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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Manganese 

CAS # 7439-96-5 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine September 2008 

This Public Health Statement is the summary chapter from the Toxicological Profile for Manganese. It is 

one in a series of Public Health Statements about hazardous substances and their health effects. A shorter 

version, the ToxFAQsTM, is also available. This information is important 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. For more information, 

call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-800-232-4636. 

This public health statement tells you about manganese and the effects of exposure to it. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies the most serious hazardous waste sites in the 

nation. These sites are then placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) and are targeted for long-term 

federal clean-up activities. Manganese has been found in at least 869 of the 1,699 current or former NPL 

sites. Although the total number of NPL sites evaluated for this substance is not known, the possibility 

exists that the number of sites at which manganese is found may increase in the future as more sites are 

evaluated. This information is important because these sites may be sources of exposure and exposure to 

this substance may harm you. 

When a substance is released either from a large area, such as an industrial plant, or from a container, 

such as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment. Such a release does not always lead to exposure. You 

can be exposed to a substance only when you come in contact with it. You may be exposed by breathing, 

eating, or drinking the substance, or by skin contact. 

If you are exposed to manganese, many factors will determine whether you will be harmed. These factors 

include the dose (how much), the duration (how long), and how you come in contact with it. You must 

also consider any other chemicals you are exposed to and your age, sex, diet, family traits, lifestyle, and 

state of health. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 
______________________________________________________________________________ 

PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Manganese 

CAS # 7439-96-5 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine September 2008 

1.1 WHAT IS MANGANESE? 

Description Manganese is a naturally occurring substance found in many 

types of rocks and soil. Pure manganese is a silver-colored 

metal; however, it does not occur in the environment as a pure 

metal. Rather, it occurs combined with other substances such 

as oxygen, sulfur, and chlorine. Manganese is a trace element 

and is necessary for good health. 

Uses 

• Manufacturing 

• Consumer products 

Manganese is used principally in steel production to improve 

hardness, stiffness, and strength. It is used in carbon steel, 

stainless steel, high-temperature steel, and tool steel, along 

with cast iron and superalloys. 

Manganese occurs naturally in most foods and may be added 

to food or made available in nutritional supplements. 

Manganese is also used in a wide variety of other products, 

including: 

• fireworks 

• dry-cell batteries 

• fertilizer 

• paints 

• a medical imaging agent 

• cosmetics 

It may also be used as an additive in gasoline to improve the 

octane rating of the gas. 

Small amounts of manganese are used in a pharmaceutical 

product called mangafodipir trisodium (MnDPDP) to improve 

lesion detection in magnetic resonance imaging of body organs. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 
______________________________________________________________________________ 

PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Manganese 

CAS # 7439-96-5 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine September 2008 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO MANGANESE WHEN IT ENTERS THE ENVIRONMENT?
 

Sources Manganese is a normal constituent of air, soil, water, and food. 

Additional manganese can be found in air, soil, and water after 

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

Breakdown As with other elements, manganese cannot break down in the 

environment. It can only change its form or become attached or 

separated from particles. 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. In water, most of the 

manganese tends to attach to particles in the water or settle into 

the sediment. 

The manganese-containing gasoline additive may degrade in 

the environment quickly when exposed to sunlight, releasing 

manganese. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO MANGANESE?
 

Food – primary 

source of exposure 

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. 

Workplace air 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. 

Water and soil Because manganese is a natural component of the environment, you 

are always exposed to low levels of it in water, air, soil, and food. 

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. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 
______________________________________________________________________________ 

PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Manganese 

CAS # 7439-96-5 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine September 2008 

Air Air also contains low levels of manganese, and breathing air may 

expose you to it. Releases of manganese into the air occur from: 

• industries using or manufacturing products containing manganese 

• mining activities 

• automobile exhaust 

1.4 HOW CAN MANGANESE ENTER AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

Enter your body

 • Inhalation When you breathe air containing manganese, a small amount of the 

manganese will enter your body through your lungs and the remainder 

can become trapped in your lungs. Some of the manganese in your 

lungs can also be trapped in mucus which you may cough up and 

swallow into your stomach. 

