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Nitroglycerine																				Related Pages
										May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
**CAS number:** 55–63–0
**NIOSH REL:** 0.1 mg/m3 STEL [skin]
**Current OSHA PEL:** 2 mg/m3 (0.2 ppm) CEILING [skin]
**1989 OSHA PEL:** 0.1 mg/m3 STEL [skin]
**1993-1994 ACGIH TLV:** 0.46 mg/m3 (0.05 ppm) TWA [skin]
**Description of substance:** Colorless to pale-yellow, viscous liquid or solid (below 56°F).
**LEL:** . . Unknown
**Original (SCP) IDLH*:** 500 mg/m3 [*Note: “Effective” IDLH = 200 mg/m3 — see discussion below.]
**Basis for original (SCP) IDLH:** No data on acute inhalation toxicity are available on which to base the IDLH for ethylene glycol dinitrate (EGDN) and/or nitroglycerin. The chosen IDLH, therefore, is based on chronic toxicity data concerning the physiological response of animals to EGDN. According to Patty [1963], rats and guinea pigs survived 6 months of exposure to 500 mg/m3 (80 ppm) EGDN with the only effect being slight drowsiness and some Heinz body formation [Stein 1956]. Although Patty [1963] stated that EGDN is more toxic for cats and rabbits, the chosen IDLH is still probably conservative because cats given 2-hour daily exposures to 21 ppm EGDN for 1,000 days exhibited only marked blood changes [von Oettingen 1946]. However, because of the assigned protection factor afforded by each device, 2,000  ́ the OSHA PEL of 0.1 mg/m3 (i.e., 200 mg/m3) is the concentration above which only the “most protective” respirators are permitted.
**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**Rabbit
    Horioka et al. 1982
    oral
    1,607
    -----
    11,249 mg/m3
    1,125 mg/m3Rat
    Pharmacol Ther 1985
    oral
    105
    -----
    735 mg/m3
    74 mg/m3Mouse
    Pharmacol Ther 1985
    oral
    115
    -----
    805 mg/m3
    81 mg/m3**Human data:** Headaches have developed in workers exposed to 0.4 to 0.67 mg/m3 for 25 minutes; all had decreases in blood pressure [Trainor and Jones 1966]. Ethylene glycol dinitrate and nitroglycerine are vasodilators and initial exposures result in headache, dizziness, nausea, or decreases in blood pressure; however, workers become tolerant of the vasodilatory activity after 2 to 4 days of exposure [NIOSH 1978]. It has been estimated that the lethal oral dose in humans is 200 mg although others have survived doses of 1,200 mg with no apparent ill effects [Rabinowitch 1944]. [Note: An oral dose of 200 mg is equivalent to a worker being exposed to about 150 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:** The revised IDLH for nitroglycerine is 75 mg/m3 based on acute oral toxicity data in humans [NIOSH 1978] and animals [Pharmacol 1985].**REFERENCES:**
1. Horioka M, Saito T, Takagi K, Takasugi M, eds. [1982]. Drugs in Japan (Ethical Drugs). p. 786.
2. NIOSH [1978]. Criteria for a recommended standard: occupational exposure to nitroglycerine and ethylene glycol dinitrate. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHEW (NIOSH) Publication No. 78-167.
3. Patty FA, ed. [1963]. Industrial hygiene and toxicology. 2nd rev. ed. Vol. II. Toxicology. New York, NY: Interscience Publishers, Inc., p. 2094.
4. Pharmacol Ther [1985]; *13*(7):3649-3673 (in Japanese).
5. Rabinowitch IM [1944]. Acute nitroglycerine poisoning. Can Med Assoc J *50*:199-202.
6. Stein W [1956]. Mechanism of action of chronic inhalation of nitroglycol (translated). Arch Gewerbepath Gewerbehyg *15*:23-26 (translated).
7. Trainor DC, Jones RC [1966]. Headaches in explosive magazine workers. Arch Environ Health *12*:231-234.
8. von Oettingen WF [1946]. The effects of aliphatic nitrous and nitric acid esters on the physiological functions with special reference to their chemical constitution. NIH Bulletin *186*:29.

			
							
								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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