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Pentaborane
May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
CAS number: 19624–22–7
NIOSH REL: 0.005 ppm (0.01 mg/m3) TWA, 0.015 ppm (0.03 mg/m3) STEL
Current OSHA PEL: 0.005 ppm (0.01 mg/m3) TWA
1989 OSHA PEL: 0.005 ppm (0.01 mg/m3) TWA, 0.015 ppm (0.03 mg/m3) STEL
1993-1994 ACGIH TLV: 0.005 ppm (0.013 mg/m3) TWA,
0.015 ppm (0.039 mg/m3) STEL
Description of substance: Colorless liquid with a pungent odor like sour milk.
LEL: . . 0.42% (10% LEL, 420 ppm)
Original (SCP) IDLH: 3 ppm
Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: The chosen IDLH is based on the mouse 4-hour LC50 of 3 ppm [Jacobson 1958 cited by ACGIH 1971].
Existing short-term exposure guidelines: American Industrial Hygiene Association [AIHA 1966] Emergency Exposure Limits (EELs):
5 minute EEL: 25 ppm
15-minute EEL: 8 ppm
30-minute EEL: 4 ppm
60-minute EEL: 2 ppm
ACUTE TOXICITY DATA:
Lethal concentration data:
| Species | Reference | LC50 (ppm) | LCLo (ppm) | Time | Adjusted 0.5-hrLC (CF) | Derived value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MouseRat
Mouse Dog Monkey Rat Mouse Rat Mouse Rat Mouse Rat Mouse |
Jacobson 1958Levinskas et al. 1958
Levinskas et al. 1958 Weeks et al. 1964 Weeks et al. 1964 Weir et al. 1964 Weir et al. 1964 Weir et al. 1964 Weir et al. 1964 Weir et al. 1964 Weir et al. 1964 Weir et al. 1964 Weir et al. 1964 |
36
3.4 35 244 67 40 31 19 15 11 10 6 |
———-
—– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– |
4 hr4 hr
4 hr 15 min 2 min 5 min 5 min 15 min 15 min 30 min 30 min 1 hr 1 hr |
6 ppm (2.0)12 ppm (2.0)
6.8 ppm (2.0) 28 ppm (0.79) 100 ppm (0.41) 37 ppm (0.55) 22 ppm (0.55) 24 ppm (0.79) 15 ppm (0.79) 15 ppm (1.0) 11 ppm (1.0) 13 ppm (1.25) 7.5 ppm (1.25) |
0.6 ppm1.2 ppm
0.7 ppm 2.8 ppm 10 ppm 3.7 ppm 2.2 ppm 2.4 ppm 1.5 ppm 1.5 ppm 1.1 ppm 1.3 ppm 0.8 ppm |
Human data: None relevant for use in determining the revised IDLH.
| Revised IDLH: 1 ppmBasis for revised IDLH: The revised IDLH for pentaborane is 1 ppm based on acute inhalation toxicity data in animals [Jacobson 1958; Levinskas et al. 1958; Weir et al. 1964]. |
REFERENCES:
1. ACGIH [1971]. Pentaborane. In: Documentation of the threshold limit values for substances in workroom air. 3rd ed. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, p. 197.
2. AIHA [1966]. Emergency exposure limits. American Industrial Hygiene Association, Toxicology Committee. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 27:193-195.
3. Jacobson KH [1958]. Toxicity of borane fuels. In: Transactions of the symposium on health hazards of military chemicals. Army Chemical Center, MD: U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Laboratories, Directorate of Medical Research. CWL Special Publication 2-10, pp. 55-60.
4. Levinskas GJ, Paslian MR, Bleckman WR [1958]. Chronic toxicity of pentaborane vapor. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 19:46-53.
5. Weeks MH, Burke DG, Bassett EE, Johnson JR, Christensen MK [1964]. Pentaborane: relationship between inhaled lethal and incapacitating dosages in animals. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 145:382-385.
6. Weir FW, Seabaugh VM, Mershon MM, Burke DG, Weeks MH [1964]. Short exposure inhalation toxicity of pentaborane in animals. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 6:122-131.