 • Ingestion Manganese in food or water may enter your body through the digestive 

tract to meet your body’s needs for normal functioning. 

Only very small amounts of manganese can enter your skin when you 

• Dermal contact come into contact with liquids containing manganese. 

Leave your body Once in your body, manganese-containing chemicals can break down 

into other chemicals. However, manganese is an element that cannot 

be broken down. Most manganese will leave your body in feces within 

a few days. 

1.5 HOW CAN MANGANESE AFFECT MY HEALTH? 

This section looks at studies concerning potential health effects in human and animal studies. 

General population Manganese is an essential nutrient, and eating a small amount of it 

each day is important to stay healthy. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 
______________________________________________________________________________ 

PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Manganese 

CAS # 7439-96-5 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine September 2008 

Workers The most common health problems in workers exposed to high levels 

• Inhalation 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. 

The inhalation of a large quantity of dust or fumes containing 

manganese may cause irritation of the lungs which could lead to 

pneumonia. 

Loss of sex drive and sperm damage has also been observed in men 

exposed to high levels of manganese in workplace air. 

The manganese concentrations that cause effects such as slowed hand 

movements in some workers are approximately twenty thousand times 

higher than the concentrations normally found in the environment. 

Manganism has been found in some workers exposed to manganese 

concentrations about a million times higher than normal air 

concentrations of manganese. 

Laboratory animals 

• Inhalation 

Respiratory effects, similar to those observed in workers, have been 

observed in laboratory monkeys exposed to high levels of manganese. 

Laboratory animals 

• Oral 

Manganese has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier and a 

limited amount of manganese is also able to cross the placenta during 

pregnancy, enabling it to reach a developing fetus. 

Nervous system disturbances have been observed in animals after very 

high oral doses of manganese, including changes in behavior. 

Sperm damage and adverse changes in male reproductive 

performance were observed in laboratory animals fed high levels of 

manganese. Impairments in fertility were observed in female rodents 

provided with oral manganese before they became pregnant. 

Illnesses involving the kidneys and urinary tract have been observed in 

laboratory rats fed very high levels of manganese. These illnesses 

included inflammation of the kidneys and kidney stone formation. 

Cancer The EPA concluded that existing scientific information cannot 

determine whether or not excess manganese can cause cancer. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 
______________________________________________________________________________ 

PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Manganese 

CAS # 7439-96-5 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine September 2008 

1.6 HOW CAN MANGANESE AFFECT CHILDREN? 

This section discusses potential health effects in humans from exposures during the period from 

conception to maturity at 18 years of age. 

Effects in 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. In some cases, these same manganese 

exposure levels have been suspected of causing severe symptoms of 

manganism disease (including difficulty with speech and walking). 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. 

Birth defects Studies of manganese workers have not found increases in birth 

defects or low birth weight in their children. 

No birth defects were observed in animals exposed to manganese 

In one human study where people were exposed to very high levels of 

manganese from drinking water, infants less than 1 year of age died at 

an unusually high rate. It is not clear, however, whether these deaths 

were attributable to the manganese level of the drinking water. The 

manganese toxicity may have involved exposures to the infant that 

occurred both before (through the mother) and after they were born. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 
______________________________________________________________________________ 

PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Manganese 

CAS # 7439-96-5 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine September 2008 

1.7 HOW CAN FAMILIES REDUCE THE RISK OF EXPOSURE TO MANGANESE?
 

Avoid inhalation of High levels of airborne manganese are observed in certain 

manganese at work occupational settings such as steel factories or welding areas. You 

should take precautions to prevent inhalation of manganese by 

wearing an appropriate mask to limit the amount of manganese you 

breathe. 

Avoid wearing Workers exposed to high levels of airborne manganese in certain 

manganese dust- occupational settings may accumulate manganese dust on their work 

contaminated work clothes. Manganese-contaminated work clothing should be removed 

clothing in your home before getting into your car or entering your home to help reduce the 

or car exposure hazard for yourself and your family. 

