Antimony exposure

Eye and respiratory irritation occur due to antimony exposure. Normal human serum levels of antimony should be from 0.05 to 0.50 mg dl. ... 

A small study of workers directly exposed to antimony ttioxide as a powder or fumes examined whether immune function was affected by occupational exposure to antimony (Kim et al. 1999). This study s results suggested several indices of immune function, including IgGl, IgE and interferon-gamma levels in serum, were all depressed in antimony-exposed workers compared to workers in the same facility who did not work with antimony, while lgG4 levels were positively related to urinary antimony levels in exposed workers. To what extent there may have been co-exposures to other workplace chemicals is not known. It is not known whether non-occupational antimony exposure in the general population affects immune function. 

More research is needed to determine if antimony exposure in humans affects blood pressure or incidence of preeclampsia in pregnant women, as well as estimation of urinary levels of antimony in preeclamptic compared to non-... 

Rossi F, Acampora R, Vacca C et al (1987) Prenatal and postnatal antimony exposure in rats effect on vasomotor reactivity development of pups. Teratog Carcinog Mutagen 7(5) 491-496 Sanchez-Martinez M, Perez-Corona T, Camara C et al (2013) Migration of antimony from PET containers into regulated EU food simulants. Food Chem 141(2) 816-822 Santos MC, Nobrega JA, Baccan N et al (2010) Determination of toxic elements in plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment by slurry sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Talanta 81(4—5) 1781-1787 Sax L (2010) Polyethylene terephthalate may yield endocrine disrupters. Environ Health Perspect 118(4) 445 8... 

OSHA has a TWA standaid on a weight of Sb basis of 0.5 mg/for antimony in addition to a standard TWA of 2.5 mg/m for fluoride. NIOSH has issued a criteria document on occupational exposure to inorganic fluorides. Antimony pentafluoride is considered by the EPA to be an extremely hazardous substance and releases of 0.45 kg or more reportable quantity (RQ) must be reported. Antimony triduoride is on the CERCLA bst and releasing of 450 kg or more RQ must be reported. 

Tin exists in two ahotropic forms white tin (P) and gray tin (a). White tin, the form which is most familiar, crystallizes in the body-centered tetragonal system. Gray tin has a diamond cubic stmcture and may be formed when very high purity tin is exposed to temperatures well below zero. The ahotropic transformation is retarded if the tin contains smah amounts of bismuth, antimony, or lead. The spontaneous appearance of gray tin is a rare occurrence because the initiation of transformation requires, in some cases, years of exposure at —40° C. Inoculation with a-tin particles accelerates the transformation. 

Some of the chemicals mentioned above and others, such as chlorinated mbber or paraffin, antimony trioxide, calcium carbonate, calcium borate, pentaerythrithol, alumina trihydrate, titanium dioxide, and urea—melamine—formaldehyde resin, may be used to formulate fire retardant coatings. Many of these coatings are formulated in such a way that the films intumesce (expand) when exposed to fire, thus insulating the wood surface from further thermal exposure. Fire retardant coatings are mostly used for existing constmction. 

Although metallic antimony may be handled freely without danger, it is recommended that direct skin contact with antimony and its alloys be avoided. Properly designed exhaust ventilation systems and/or approved respirators are required for operations that create dusts or fumes. As with other heavy metals, orderly housekeeping practice and good personal hygiene are necessary to prevent ingestion of (or exposure to) antimony. 

Antimony is not known to cause cancer, birth defects, or affect reproduction in humans. However, antimony has been shown to cause lung cancer in laboratory animals that inhaled antimony-containing dusts and prolonged exposure to antimony can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, lungs, and stomach, in the form of vomiting and diarrhea. Heart problems can also result from overexposure to antimony (33). 

A recommended exposure limit for antimony compounds of 0.5 mg /m (as Sb) has been given (2). Disposal may be effected by washing residues down the drain at very high dilution unless prohibited by local regulations. 

