Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

LANTHANUM HEXACYANOCOBALTATE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Reagent.

SYNONYMS

LaCo(CN)6, "lanthanum cobalticyanide"

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging to the health of the individual.  In toxic doses soluble cobalt salts produce stomach pain and vomiting, flushing of the face and ears, rash, ringing in the ears, nervous deafness and reduced blood flow to the extremities.  A number of materials such as cyanamide, calcium cyanamide, cyanates, isocyanates, isonitrile, thiocyanates, ferricyanide and ferrocyanide, and cyanoacetates do not exhibit the same toxic effects as cyanides and nitriles.  Complex cyanides are compounds in which the cyanide anion is incorporated into a complex or complexes; these compounds are different in chemical and toxicologic properties from simple cyanides. In solution, the stability of the cyanide complex varies with the type of cation and the complex that it forms. Some of these are dissociable in weak acids to give free cyanide and a cation, while other complexes require much stronger acidic conditions for dissociation. The least-stable complex metallocyanides include [Zn(CN)4]2-,  Cd(CN)3-, and [Cd(CN)4]2-; moderately stable complexes include Cu(CN)2-, [Cu(CN)3]2-, [Ni(CN)4]2-, and Ag(CN)2-; and the most stable complexes include [Fe(CN)6]4-and [Co(CN)6]4-. The toxicity of complex cyanides is usually related to their ability to release cyanide ions in solution, which then enter into an equilibrium with HCN; relatively small fluctuations in pH significantly affect their biocidal properties.  

EYE

  Although the material is not thought to be an irritant, direct contact with the eye may cause transient discomfort characterized by tearing or conjunctival redness (as with windburn). Slight abrasive damage may also result. The material may produce foreign body irritation in certain individuals.  

SKIN

  The material is not thought to produce adverse health effects or skin irritation following contact (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless, good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable gloves be used in an occupational setting.  Open cuts, abraded or irritated skin should not be exposed to this material.  Entry into the blood-stream, through, for example, cuts, abrasions or lesions, may produce systemic injury with harmful effects. Examine the skin prior to the use of the material and ensure that any external damage is suitably protected.  

INHALED

  Inhalation may produce health damage*.  Inhalation of dusts, generated by the material during the course of normal handling, may be damaging to the health of the individual.  There is some evidence to suggest that the material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage.  Persons with impaired respiratory function, airway diseases and conditions such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, may incur further disability if excessive concentrations of particulate are inhaled.  Exposure to vapors of some rare earth salts can cause sensitivity to heat, itching, and increased sensitivity of smell and taste. Other effects include inflamed airways and lung,  emphysema, regional narrowing of terminal airways and cell changes. Rarely, excess blood flow has occurred following a delay. Lung cancers can also occur.  Cobalt poisoning can cause inflammation of the terminal airways (bronchioles), and cause lethargy and death within hours.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  Long term exposure to high dust concentrations may cause changes in lung function i.e. pneumoconiosis; caused by particles less than 0.5 micron penetrating and remaining in the lung. Prime symptom is breathlessness; lung shadows show on X-ray.  Inhalation of cobalt powder can induce asthma, chest tightness and chronic inflammation of the bronchi. Chronic exposure to cobalt causes increase in blood hemoglobin, increased production of cells in the blood marrow and thyroid gland, discharge from around the heart and damage to the alpha cells of the pancreas. Long-term administration has caused goiter (overactivity of the thyroid) and reduced thyroid activity. Allergic inflammation of the skin may appear following exposure to cobalt, usually exhibited as red patches. Injection of cobalt can cause cancer at the site of entry.  Lanthanum is one of the rare earth metals - light type (cerium family). Rare earth metals have not been shown to have toxic effects, but dust inhalation can still cause scarring of the lungs.