Lead dioxide

Metals -> Lead Compounds, Inorganic

Carcinogens

9.375 at 66 °F (NTP, 1992) - Denser than water; will sink

9.375 g/cu cm

9.38 g/cm³

9.64 @25 °C

Brown, hexagonal crystals

Dark-brown powder

Brownish black crystalline powder consisting of fine crystalline flakes in either alpha- or beta-form.

Insoluble (NTP, 1992)

In water, <11.3 ug/L at 25 °C, pH 6-7

Insoluble in water

Soluble in hydrochloric acid with evolution of chlorine; in dilute nitric acid in presence of hydrogen peroxide, oxalic acid, or other reducers; soluble in alkali iodide solutions with liberation of iodine; soluble in hot caustic alkali solutions

Soluble in glacial acetic acid; insoluble in alcohol

Presumably soluble in acidic gastric juice

When heated to decomposition it emits toxic fumes of /lead/.

Lead dioxide decomposes at 290 °C. /From table/

290 °C. This produces oxygen and toxic fumes. Reacts violently with combustible substances, organic compounds, sulfur, hydrogen peroxide and phosphorus. This generates fire hazard.

554 °F (decomposes) (NTP, 1992)

290 °C, decomposition

Lead dioxide appears as brown, hexagonal crystals. Insoluble in water. Used in matches, explosives, electrodes.

Other Solid; Wet Solid; Dry Powder

Brown crystals that are insoluble in water; [CAMEO]

BROWN CRYSTALS OR POWDER.

An oxidizing agent

Evolves oxygen when heated, first forming Pb3O4, at high temperature, PbO.

Decomposes rather easily to the lower oxide, releasing oxygen when heated to 290 °C and above

Heat capacity: 61.5 J/mol-K at 27 °C

Danger

H272 (91.3%): May intensify fire; oxidizer [Danger Oxidizing liquids; Oxidizing solids]

P203, P210, P220, P260, P261, P264, P270, P271, P273, P280, P301+P317, P304+P340, P317, P318, P319, P330, P370+P378, P391, P405, and P501 (click each P-code to see the statement)

Aggregated GHS information provided per 242 reports by companies from 27 notifications to the ECHA C&L Inventory. Each notification may be associated with multiple companies.

Danger

H272: May intensify fire; oxidizer [Danger Oxidizing liquids; Oxidizing solids]

Chemical: Lead oxide (PbO2)

Lead oxide (PbO2) is listed on the EPA's Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) system. Manufacturers and importers of Lead oxide (PbO2) are required to report information about their production and use of this chemical to the EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). (40 eCFR Part 711)

Status: Active Update: 04-09-2018 https://echa.europa.eu/registration-dossier/-/registered-dossier/7459

Restricted substance: Lead dioxide

Lead oxide: HSNO Approval: HSR001285 Approved with controls

The New Jersey Worker and Community Right to Know Act requires public and private employers to provide information about hazardous substances at their workplaces. (N.J.S.A. 34:5A-1 et. seq.)

Excerpt from ERG Guide 140 [Oxidizers]:

CAUTION: Ammonium nitrate products may explode if involved in fire or contaminated with hydrocarbons (fuels), organic matter, other contaminants or when hot molten and contained. Treat as an explosive (GUIDE 112).

Not combustible but enhances combustion of other substances. Gives off irritating or toxic fumes (or gases) in a fire. Risk of fire and explosion on contact with combustible substances or reducing agents.

Lead dioxide does not burn but it will increase the intensity of a fire.

Dangerous fire risk in contact with organic materials.

Excerpt from ERG Guide 140 [Oxidizers]:

· Inhalation, ingestion or contact (skin, eyes) with vapors or substance may cause severe injury, burns or death.

DHHS/ATSDR; Toxicological Profile for Lead (August 2007).[Available from, as of May 3, 2016: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp13.pdf]

National Toxicology Program; Report on Carcinogens, Thirteenth Edition (2014). The Report on Carcinogens is an informational scientific and public health document that identifies and discusses substances (including agents, mixtures, or exposure circumstances) that may pose a carcinogenic hazard to human health. Lead and Lead Compounds are listed as reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens. /Lead and Lead Compounds/[Available from, as of May 3, 2016: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/pubhealth/roc/roc13/]

Excerpt from ERG Guide 140 [Oxidizers]:

In case of fire in the surroundings, use appropriate extinguishing media.

Fresh air, rest.

Remove contaminated clothes. Rinse and then wash skin with water and soap.

First rinse with plenty of water for several minutes (remove contact lenses if easily possible), then refer for medical attention.

Rinse mouth. Give one or two glasses of water to drink. Refer for medical attention .

