Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

LEAD(II) METAVANADATE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Reagent. Intermediate

SYNONYMS

O6-Pb-V2, Pb(VO3)2, "lead vanadate"

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Danger of cumulative effects.
Limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect.
May cause harm to the unborn child.
Possible risk of impaired fertility.
Harmful by inhalation and if swallowed.
Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long- term adverse effects in the
aquatic environment.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  Accidental ingestion of the material may be harmful; animal experiments indicate that ingestion of less than 150 gram may be fatal or may produce serious damage to the health of the individual.  Vanadium poisoning causes immediate distress with nose bleeds, severe diarrhea, paralysis of the legs, breathing difficulties, convulsions and death. The liver and kidneys may degenerate, and sometimes there can be bleeding from the lung and adrenal cortex. Vanadium is about as toxic as arsenic.  

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

  Skin contact is not thought to produce harmful health effects (as classified using animal models). Systemic harm, however, has been identified following exposure of animals by at least one other route and the material may still produce health damage following entry through wounds, lesions or abrasions. Good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable gloves be used in an occupational setting.  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

  The material is not thought to produce respiratory irritation (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless inhalation of dusts, or fume, especially for prolonged periods, may produce respiratory discomfort and occasionally, distress.  The inhalation of vanadium dust can cause irritation of the respiratory tract and eyes, with cough, wheezing, bronchitis, phlegm with blood stains, and blackening of the tongue. Internal symptoms may include loss of appetite, anemia, nausea, headache, sleep difficulties, nervousness, dizziness, kidney damage, tremor, psychic disturbances and blindness.  Lead fume is toxic and acts as a cumulative poison. Regular blood testing should be considered for workers who are regularly exposed.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  There has been concern that this material can cause cancer or mutations, but there is not enough data to make an assessment.  Repeated or long-term occupational exposure is likely to produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  Ample evidence exists that developmental disorders are directlycaused by human exposure to the material.  Exposure to the material may cause concerns for human fertility, on the basis that similar materials provide some evidence of impaired fertility in the absence of toxic effects, or evidence of impaired fertility occurring at around the same dose levels as other toxic effects, but which are not a secondary non-specific consequence of other toxic effects..  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.  Vanadium is an essential trace element. Poisoning can cause stomach upset,emphysema and wheezing.  Lead can cross the placenta, and cause miscarriage, stillbirths and birth defects. Exposure before birth can cause mental retardation, behavioral disorders and infant death. Lead can also cause reduced sex drive, impotence, sterility and damage the sperm of males, increasing the potential for birth defects. Periods in women can also be affected.