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From: Lawrence M Gibbs <lgibbs**At_Symbol_Here**STANFORD.EDU>
Subject: Re: Fwd: [DCHAS-L] Formic acid
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2017 20:15:36 +0000
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: 1573C3AD-1D7C-4C5C-924A-C7F7861A0736**At_Symbol_Here**stanford.edu
In-Reply-To


These are relative statements made based on standardized toxicity testing. A reasonable reference for for if acid would be the National Toxicological Program report on Formic acid evaluation. https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/htdocs/st_rpts/tox019.pdf

Need to recall that all thing are toxic depending on the dose. 

Larry

On Apr 6, 2017, at 12:40 PM, Ferm, Barret <000003e16e810599-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU> wrote:


Is it just me, or is the following entry in the Wikipedia entry on formic acid misleading, or even deceptive?

"Safety

Formic acid has low toxicity [emphsis added] (hence its use as a food additive), with an LD50 of 1.8 g/kg (oral, mice). The concentrated acid is corrosive to the skin.[6]"

Farther below in the same section, however, it says the OSHA PEL is 30 ppm. Elsewhere it gives the NFPA hazard codes: H=3, F=2, R=1. 

How can they say it is "low toxicity"?

~Barry Ferm 

Chemical Hygiene Officer
Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator

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