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Phosphorus (yellow)																				Related Pages
										May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
**CAS number:** 7723–14–0
**NIOSH REL:** 0.1 mg/m3 TWA
**Current OSHA PEL:** 0.1 mg/m3 TWA
**1989 OSHA PEL:** Same as current PEL
**1993-1994 ACGIH TLV:** 0.02 ppm (0.1 mg/m3) TWA
**Description of substance:** White to yellow, soft, waxy solid with acrid fumes in air.
**LEL** :. . Unknown
**Original (SCP) IDLH*:** No Evidence [*Note: “Effective” IDLH = 200 mg/m3 — see discussion below.]
**Basis for original (SCP) IDLH:** There is no evidence of an IDLH because, as ACGIH [1971] stated, acute effects rarely result from inhalation of phosphorus vapor. ACGIH [1971] also reported that rabbits survived daily 30-minute exposures to 150 to 160 mg/m3 [Maruo 1955]. For this draft technical standard, therefore, respirators have been selected on the basis of the assigned protection factor afforded by each device up to 2,000  ́ the OSHA PEL of 0.1 mg/m3 (i.e., 200 mg/m3); only the “most protective” respirators are permitted for use in concentrations exceeding 200 mg/m3.
**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**Rat MouseDogCat
    Cheng-Chun et al. 1975 Cheng-Chun et al. 1975Yakkyoku 1977Yakkyoku 1977
    oral oraloraloral
    3.03 4.82----------
    ----- -----104
    21 mg/m334 mg/m370 mg/m328 mg/m3
    2.1 mg/m33.4 mg/m37.0 mg/m34.0 mg/m3**Other animal data:** It has been reported that rabbits have survived daily 30-minute exposures to 150 to 160 mg/m3 [Maruo 1955].
 **Human data:** Death has reportedly resulted from a single dose of 1 mg/kg [Smyth 1956]. Severe toxic symptoms have been reported following a single oral dose of 15 mg [Sollmann 1943]. However, survival of ingestion up to 1.5 grams have also been reported [Diza-Rivera et al. 1950; Newburger et al. 1948]. [Note: An oral dose of 15 mg is equivalent to a 70-kg worker being exposed to 10 mg/m3 for 30 minutes, assuming a breathing rate of 50 liters per minute and 100% absorption.]
 
 **Revised IDLH:** 5 mg/m3**Basis for revised IDLH:** The revised IDLH for phosphorus (yellow) is 5 mg/m3 based on acute oral toxicity data in humans [Sollmann 1943] and animals [Cheng-Chun et al. 1975; Yakkyoku 1977].**REFERENCES:**
1. ACGIH [1971]. Phosphorus (yellow). In: Documentation of the threshold limit values for substances in workroom air. 3rd ed. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, p. 210.
2. Cheng-Chun L, Dilley JV, Hodgson JR, Helton DO, Wiagand WJ, Roberts DN, Anderson BS, Halfpap LM, Kurtz LD [1975]. Mammalian toxicity of munition compounds: phase I. Acute oral toxicity, primary skin and eye irritation, dermal sensitization and disposition and metabolism. Washington, DC: Headquarters, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, Contract DMD-17-74-C-4073.
3. Diaz-Rivera RS, Collazo PJ, Pons ER, Torregrosa MV [1950]. Acute phosphorus poisoning in man. A study of 56 cases. Medicine *29*:269-298.
4. Maruo T [1955]. Experimental study on poisoning due to gas of yellow phosphor. Part I. The hemogram of rabbits. Fukuoka Acta Medica *46*:604-615 (in Japanese).
5. Newburger RA, Beaser SB, Schwachman H [1948]. Phosphorus poisoning with recovery accompanied by electrocardiographic changes. Am J Med *4*:927-930.
6. Smyth HF Jr [1956]. Improved communication: hygienic standards for daily inhalation. Am Ind Hyg Assoc Q *17*(2):129-185.
7. Sollmann T [1943]. A manual of pharmacology and its applications to therapeutics and toxicology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders, pp. 884-889.
8. Yakkyoku (Pharmacy) [1977]; *28*:329 (in Japanese).

			
							
								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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