Avoid inhalation of If you weld objects around your home, do so in a well-ventilated area 

welding fumes at and use an appropriate mask to decrease your risk of inhaling 

home manganese-containing fumes. Children should be kept away from 

welding fumes. 

Diet 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. 

Water While tap and bottled water generally contain safe levels of 

manganese, well water may sometimes be contaminated with 

sufficiently high levels of manganese to create a potential health 

hazard. If drinking water is obtained from a well water source, it may 

be wise to have the water checked for manganese to ensure the level 

is below the current guideline level established by the EPA. 

Smoking Manganese is a minor constituent of tobacco smoke. Avoiding 

tobacco smoke may reduce your family’s exposure to manganese. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 
______________________________________________________________________________ 

PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Manganese 

CAS # 7439-96-5 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine September 2008 

1.8 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO 

MANGANESE? 

Detecting exposure 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. 

Normal ranges of manganese levels are about 4–15 μg/L in blood, 1– 

8 μg/L in urine, and 0.4–0.85 μg/L in serum (the fluid portion of the 

blood). 

Measuring exposure Because excess manganese is usually removed from the body within 

a few days, past exposures are difficult to measure with common 

laboratory tests. 

A medical test known as magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, can 

detect the presence of increased amounts of manganese in the brain. 

However, this type of test is qualitative, and has not been shown to 

reliably reflect or predict toxicologically meaningful exposures. 

1.9 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The federal government develops regulations and recommendations to protect public health. Regulations 

can be enforced by law. The EPA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are some federal agencies that develop regulations for toxic 

substances. Recommendations provide valuable guidelines to protect public health, but cannot be 

enforced by law. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the National 

Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are two federal organizations that develop 

recommendations for toxic substances. 

Regulations and recommendations can be expressed as “not-to-exceed” levels, that is, levels of a toxic 

substance in air, water, soil, or food that do not exceed a critical value that is usually based on levels that 

affect animals; they are then adjusted to levels that will help protect humans. Sometimes these not-toexceed levels differ among federal organizations because they used different exposure times (an 8-hour 

workday or a 24-hour day), different animal studies, or other factors. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 
______________________________________________________________________________ 

PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Manganese 

CAS # 7439-96-5 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine September 2008 

Recommendations and regulations are also updated periodically as more information becomes available. 

For the most current information, check with the federal agency or organization that provides it. Some 

regulations and recommendations for manganese include the following: 

Drinking water The EPA has established that exposure to manganese in drinking water at 

concentrations of 1 mg/L for 1 or 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. 

Bottled water The FDA has established that the manganese concentration in bottled 

drinking water should not exceed 0.05 mg/L. 

Workplace air OSHA set a legal limit of 5 mg/m3

 manganese in air averaged over an 

8-hour work day. 

1.10 WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION? 

If you have any more questions or concerns, please contact your community or state health or 

environmental quality department, or contact ATSDR at the address and phone number below. 

ATSDR can also tell you the location of occupational and environmental health clinics. These clinics 

specialize in recognizing, evaluating, and treating illnesses that result from exposure to hazardous 

substances. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 
______________________________________________________________________________ 

PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

Manganese 

CAS # 7439-96-5 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine September 2008 

Toxicological profiles are also available on-line at www.atsdr.cdc.gov and on CD-ROM. You may 

request a copy of the ATSDR ToxProfilesTM CD-ROM by calling the toll-free information and technical 

assistance number at 1-800-CDCINFO (1-800-232-4636), by e-mail at cdcinfo@cdc.gov, or by writing 

to: 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine 

 1600 Clifton Road NE 

 Mailstop F-32 

 Atlanta, GA 30333

 Fax: 1-770-488-4178
 

Organizations for-profit may request copies of final Toxicological Profiles from the following: 

National Technical Information Service (NTIS) 

5285 Port Royal Road

 Springfield, VA 22161

 Phone: 1-800-553-6847 or 1-703-605-6000

 Web site: http://www.ntis.gov/
 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov