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Nitroglycerin Safety and Health Topics:
Nitroglycerin

General Description
    Synonyms: Nitroglycerine; Glyceryl trinitrate; NG; 1,2,3-Propanetriol trinitrate; Trinitroglycerine

    OSHA IMIS Code Number: 1912

    Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number: 55-63-0

    NIOSH, Registry of Toxic Effects (RTECS) Identification Number: QX2100000

    Department of Transportation Regulation Number (49 CFR 172.101) and Guide: 1204 127 (≤ 1% solution in alcohol); 3064 127 (1-5% solution in alcohol)

    NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, Nitroglycerine: chemical description, physical properties, potentially hazardous incompatibilities, and more
Exposure Limits
    OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for General Industry: 29 CFR 1910.1000 Z-1 Table -- 0.2 ppm, 2 mg/m3 Ceiling; Skin

    OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for Construction Industry: 29 CFR 1926.55 Appendix A -- 0.2 ppm, 2 mg/m3 Ceiling; Skin

    OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for Maritime: 29 CFR 1915.1000 Table Z-Shipyards -- 0.2 ppm, 2 mg/m3 Ceiling; Skin

    American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value (TLV): 0.05 ppm, 0.46 mg/m3 TWA; Skin

    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Recommended Exposure Limit (REL): 0.1 mg/m3 STEL; Skin
Health Factors
    NIOSH Immediately Dangerous To Life or Health Concentration (IDLH): 8 ppm

    Potential symptoms: Throbbing headache; dizziness; fatigue, shortness of breath; nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain; hypotension with reflex tachycardia; palpitations; methemoglobinemia; flushing; alcohol intolerance; central nervous system depression, mental confusion, delirium; impaired vision; angina; skin irritation.
    Withdrawal from chronic exposure: angina pectoris (chest pain), dyspnea, hypertension.

    Health Effects: Methemoglobinemia (HE13); Acute toxicity---Orthostatic hypotension (HE4); CNS effects (HE7); Explosive (HE18); Contact dermatitis; Withdrawal vasospasm---hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, sudden death.

    Affected organs: Cardiovascular system; blood; skin; central nervous system.

    Note: Occupational exposure is mainly at dynamite, munitions and pharmaceutical manufacturing sites. Regulated by OSHA as a Class A Explosive (29 CFR 1910.109)

    Date Last Revised: 07/03/2003

    Literature Basis:
    • (symptoms, target organs, ILDH; conversion factor, 1 ppm = 9.29 mg/m3)
      NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards: Nitroglycerine.
    • (symptoms, consequences of withdrawal)
      Cullen, N.M. and Suntornthan, S.: Dynamite and explosives. In, Occupational, Industrial, and Environmental Toxicology, M.I. Greenberg, R.J. Hamilton and S.D. Phillips, eds. St. Louis: Mosby-Year Book, Inc, pp. 321-326, 1997.
    • (biological monitoring)
      Akrill, P., Guiver, R. and Cocker, J.: Biological monitoring of nitroglycerin exposure by urine analysis. Toxicol. Lett. 134(1-3): 271-276, 2002.
    • Kanerva, L., Laine, R., Jolanki, R., Tarvainen, K., Estlander, T. and Helander, I.: Occupational allergic contact dermatitis caused by nitroglycerin. Contact Dermatitis 24(5): 356-362, 1991.
Monitoring Methods used by OSHA
    Laboratory Sampling/Analytical Method:

    • sampling media: Tenax-GC Tube (100/50 mg sections, 35/60 mesh)
      maximum: 15 Liters   maximum flow rate: 1.0 L/min (CEILING)
      maximum: 15 Liters   maximum flow rate: 1.0 L/min (STEL)
      current analytical method: High Performance Liquid Chromatography; HPLC/TEA &/or UV
      method reference: OSHA Analytical Method (OSHA 43)
      method classification: Fully Validated
      note: The sampling pump must be approved by NIOSH and/or MSHA as intrinsically safe for use in mines.
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  Nitroglycerin
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Page last updated: 11/23/2004