaking

 

Product Name

Boric Acid

 

Chemical name/synonyms

Boric acid, Orthoboric acid, Boracic acid

 

Use of the substance / preparation

The product is used in industrial manufacturing, in particular in:

-          Ceramics

-          Cosmetics

-          Detergent

-          Borosilicate glass

-          Textile fibreglass

Supplier

Name : Eti Holding A.Ş.

Addres:Sıhhiye, Cihan Sok. No:2, 06430, Ankara, Türkiye.

Phone No:  00 90 312 231 70 20

Fax No: 00 90 312 229 21 32

Emergency phone number: 00 90 312 232 60 33

 

2. Composition / Information on Ingredients

 

Chemical Nature of the Substance / Preparation

The product contains greater than 99.9 percent (%) boric acid (H3BO3).

 

Components

CAS- N°                                   EINECS                              Name                                                    EC Classification

10043-35-3                                233-139-2                            Boric acid                                            no classification

 

For other "Chemical inventory listing", please refer to section 15.

 

3. Hazards Identification

 

Emergency overview

Boric acid is a white odourless, powdered substance that is not flammable, combustible, or explosive, and has low acute oral and dermal toxicity.

Potential health effects

Inhalation is the most significant route of exposure in occupational and other settings. Dermal exposure is not usually a concern because boric acid is poorly absorbed through intact skin.

Inhalation

Occasional mild irritation effects to nose and throat may occur from inhalation of boric acid dusts at levels greater than 5 mg/m3.

Eye contact

Boric acid is non-irritating to eyes in normal industrial use.

Skin contact

Boric acid does not cause irritation to intact skin.

Ingestion

Products containing boric acid are notintended for ingestion. Boric acid has low acute toxicity. Small amounts (e.g. a teaspoonful) swallowed accidentally are not likely to cause effects; swallowing amounts larger than that may cause gastrointestinal symptoms.

Reproductive/Developmental

Animal ingestion studies in several species, at high doses, indicate that borates cause reproductive and developmental effects. A human study of occupational exposure to borate dust showed no adverse effect on reproduction.

Potential ecological effects

Large amounts of boric acid can be harmful to plants and other species. Therefore releases to the environment should be minimised.

Signs and symptoms of exposure

Symptoms of accidental over-exposure to boric acid have been associated with ingestion or absorption through large areas of damaged skin. These may include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, with delayed effects of skin redness and peeling (see section 11).

 

4. First aid measures

 

Skin contact

No treatment necessary because non-irritating.

Eye contact

Use eye wash fountain or fresh water to cleanse eye. If irritation persists for more than 30 minutes, seek medical attention.

Inhalation

If symptoms such as nose or throat irritation are observed, remove to fresh air.

Ingestion

If large amounts are swallowed (i.e. more than one teaspoon), give two glasses of water or milk to drink and seek medical attention.

      Note to physicians

Observation only is required for adult ingestion of less than 6 grams of boric acid. For ingestion in excess of 6 grams, maintain adequate kidney function and force fluids. Gastric lavage is recommended for symptomatic patients only. Haemodialysis should be reserved for massive acute ingestion or patients with renal failure. Boron analyses of urine or blood are only useful for documenting exposure and should not be used to evaluate severity of poisoning or to guide treatment[1] (see section 11).

 

5. Fire-fighting measures

 

General hazard

None, because boric acid is not flammable, combustible or explosive. The product is itself a flame retardant.

Extinguishing media

Any fire extinguishing media may be used on nearby fires.

 

6. Accidental release measures

 

Personal precautions

Avoid dust formation. In case of exposure to high level of airborne dust, wear a personal respirator in compliance with national legislation.

 

Environmental precautions

Boric acid is a water-soluble white powder that may cause damage to trees or vegetation by root absorption (see section 12).