· CALL 911. Then call emergency response telephone number on shipping paper. If shipping paper not available or no answer, refer to appropriate telephone number listed on the inside back cover.

· Keep combustibles (wood, paper, oil, etc.) away from spilled material.

EYES: First check the victim for contact lenses and remove if present. Flush victim's eyes with water or normal saline solution for 20 to 30 minutes while simultaneously calling a hospital or poison control center. Do not put any ointments, oils, or medication in the victim's eyes without specific instructions from a physician. IMMEDIATELY transport the victim after flushing eyes to a hospital even if no symptoms (such as redness or irritation) develop.

General First Aid:

· Wear positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

Biological Exposure Indices (BEI) [ACGIH] - Lead in blood = 200 ug/L (20 ug/100 ml); sampling time not critical; [ACGIH]

Suitable extinguishing media: Use water spray, alcohol-resistant foam, dry chemical or carbon dioxide.

Advice for firefighters: Wear self-contained breathing apparatus for firefighting if necessary.

Use water spray to cool unopened containers.

Use extinguisher suitable for surrounding fire. ... If material or contaminated runoff enters waterways, notify downstream users of potentially contaminated waters. Notify local health and fire officials and pollution control agencies. From a secure, explosion-proof location, use water spray to cool exposed containers. If cooling streams are ineffective (venting sound increases in volume and pitch, tank discolors, or shows any signs of deforming), withdraw immediately to a secure position.

For more Fire Fighting Procedures (Complete) data for Lead(IV) Oxide (8 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Keep container tightly closed in a dry and well-ventilated place. Keep in a dry place. Storage class (TRGS 510): Oxidizing hazardous materials.

Store in a location separate from other materials, especially flammables and combustibles. ... Lead dioxide must be stored to avoid contact with oxidizers (such as perchlorates, peroxides, permagnanates, chlorates and nitrates) and chemically active metals (such as potassium, sodium, magnesium and zinc), since violent reactions occur. Store in tightly closed containers in a cool, well-ventilated area away from combustible materials, such as wood, paper, and oil. Lead dioxide is regulated by OSHA Standard 1910.1025. All requirements of the standard must be followed.

ACCIDENTAL RELEASE MEASURES: Personal precautions, protective equipment and emergency procedures: Use personal protective equipment. Avoid dust formation. Avoid breathing vapors, mist or gas. Ensure adequate ventilation. Evacuate personnel to safe areas. Avoid breathing dust. Environmental precautions: Prevent further leakage or spillage if safe to do so. Do not let product enter drains. Discharge into the environment must be avoided. Methods and materials for containment and cleaning up: Sweep up and shovel. Contain spillage, and then collect with an electrically protected vacuum cleaner or by wetbrushing and place in container for disposal according to local regulations. Keep in suitable, closed containers for disposal.

Evacuate persons not wearing protective equipment from area of spill or leak until cleanup is complete. Remove all ignition sources. Collect powdered material in the most convenient and safe manner and deposit in sealed containers. Ventilate area after cleanup is complete. Keep combustibles (wood, paper, oil) away from spilled material. It may be necessary to contain and dispose of this chemical as a hazardous waste. If material or contaminated runoff enters waterways, notify downstream users of potentially contaminated waters.

SRP: Wastewater from contaminant suppression, cleaning of protective clothing/equipment, or contaminated sites should be contained and evaluated for subject chemical or decomposition product concentrations. Concentrations shall be lower than applicable environmental discharge or disposal criteria. Alternatively, pretreatment and/or discharge to a permitted wastewater treatment facility is acceptable only after review by the governing authority and assurance that "pass through" violations will not occur. Due consideration shall be given to remediation worker exposure (inhalation, dermal and ingestion) as well as fate during treatment, transfer and disposal. If it is not practicable to manage the chemical in this fashion, it must be evaluated in accordance with EPA 40 CFR Part 261, specifically Subpart B, in order to determine the appropriate local, state and federal requirements for disposal.

The following wastewater treatment technologies have been investigated for lead: Concentration process: Biological treatment. /Lead/

For more Cleanup Methods (Complete) data for Lead(IV) Oxide (18 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Generators of waste (equal to or greater than 100 kg/mo) containing this contaminant, EPA hazardous waste number D008, must conform with USEPA regulations in storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste.

SRP: Wastewater from contaminant suppression, cleaning of protective clothing/equipment, or contaminated sites should be contained and evaluated for subject chemical or decomposition product concentrations. Concentrations shall be lower than applicable environmental discharge or disposal criteria. Alternatively, pretreatment and/or discharge to a permitted wastewater treatment facility is acceptable only after review by the governing authority and assurance that "pass through" violations will not occur. Due consideration shall be given to remediation worker exposure (inhalation, dermal and ingestion) as well as fate during treatment, transfer and disposal. If it is not practicable to manage the chemical in this fashion, it must be evaluated in accordance with EPA 40 CFR Part 261, specifically Subpart B, in order to determine the appropriate local, state and federal requirements for disposal.

Product: Burn in a chemical incinerator equipped with an afterburner and scrubber but exert extra care in igniting as this material is highly flammable. Offer surplus and non-recyclable solutions to a licensed disposal company. Contact a licensed professional waste disposal service to dispose of this material. Dissolve or mix the material with a combustible solvent and burn in a chemical incinerator equipped with an afterburner and scrubber; Contaminated packaging: Dispose of as unused product.

Conversion to soluble salt, precipitation as sulfide, and return to supplier.

For more Disposal Methods (Complete) data for Lead(IV) Oxide (7 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Lead is a neurotoxin and has been known to cause brain damage and reduced cognitive capacity, especially in children. Lead exposure can result in nephropathy, as well as blood disorders such as high blood pressure and anemia. Lead also exhibits reproductive toxicity and can results in miscarriages and reduced sperm production. (L21)

TERRESTRIAL FATE: Lead(IV) dioxide is not expected to leach in soil because of its low solubility(SRC). The downward movement of inorganic lead compounds from soil to groundwater by leaching is very slow under most natural conditions(1).

AQUATIC FATE: If released into water, lead(IV) dioxide should mostly precipitate out due to its low solubility. (SRC)

ATMOSPHERIC FATE: In the atmosphere, non-organic compounds of lead exist primarily in the particulate form and, therefore, lead(IV) dioxide is expected to exist solely in the particulate phase in the ambient atmosphere. Upon release to the atmosphere, lead particles are dispersed and ultimately removed from the atmosphere by wet or dry deposition(1).

The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation and by ingestion.

Oral (L136) ; inhalation (L136); dermal (L136)

IDENTIFICATION AND USE: Lead dioxide is a dark-brown powder. It is used in electrodes in batteries; as oxidizing agent in manufacture dyes; as discharge in dyeing with indigo; manufacture rubber substitutes; with amorphous phosphorus as ignition surface for matches; pyrotechnics; manufacture pigments; in analytical chemistry. HUMAN EXPOSURE AND TOXICITY: Exposure can cause headache, irritability, and muscle and joint pain. Lead dioxide may damage the nervous system. Exposure may cause kidney and brain damage, and anemia. Repeated exposure to lead dioxide can cause lead poisoning. Symptoms include metallic taste, poor appetite, weight loss, colic, nausea, vomiting, and muscle cramps. Higher levels can cause muscle and joint pain, and weakness. High or repeated exposure may damage the nerves causing weakness, "pins and needles," and poor coordination in the arms and legs. Lead exposure increases the risk of high blood pressure. ANIMAL STUDIES: There are no data available.

Lead mimics other biologically important metals, such as zinc, calcium, and iron, competing as cofactors for many of their respective enzymatic reactions. For example, lead has been shown to competitively inhibit calcium's binding of calmodulin, interferring with neurotransmitter release. It exhibits similar competitive inhibition at the NMDA receptor and protein kinase C, which impairs brain microvascular formation and function, as well as alters the blood-brain barrier. Lead also affects the nervous system by impairing regulation of dopamine synthesis and blocking evoked release of acetylcholine. However, it's main mechanism of action occurs by inhibiting delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase, an enzyme vital in the biosynthesis of heme, which is a necesssary cofactor of hemoglobin. (T4, A20, A22, L136)

Abdominal pain. Nausea. Vomiting.

Symptions of chronic lead poisoning include reduced cognitive abilities, nausea, abdominal pain, irritability, insomnia, metal taste in the mouth, excess lethargy or hyperactivity, chest pain, headache and, in extreme cases, seizures, comas, and death. There are also associated gastrointestinal problems, such as constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, poor appetite, weight loss, which are common in acute poisoning. (A2, L21)

The following link will take the user to the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Test Agent Search Results page, which tabulates all of the "Genetic Toxicology Studies" performed with this chemical. Clicking on the "Testing Status" link will take the user to the status (i.e., in review, in progress, in preparation, on test, completed, etc.) and results of all the studies that the NTP has done on this chemical.[Available from, as of May 12, 2016: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/testing/status/agents/ts-10131-s.html]

