Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

LANTHANUM GERMANIUM STRONTIUM APATITE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

La germanate apatite- based materials, La9.33 + x(GeO4)6O2 + 1.5x, are good oxide ion
conductors but there are uncertainties over the solid solution limits, the defect crystal
structure and conductivity variations with composition and temperature. Volatilisation of
GeO2 during synthesis is increasingly important for temperatures above 1300 鐧

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.  Germanium exposure at high levels leads to dehydration, fall in blood pressure and severe drop in core body temperature.  Strontium salts induce vomiting and diarrhea when swallowed in large quantity. Absorbed strontium may produce painful contractions of the limbs and may be involved in abnormalities of the heart.  

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

  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.  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.  

INHALED

  The material is not thought to produce either adverse health effects or irritation of the respiratory tract following inhalation (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless, adverse effects have been produced following exposure of animals by at least one other route and good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable control measures be used in an occupational setting.  

CHRONIC HEALTH 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.  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  Inhalation of the dusts of metallic germanium and germanium dioxide causes thickening of lung tissue and associated blood vessels.  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.  Strontium accumulates in teeth and bone, especially in the growth plates of rapidly growing bone. A chronic diet high in strontium and low in calcium produces severe bone deformities, inco-ordination, weakness and paralysis. Most health concerns related to strontium arise from radioisotopes of strontium which occur in "fall-out" following testing of nuclear weapons.