 

Methods for cleaning up (Land spill)

Vacuum, shovel or sweep up boric acid and place in containers for disposal in accordance with applicable local regulations. Avoid contamination of water bodies during clean up and disposal. No personal protective equipment is needed to clean up land spills.

 

Spillage into water

Where possible, remove any intact containers from the water. Advise local water authority that none of the affected water should be used for irrigation or for the abstraction of potable water until natural dilution returns the boron value to its normal environmental background level (see sections 12, 13 and 15).

 

7. Handling and Storage

 

Safe Handling Advice and storage

No special handling precautions are required, but dry, indoor storage is recommended. To maintain package integrity and to minimise caking of the product, bags should be handled on a first-in first-out basis. Good housekeeping procedures should be followed to minimise dust generation and accumulation. Your supplier can advise you on safe handling, please contact him.

 

8. Exposure controls / Personal protection

 

Exposure limit values

Respect regulatory provisions for dust (inhalable and respirable).

 

Exposure controls

 

A. OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE CONTROLS

Use local exhaust ventilation to keep airborne concentrations of boric acid dust below permissible exposure levels.

-          Respiratory protection

         Where airborne concentrations are expected to exceed exposure limits, respirators should be used.

-          Eyes and hands protection

         Goggles and gloves are not required for normal industrial exposures, but may be warranted if environment

         is excessively dusty.

 

B. ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE CONTROLS

No special requirement.

 

9. Physical and chemical properties

 

General information

Physical state                                                   crystalline solid

Colour                                                                white

Odour                                                                odourless

Molecular weight                                             61.83

Specific gravity                                                1.51

 

Important health, safety and environmental information

Melting temperature                                        171°C (heated in closed space)

Boiling point                                                     Not applicable

Flash point                                                        Non flammable

Explosion hazard                                              Non explosive

Solubility in water                                            4.7% @ 20°C; 27.5% @ 100°C

Vapour pressure                                              Negligible @ 20°C

pH @ 20°C                                                        6.1 (0.1 % solution)

                                                                            5.1 (1.0% solution)

                                                                            3.7 (4.7 % solution)

 

10. Stability and Reactivity

 

General

Boric acid is a stable product, but when heated it loses water, first forming metaboric acid (HBO2), and on further heating it is converted into boric oxide (B2O3).

Hazardous decomposition or polymerisation

None

Incompatible materials and conditions to avoid:

Boric acid reacts as a weak acid which may cause corrosion of base metals. Reaction with strong reducing agents such as metal hydrides or alkali metals will generate hydrogen gas which could create an explosive hazard.

 

11. Toxicological information

 

ACUTE TOXICITY

Ingestion[2]

Low acute oral toxicity; LD50 in rats is 3,500 to 4,100 mg/kg of body weight.

Skin

Low acute dermal toxicity; LD50 in rabbits is greater than 2,000 mg/kg of body weight. Boric acid is poorly absorbed through intact skin.

Inhalation

Low acute inhalation toxicity; LC50 in rats is greater than 2.0 mg/l (or g/m3).

Skin irritation

Non-irritant.

Eye irritation

Draize test in rabbits produced mild eye irritation effects.. Fifty years of occupational exposure to boric acid indicate no adverse effects on human eye.

Sensitisation

Boric acid is not a skin sensitiser.

 

OTHER

Reproductive/Developmental toxicity

Animal feeding studies in rat, mouse and dog, at high doses, have demonstrated effects on fertility and testes[2]. Studies in rat, mouse and rabbit, at high doses, demonstrate developmental effects on the foetus including foetal weight loss and minor skeletal variations. The doses administered were many times in excess of those which humans would normally be exposed to [3,4,5].

Carcinogenicity/Mutagenicity

Not a carcinogen.

Not a mutagen.

Human data

Human epidemiological studies show no increase in pulmonary disease in occupational populations with chronic exposures to boric acid dust and sodium borate dust. A recent epidemiology study under the conditions of normal occupational exposure to borate dusts indicated no effect on fertility.

