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Ozone
May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
CAS number: 10028–15–6
NIOSH REL: 0.1 ppm (0.2 mg/m3) CEILING
Current OSHA PEL: 0.1 ppm (0.2 mg/m3) TWA
1989 OSHA PEL: 0.1 ppm (0.2 mg/m3) TWA, 0.3 ppm (0.6 mg/m3) STEL
1993-1994 ACGIH TLV: 0.1 ppm (0.2 mg/m3) CEILING
Description of substance: Colorless to blue gas with a very pungent odor.
LEL: . . Nonflammable Gas
Original (SCP) IDLH: 10 ppm
Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: The chosen IDLH is based on the statement by AIHA [1966] that pulmonary edema developed in welders who had a severe acute exposure to an estimated 9 ppm ozone plus other air pollutants [Kleinfeld et al. 1957]. Patty [1963] reported that 15 to 20 ppm is lethal to small animals within 2 hours [Witheridge and Yaglou 1937]. AIHA [1966] also reported that on the basis of animal data, exposure at 50 ppm for 60 minutes will probably be fatal to humans [King 1963].
Existing short-term exposure guidelines: National Research Council [NRC 1984] Emergency Exposure Guidance Levels (EEGLs):
1-hour EEGL: 1 ppm
24-hour EEGL: 0.1 ppm
ACUTE TOXICITY DATA:
Lethal concentration data:
| Species | Reference | LC50(ppm) | LCLo(ppm) | Time | Adjusted 0.5-hrLC (CF) | Derived value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MouseHuman
Rabbit Mouse Rat G. pig Rat |
Clamann & Bancroft 1957Deichmann & Gerarde 1969
Mittler et al. 1956 Mittler et al. 1956 Mittler et al. 1956 Mittler et al. 1957 Stokinger 1957 |
———-
—– —– —– —– —– |
12.650
36 21 21.8 24.8 4.8 |
3 hr30 min
3 hr 3 hr 3 hr 3 hr 4 hr |
23 ppm (1.8)50 ppm (1.0)
65 ppm (1.8) 38 ppm (1.8) 39 ppm (1.8) 45 ppm (1.8) 10 ppm (2.0) |
2.3 ppm5.0 ppm
6.5 ppm 3.8 ppm 3.9 ppm 4.5 ppm 1.0 ppm |
Other animal data: It has been reported that 15 to 20 ppm is lethal to small animals within 2 hours [Witheridge and Yaglou 1937].
Human data: Pulmonary edema developed in welders who had a severe acute exposure to an estimated 9 ppm ozone plus other air pollutants [Kleinfeld et al. 1957]. It has been reported that on the basis of animal data, exposure at 50 ppm for 60 minutes will probably be fatal to humans [King 1963].
| Revised IDLH: 5 ppmBasis for revised IDLH: The revised IDLH for ozone is 5 ppm based on acute inhalation toxicity data in humans [Deichmann and Gerarde 1969; Kleinfeld et al. 1957]. |
REFERENCES:
1. AIHA [1966]. Ozone. In: Hygienic guide series. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 27:196-198.
2. Clamann HG, Bancroft RW [1957]. Physiological effects of ozone. Fed Proc 16:22 [Abstract].
3. Deichmann WB, Gerarde HW [1969]. Ozone. In: Toxicity of drugs and chemicals. New York, NY: Academic Press, Inc., pp. 446-448.
4. King ME [1963]. Toxicity of ozone. V. Factors affecting acute toxicity. Ind Med Surg 32:93-94.
5. Kleinfeld M, Giel C, Tabershaw IR [1957]. Health hazards associated with inert-gas-shielded metal arc welding. AMA Arch Ind Health 15(1):27-31.
6. Mittler S, Hedrick D, King M, Gaynor A [1956]. Toxicity of ozone. I. Acute toxicity. Ind Med Surg 25:301-306.
7. Mittler S, Hedrick D, Phillips L [1957]. Toxicity of ozone. II. Effect of oxygen and carbon dioxide upon acute toxicity. Ind Med Surg 26:63-66.
8. NRC [1984]. Emergency and continuous exposure limits for selected airborne contaminants. Vol. 1. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, Committee on Toxicology, Board on Toxicology and Environmental Health Hazards, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council, pp. 99-106.
9. Patty FA, ed. [1963]. Industrial hygiene and toxicology. 2nd rev. ed. Vol. II. Toxicology. New York, NY: Interscience Publishers, Inc., p. 917.
10. Stokinger HE [1957]. Evaluation of the hazards of ozone and oxides of nitrogen. Arch Ind Health 15:181-190.
11. Witheridge WN, Yaglou CP [1937]. Ozone in ventilation: its possibilities and limitations. Trans Am Soc Heat Vent Eng 45(1132):509-522.