Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences ToxFAQsTM October 2012 

MANGANESE 

CAS # 7439-96-5 

This fact sheet answers the most frequently asked health questions (FAQs) about manganese. For more 

information, call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-800-232-4636. This fact sheet is one in a series of 

summaries about hazardous substances and their health effects. It is important you understand this 

information because this substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance 

depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether other 

chemicals are present. 

What is manganese? 

Manganese is a naturally occurring metal that is found in 

many types of rocks. Pure manganese is silver-colored, but 

does not occur naturally. It combines with other substances 

such as oxygen, sulfur, or chlorine. Manganese occurs 

naturally in most foods and may be added to some foods. 

Manganese is used principally in steel production to 

improve hardness, stiffness, and strength. It may also be 

used as an additive in gasoline to improve the octane rating 

of the gas. 

What happens to manganese when it enters the 

environment? 

□ Manganese can be released to the air, soil, and water 

from the manufacture, use, and disposal of manganesebased products. 

□ Manganese cannot break down in the environment. It 

can only change its form or become attached to or 

separated from particles. 

□ In water, manganese tends to attach to particles in the 

water or settle into the sediment. 

□ The chemical state of manganese and the type of soil 

determine how fast it moves through the soil and how 

much is retained in the soil. 

□ The manganese-containing gasoline additive may 

degrade in the environment quickly when exposed to 

sunlight, releasing manganese. 

How might I be exposed to manganese? 

□ The primary way you can be exposed to manganese is by 

eating food or manganese-containing nutritional 

supplements. Vegetarians, who consume foods rich in 

manganese such as grains, beans and nuts, as well as 

heavy tea drinkers, may have a higher intake of 

manganese than the average person. 

□ Certain occupations like welding or working in a factory 

where steel is made may increase your chances of being 

exposed to high levels of manganese. 

□ Manganese is routinely contained in groundwater, 

drinking water, and soil at low levels. Drinking water 

containing manganese or swimming or bathing in water 

containing manganese may expose you to low levels of 

this chemical. 

How can manganese affect my health? 

Manganese is an essential nutrient, and eating a small 

amount of it each day is important to stay healthy. 

The most common health problems in workers exposed to 

high levels of manganese involve the nervous system. 

These health effects include behavioral changes and other 

nervous system effects, which include movements that may 

become slow and clumsy. This combination of symptoms 

when sufficiently severe is referred to as “manganism”. 

Other less severe nervous system effects such as slowed 

hand movements have been observed in some workers 

exposed to lower concentrations in the work place. 

HIGHLIGHTS: Manganese is a trace element and eating a small amount from 

food or water is needed to stay healthy. Exposure to excess levels of manganese 

may occur from breathing air, particularly where manganese is used in 

manufacturing, and from drinking water and eating food. At high levels, it can 

cause damage to the brain. Manganese has been found in at least 869 of the 

1,669 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ToxFAQsTM Internet address is http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/index.asp 

Where can I get more information? For more information, contact the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 

Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-57, Atlanta, GA 30333. Phone: 1-800-232-4636, 

FAX: 770-488-4178. ToxFAQs Internet address via WWW is http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/index.asp. ATSDR can tell you where to 

find occupational and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize, evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from exposure 

to hazardous substances. You can also contact your community or state health or environmental quality department if you have any 

more questions or concerns. 

MANGANESE 

CAS # 7439-96-5 Page 2 

Federal Recycling Program Printed on Recycled Paper 

Exposure to high levels of manganese in air can cause lung 

irritation and reproductive effects. 

Nervous system and reproductive effects have been observed 

in animals after high oral doses of manganese. 

How likely is manganese to cause cancer? 

The EPA concluded that existing scientific information 

cannot determine whether or not excess manganese can 

cause cancer. 

How can manganese affect children? 

Studies in children have suggested that extremely high 

levels of manganese exposure may produce undesirable 

effects on brain development, including changes in 

behavior and decreases in the ability to learn and 

remember. We do not know for certain that these changes 

were caused by manganese alone. We do not know if these 

changes are temporary or permanent. We do not know 

whether children are more sensitive than adults to the 

effects of manganese, but there is some indication from 

experiments in laboratory animals that they may be. 

Studies of manganese workers have not found increases in 

birth defects or low birth weight in their offspring. No 

birth defects were observed in animals exposed to 

manganese. 

How can families reduce the risk of exposure to 

manganese? 

□ Children are not likely to be exposed to harmful amounts 

of manganese in the diet. However, higher-than-usual 

amounts of manganese may be absorbed if their diet is 

low in iron. It is important to provide your child with a 

well-balanced diet. 

□ Workers exposed to high levels of airborne manganese 

in certain occupational settings may accumulate 

manganese dust on their work clothes. Manganesecontaminated work clothing should be removed before 

getting into your car or entering your home to help 

reduce the exposure hazard for yourself and your family. 

Is there a medical test to determine whether I’ve 

been exposed to manganese? 

Several tests are available to measure manganese in blood, 

urine, hair, or feces. Because manganese is normally 

present in our body, some is always found in tissues or 

fluids. 

Because excess manganese is usually removed from the 

body within a few days, past exposures are difficult to 

measure with common laboratory tests. 

Has the federal government made 

recommendations to protect human health? 

The EPA has determined that exposure to manganese in 

drinking water at concentrations of 1 mg/L for up to 

10 days is not expected to cause any adverse effects in a 

child. 

The EPA has established that lifetime exposure to 0.3 mg/L 

manganese is not expected to cause any adverse effects. 

The FDA has determined that the manganese concentration 

in bottled drinking water should not exceed 0.05 mg/L. 

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration 

(OSHA) has established a ceiling limit (concentration that 

should not be exceeded at any time during exposure) of 

5 mg/m3

 for manganese in workplace air. 

References 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

(ATSDR). 2012. Toxicological Profile for Manganese. 

Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Public Health and Human 

Services, Public Health Service.