 

12. Ecological information

 

ECOTOXICITY DATA

General

Boron occurs naturally in sea water at an average concentration of 5 mg B/l and fresh water at 1 mg B/l or less. In dilute aqueous solutions the predominant boron species present is undissociated boric acid. To convert boric acid into equivalent boron (B) content, multiply by 0.1748.

Phytotoxicity

Boron is an essential micronutrient for healthy growth of plants, however, it can be harmful to boron sensitive plants in higher quantities. Care should be taken to minimise the amount of borate product released to the environment.

Algal toxicity[6]

Green algae, Scenedesmus subspicatus

96-hr EC10 = 24 mg B/1 †

Invertebrate toxicity[7]

Daphnids, Daphnia magna Straus

48-hr LC50 = 133 mg B/1 ‡

21-day NOEC-LOEC = 6-13 mg B/l ‡

Fish toxicity

Sea water[8]:

Dab, Limanda limanda 96-hr LC50 = 74 mg B/l †

Fresh water[9]:

Rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri (embryo-larval stage)

24-day LC50 = 150 mg B/l ‡

32-day LC50 = 100 mg B/l ‡

Goldfish, Carassius auratus (embryo-larval stage)

7-day LC50 = 46 mg B/l ‡

3-day LC50 = 178 mg B/l ‡

Test substance:   † Sodium tetraborate

                                ‡ Boric acid

 

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE DATA

Persistence/Degradation

Boron is naturally occurring and ubiquitous in the environment. Boric acid decomposes in the environment to natural borate.

Octanol/Water partition coefficient

Log Pow = -0.7570 at 25°C.

Soil mobility

The product is soluble in water and is leachable through normal soil.

 

13. Disposal considerations

 

Disposal guidance

Small quantities of boric acid can usually be disposed of at landfill sites. No special disposal treatment is required, but local authorities should be consulted about any specific local requirements. Tonnage quantities of product are not recommended to be sent to landfills. Such product should, if possible, be used for an appropriate application.

 

14. Transport information

 

International transportation

Boric acid has no UN Number, and is not regulated under international rail, road, water or air transport regulations.

 

15. Regulatory information

 

General

Ensure all national/local regulations are observed.

Clean Air Act (Montreal Protocol)

Boric acid was not manufactured with and does not contain any Class I or Class II ozone depleting substances.

Cosmetics

The EC Directive 76/768/EEC sets an upper limit of 5% Boric acid in talcs, 0.1% in oral hygiene products and 3% in other products. In addition, the talcs should not be used on children under 3 years of age.

Chemical inventory listing

-        U.S. EPA TSCA Inventory             10043-35-3

-        Canadian DSL                                   10043-35-3

-        EINECS                                              233-139-2

-        South Korea                                      1-439

-        Japanese MITI                                 (1)-63

 

16. Other information

 

References

1. Litovitz T L, Norman S A, Veltri J C, Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Data Collection System. Am. J. Emerg. Med. (1986), 4, 427-458

2. Weir R J, Fisher R S, Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., (1972), 23, 351-364

3. National Toxicology Program (NTP) - Technical Report Series No. TR324, NIH Publication No. 88-2580 (1987), PB88 213475/XAB

4. Fail et al., Fund. Appl. Toxicol. (1991) 17, 225-239

5. Heindel et al., Fund. Appl. Toxicol. (1992) 18, 266-277

6. Guhl W, SÖFW-Journal (1992) 181 (18/92), 1159-1168

7. Schöberl P, Marl and Huber L (1988) Tenside Surfactants Detergents 25, 99-107

8. Hugman S J and Mance G (1983) Water Research Centre Report 616-M

9. Birge W J, Black J A, EPA-560/-76-008 (April 1977) PB 267 085

For general information on the toxicology of borates see ECETOC Technical Report No. 63 (1995); Patty's Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, 4th Edition Vol. II, (1994) Chap. 42, 'Boron'.


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