Safety Emporium eyewashes
Safety Emporium eyewashes

Interactive Learning Paradigms, Incorporated

DCHAS-L Discussion List Archive

From: Harry J. Elston <helston**At_Symbol_Here**MIDWESTCHEMSAFETY.COM>
Subject: Re: Fwd: [DCHAS-L] Formic acid
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2017 15:24:31 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Message-ID: CAJ2hcff42-hZqXXuPMqbKWHv6=GZONcveXMJDfuHF4eTkW6gMg**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To


Toxicity and occupational exposure limits (in this case the PEL) may or may not be related. Toxicity's xicity's endpoint is death (LD50); an OEL endpoint is preventing occupational illness over the course of a working lifetime.

Harry

Sent from my mobile device.

On Apr 6, 2017 14:42, "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

--- This e-mail is from DCHAS-L, the e-mail list of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety. For more information about the list, contact the Divisional secretary at secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
--- This e-mail is from DCHAS-L, the e-mail list of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety. For more information about the list, contact the Divisional secretary at secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org

Previous post   |  Top of Page   |   Next post