Glocker and Frohnmayer determined the characteristic constant c for nine elements (Reference 2, Table 4) ranging in atomic numbers from 42 (molybdenum) to 90 (thorium). They proved that identical results could be obtained with the sample in the primary (polychromatic) or in the diffracted (monochromatic) beam. The method was applied with good results to the determination of barium in glass of antimony in a silicate of hafnium in the mineral alvite and of molybdenum, antimony, barium, and lanthanum in a solution of their salts—for example, 5.45% barium was found on 90-minute exposure by the x-ray method for a glass that yielded 5.8% on being analyzed chemically. 

The information available regarding the association of occupational exposure to lead with increased cancer risk is generally limited in its usefulness because the actual compound(s) of lead, the route(s) of exposure, and level(s) of lead to which the workers were exposed were often not reported. Furthermore, potential for exposure to other chemicals including arsenic, cadmium, and antimony occurred, particularly in lead smelters, and smoking was a possible confounder (Cooper 1976 IARC 1987). These studies, therefore, are not sufficient to determine the carcinogenicity of lead in humans, and the following discussion is restricted to the most comprehensive of these studies. 

Ludersdorf R, Fuchs A, Mayer P, et al. 1987. Biological assessment of exposure to antimony and lead in the glass-producing industry. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 59 469-474. 

Time-weighted average (TWA), 74 215 concentration, 25 372 exposure limit, for tantalum, 24 334 Time-Zero SX-70 film, 79 303, 305-307 Tin (Sn). See Lead-antimony-tin alloys Lead- calcium-tin alloys Lead-lithium-tin alloys Lead-tin alloys, 24 782-800. See also Tin alloys Tin compounds allotropes of, 24 786 analytical methods for, 24 790-792 in antimony alloys, 3 52t atomic structure of, 22 232 in barium alloys, 3 344, 4 12t bismuth recovery from concentrates, 4 5-6... 

Recently, nonionic acid precursors based on nitrobenzyl ester photochemistry have been developed for chemically amplified resist processes (78-80). These ester based materials (Figure 8) exhibit a number of advantages over the onium salt systems. Specifically, the esters are easily synthesized, are soluble in a variety organic solvents, are nonionic in character, and contain no potential device contaminants such as arsenic or antimony. In addition, their absorption characteristics are well suited for deep-UV exposure. 

A mortality study of 1014 men employed between 1937 and 1971 in a Texas antimony smelter found increased mortality from lung cancer (standardized mortality ratio 1.39) and a positive trend in mortality with increasing duration of exposure. The data also suggested some increased mortality from nonmalignant respiratory heart disease in these workers. 

In a report from Russia, an increase in the number of spontaneous abortions was reported in women exposed to antimony in the workplace " Exposure levels were not available. No effects were observed in the offspring of rats given low levels of antimony trichloride in the drinking water. 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, US Department of Health, Education and Welfare Criteria for a Recommended Standard... Occupational Exposure to Antimony, DHEW (NIOSH) 78-216. Washington, DC, US Government Printing Office, 1978... 

The degree of change in and rj increases with antimony content (see the corresponding figures). Apart from this, the addition of Sb to a-Se shifts the crystallization onset to higher exposure values. 

Since 1960, it has been demonstrated by various analytical procedures that high concentrations of arsenic were present in Napoleon s hair.88 Multi-element analysis of two specimens of Napoleon s hair by ICP-MS after mineralization in concentrated nitric acid resulted in arsenic concentrations (42.1 and 37.4(xgg-1) about 40 times higher than normal values, confirming the hypothesis of a significant exposure to arsenic. However, mercury (3.3. and 4.7(xgg 1), antimony (2.1 and 1.8(xgg 1) and lead (229 and 112p,gg-1) were also detected at elevated levels. The elevated concentrations of Sb and Hg are in agreement with the data already known about the therapeutic treatments given to Napoleon (calomel and tartar emetic are compounds of mercury and antimony, respectively).88... 

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