Agent Name
Aluminum oxide
Alternative Name
alpha-Alumina
Synonyms
alpha-Alumina; Alumina; Aluminium oxide; Aluminum oxide (2:3); Aluminum sesquioxide; Aluminum trioxide; [CHEMINFO]
Category
Metals, Inorganic Compounds
Description
White, odorless, crystalline powder; [NIOSH]
Sources/Uses
Used to produce aluminum; Also used as an abrasive, catalyst, absorbent (petroleum industry), filler for coatings, food additive; Also used in ceramics, glass, refractories, electrical insulators and resistors, fluxes, dental cements, and chromatographic applications; [CHEMINFO] alpha-Alumina is the main component of technical grade alumina. Corundum is natural Al2O3. Emery is an impure crystalline variety of Al2O3. [NIOSH]
Comments
Alumina is converted into aluminum by electrolytic reduction. Primary aluminum production facilities contain rows of reduction cells or pots located in "potrooms." [Burgess, p. 14] Aluminum oxide is found in nature as bauxite (Al2O3.2H2O). Corundum is manufactured by fusing bauxite in a furnace. Some crystalline silica may be found in bauxite and corundum. "The severe pulmonary fibrosis observed historically in bauxite workers and potroom workers has been primarily attributed to the concurrent exposure to crystalline silica." [CHEMINFO] An irritant of the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract; [CAMEO] "There is no evidence of an association between exposure to alumina and the reporting of respiratory symptoms but some evidence for an effect on lung function." [
PMID 32944994] See "Aluminum."
Skin Designation (ACGIH)
Insufficient data
TLV (ACGIH)
1 mg/m3, respirable fraction
PEL (OSHA)
15 mg/m3(total dust), 5 mg/m3(respirable fraction)
MAK
4 mg/m3, (inhalable fraction), 1.5 mg/m3 (respirable fraction)
Explanatory Notes
TLV, PEL, and MAK values for aluminum metal and insoluble compounds;
ACGIH Carcinogen
Not Classifiable
Diseases
Occupational diseases associated with exposure to this agent:
Processes
Industrial Processes with risk of exposure: