Zinc chloride fume

Synonyms

Butter of zinc; Chlorure de zinc [French]; Zinc (chlorure de) [French]; Zinc butter; Zinc chloride; Zinc chloride in plastic container; Zinc chloride, (solution); Zinc dichloride; Zinc(II) chloride; Zinco (cloruro di) [Italian]; Zine dichloride; Zinkchlorid [German]; Zinkchloride [Dutch]; Zintrace; Zinc chloride, anhydrous; Zinc chloride, solution; [ChemIDplus] UN2331; UN1840 (solution)

Category

Metals, Inorganic Compounds

Description

White particulate dispersed in air; [NIOSH] Zinc chloride: White odorless solid; Highly deliquescent; [Merck Index] White odorless powder, crystals, or beads; Hygroscopic; [Alfa Aesar MSDS]

Sources/Uses

Zinc chloride is used as a soldering flux, battery electrolyte, and crowd control agent; also used in iron galvanizing, textiles, adhesives, deodorants, wood preserving, and petroleum refining; [ACGIH] Used as a glazing flux in glassblowing; [www.ci.tucson.az.us/arthazards/medium.html] Other applications include deodorizing, disinfecting, embalming, fireproofing lumber, etching metals, microscopy, chemical syntheses, making parchment paper, artificial silk, dyes, activated carbon, cold-water glues, and vulcanized fiber, browning steel, copper-plating iron, magnesia cements, textiles (mordant in printing and dyeing, carbonizing woolen goods, mercerizing cotton, and sizing and weighting fabrics), vulcanizing rubber, cellulose solvent, dentin desensitizer, smoke bombs, and as human and veterinary astringent [Merck Index] Registered for use in the US for the control of moss and fungi on outdoor walkways and patios; [EPA REDs]

Comments

Asthma reported in a solderer and a locksmith; [Malo] At a concentration of 0.4 mg/m3, ZnCl2 caused no respiratory irritation; at 4.8 mg/m3 for 30 minutes, transient respiratory irritation occurred. Higher concentrations after industrial accidents have been associated with toxic pneumonitis. [ACGIH] Zinc chloride is corrosive to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract; [ICSC] Causes burns; Harmful by ingestion; [Alfa Aesar MSDS] See "Zinc."

Reference Link #1

Biomedical References

Insufficient data

1 mg/m3

2 mg/m3

1 mg/m3

0.1 mg/m3 (respirable fraction), 2 mg/m3 (inhalable fraction)

50 mg/m3

Excerpts from Documentation for IDLHs

Human data: A 30­minute exposure to 4.8 mg/m3 has been reported to produce respiratory distress [Ferry 1974]. Exposure to 80 mg/m3 has caused nausea and coughing and 120 mg/m3 for 2 minutes has caused nose and upper respiratory system irritation [Cullumbine 1957].

LCLo (rat) = 1,960 mg/m3/10min

Explanatory Notes

LC50 (rat) = 2,000 mg/m3

For zinc, whole body: 162-500 days; [TDR, p. 1245]

Reference Link #2

will not burn

Yes

Yes

Skin burns

Diseases

Occupational diseases associated with exposure to this agent:

• Asthma, occupational

Processes

Industrial Processes with risk of exposure:

• Applying Wood Preservatives
• Battery Manufacturing
• Brazing
• Electroplating
• Glass Manufacturing
• Petroleum Production and Refining
• Pulp and Paper Processing
• Semiconductor Manufacturing
• Soldering
• Steel Producing
• Textiles (Fiber & Fabric Manufacturing)
• Textiles (Printing, Dyeing, or Finishing)
• Welding

Activities

Activities with risk of exposure:

• Applying metallic patinas
• Glassblowing
• Stained glass making