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Zinc chloride fume

Airborne zinc chloride particulate and fume generated during smoke-generating devices, heating, or other industrial processes.

Airborne form

fume

The form describes what is suspended in air at the point of exposure. A material can produce more than one form, such as dust during handling and fume during heating.

Health effects

eye irritationskin irritationnose and throat irritationconjunctivitiscoughbreathing difficultychest painpulmonary edemapneumonitispulmonary fibrosisskin burns

Evidence

The current NIOSH Pocket Guide sets zinc chloride fume limits at 1 mg/m³ time-weighted average and 2 mg/m³ short-term, describes white particulate dispersed in air, and reports irritation, burns, cough, breathing difficulty, pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, and pulmonary fibrosis.

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Exposure Limits; Physical Description; Exposure Routes; Symptoms · 1
NIOSH REL TWA 1 mg/m³ ST 2 mg/m³. Physical Description White particulate dispersed in air. Exposure Routes inhalation, skin and/or eye contact. Symptoms irritation eyes, skin, nose, throat; conjunctivitis; cough, copious sputum; dyspnea (breathing difficulty), chest pain, pulmonary edema, pneumonitis; pulmonary fibrosis, cor pulmonale; ... skin burns.

NIOSH lists irritation and burns affecting the eyes, skin, nose, and throat, as well as cough, breathing difficulty, chest pain, pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, pulmonary fibrosis, and other systemic effects for zinc chloride fume.

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Exposure Limits; Exposure Routes; Symptoms; Target Organs · 1
NIOSH REL TWA 1 mg/m³ ST 2 mg/m³. Exposure Routes inhalation, skin and/or eye contact. Symptoms irritation eyes, skin, nose, throat; conjunctivitis; cough, copious sputum; dyspnea (breathing difficulty), chest pain, pulmonary edema, pneumonitis; pulmonary fibrosis, cor pulmonale; fever; cyanosis; tachypnea; skin burns.

NIOSH reports human respiratory distress, nausea, coughing, and upper-respiratory irritation at specified zinc chloride fume exposures and gives a revised IDLH of 50 mg/m³.

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Human data; Revised IDLH · 1
A 30-minute exposure to 4.8 mg/m³ has been reported to produce respiratory distress. Exposure to 80 mg/m³ has caused nausea and coughing and 120 mg/m³ for 2 minutes has caused nose and upper respiratory system irritation ... The revised IDLH for zinc chloride fume is 50 mg/m³.

The NIOSH/OSHA review describes zinc chloride fume as highly caustic and reports severe pneumonitis and a fatal case involving advanced pulmonary fibrosis.

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ZINC CHLORIDE · 3
Zinc chloride fume is highly caustic and damages the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx and respiratory tract. Exposure to the fumes of zinc chloride may result in a severe pneumonitis ... and one instance ... resulted in advanced pulmonary fibrosis that ended in death.

NIOSH evaluated zinc chloride smoke-generating devices in a dedicated health-hazard evaluation.

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page 1 · Summary · 1
Evaluation of Zinc Chloride Smoke Generating Devices

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