Lead(IV) dioxide occurs in nature as the mineral plattnerite(1). A plattnerite mineral sample from the Ojuela mine in Mexico assayed PbO2 99.6% and CuO 0.1%(2). Plattnerite occurs in weathered hydrothermal base-metal deposits, oxidized typically in arid climates(2). In the US, large plattnerite masses occur from the Coeur d'Alene district, Shoshone Co., and in the Democrat mine, Gilmore district, Lemhi Co., Idaho; from the Goodsprings district, Clark Co., and the Diamond mine, near Eureka, Eureka Co., Nevada. In the 79 mine, Gila Co., the Defiance mine, Gleeson, Cochise Co., the Glove mine, Santa Cruz Co., and elsewhere in Arizona; at the Mex-Tex mine, near Bingham, Hansonburg district, Socorro Co., and Granite Gap, San Simon district, Hidalgo Co., New Mexico(2).

D008; A solid waste containing lead may or may not become characterized as a hazardous waste when subjected to the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure listed in 40 CFR 261.24, and if so characterized, must be managed as a hazardous waste. /Lead/

Pursuant to section 8(d) of TSCA, EPA promulgated a model Health and Safety Data Reporting Rule. The section 8(d) model rule requires manufacturers, importers, and processors of listed chemical substances and mixtures to submit to EPA copies and lists of unpublished health and safety studies. Lead oxide (PbO2) is included on this list. Effective date: February 28, 2008; Sunset date: April 28, 2008.

National primary and secondary ambient air quality standards for lead and its compounds, measured as elemental lead by a reference method based on appendix G to this part, or by an equivalent method, are: 1.5 ug/cu m, maximum arithmetic mean averaged over a calendar quarter. /Lead and its compounds, as Pb/

Listed as a hazardous air pollutant (HAP) generally known or suspected to cause serious health problems. The Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990, directs EPA to set standards requiring major sources to sharply reduce routine emissions of toxic pollutants. EPA is required to establish and phase in specific performance based standards for all air emission sources that emit one or more of the listed pollutants. Lead compounds are included on this list. /Lead compounds/

(AZ) ARIZONA 20 ug/L /Lead/

(ME) MAINE 10 ug/L /Lead/

Lead is absorbed following inhalation, oral, and dermal exposure. It is then distributed mainly to the bones and red blood cells. In the blood lead may be found bound to serum albumin or the metal-binding protein metallothionein. Organic lead is metabolized by cytochrome P-450 enzymes, whereas inorganic lead forms complexes with delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase. Lead is excreted mainly in the urine and faeces. (L136)

This solubility was studied in vitro for the six following metal oxides: Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn, by holding particle oxides in suspension into human plasma at 37 degrees C, during variable time. The experimentation was realized on particles which belong to two categories which sizes are 0.45-2 and 2-5 mu. The evolution of metal oxide dissolved level according to time have enabled exponential relation parameters to be calculated. These parameters translate the particle oxide dissolution into plasma and have permitted to classify metal oxide in decreasing solubility order: Cd, Zn, PbO, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, Mn, PbO2, Pb3O4 and Cr2O3.

Used in matches, explosives, and electrodes; [CAMEO] Used to make dyes, matches, pyrotechnics, polysulfide polymers, and other chemicals; [Ullmann]

Oxidizing agent, electrodes, lead-acid storage batteries, curing agent for polysulfide elastomers, textiles (mordant, discharge in dyeing with indigo), matches, explosives, analytical reagent.

Manufacturing rubber substitutes; with amorphous phosphorus as ignition surface for matches; pyrotechny; manufacturing pigments.

Curing agent for polysulfide, low-molecular weight butyl and polyisoprene; used as an oxidizer in the manufacture of dyes and to control burning in incendiary fuses.

Other applications of lead dioxide include antifriction compositions for plastic sliding bearings, ballistic modifers in high-energy propellants, electrodes for seawater electrolysis, filters for desulfurization of waste gases, and vulcanizing agents for butyl rubber puncture-sealing layers inside tires.

Lead dioxide is found in lead-acid batteries. (L413)

2023: 16,585,984 lb

Non-confidential 2012 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) information on the production and use of chemicals manufactured or imported into the United States. Chemical: Lead oxide (PbO2). National Production Volume: 1,025,938 lb/yr.

Lead dioxide can be produced by anodic oxidation of solutions of lead salts or, commercially, by the oxidation of red lead, Pb3O4, in alkaline slurry with chlorine.

By adding bleaching powder to an alkaline solution of lead hydroxide.

Lab preparation from lead acetate and calcium hypochlorite ... ; by hydrolysis of lead acetate ... .

Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing

Lead oxide (PbO2): ACTIVE

Occurs in nature as the mineral, plattnerite.