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Picric acid																				Related Pages
										May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
**CAS number:** 88–89–1
**NIOSH REL:** 0.1 mg/m3 TWA, 0.3 mg/m3 STEL [skin]
**Current OSHA PEL:** 0.1 mg/m3 TWA [skin]
**1989 OSHA PEL:** Same as current PEL
**1993-1994 ACGIH TLV:** 0.1 mg/m3 TWA
**Description of substance:** Yellow, odorless solid.
**LEL** :. . Unknown
**Original (SCP) IDLH:** 100 mg/m3
**Basis for original (SCP) IDLH:** Because no data on acute inhalation toxicity are available on which to base an IDLH for picric acid, the chosen IDLH has been estimated from data concerning the oral toxicity. According to ACGIH [1971], the ingestion of 1 or 2 grams of picric acid in man causes severe poisoning.
**Short-term exposure guidelines:** None developed
**ACUTE TOXICITY DATA:**
**Lethal dose data:**

**Species**
    **Reference**
    **Route**
    **LD50 (mg/kg)**
    **LDLo (mg/kg)**
    **Adjusted LD**
    **Derived value**G. pig
    Flury & Zernik 1935
    oral
    -----
    100
    700 mg/m3
    70 mg/m3Cat
    Flury & Zernik 1935
    oral
    -----
    250
    1,750 mg/m3
    175 mg/m3Rabbit
    von Ottingen 1941
    oral
    -----
    120
    940 mg/m3
    84 mg/m3**Human data:** The ingestion of 1 to 2 grams of picric acid has been reported to cause severe poisoning [ACGIH 1991]. [Note: An oral dose of 1 to 2 grams is equivalent to a worker being exposed to 660 to 1,330 mg/m3 for 30 minutes, assuming a breathing rate of 50 liters per minute and 100% absorption.]
 
 **Revised IDLH:** 75 mg/m3**Basis for revised IDLH:** No inhalation toxicity data are available on which to base an IDLH for picric acid. Therefore, the revised IDLH for picric acid is 75 mg/m3 based on acute oral toxicity data in humans [ACGIH 1991] and animals [Flury and Zernik 1935; von Ottingen 1941].**REFERENCES:**
1. ACGIH [1971]. Picric acid. In: Documentation of the threshold limit values for substances in workroom air. 3rd ed. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, pp. 212-213.
2. ACGIH [1991]. Picric acid. In: Documentation of the threshold limit values and biological exposure indices. 6th ed. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, pp. 1271-1273.
3. Flury F, Zernik F [1935]. Zusammenstellung der toxischen und letalen dosen für die gebräuchlichsten gifte und versuchstiere. Abder Hand Biol Arbeitsmethod *4*:1289-1422 (in German).
4. von Ottingen WF [1941]. The aromatic amino and nitro compounds, their toxicity and potential dangers. A review of the literature. Public Health Bulletin *271*:151.

			
							
								Page last reviewed:  December 4, 2014						Content
							source: 	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH Publications & Products
Immediately Dangerous To Life or Health (IDLH) Values
Table of IDLH Values
Criteria for Determining IDLH Values
Historical Documentation
Original (SCP) Values
Abbreviations for IDLH Documentation
Abbreviations for Journal Titles Follow NIOSH Facebook
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