Ferric nitrate

· 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.

INHALATION: move to fresh air.

General First Aid:

Personnel protection: ... Wear positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus when fighting fires involving this material.

If material on fire or involved in fire: Flood with water. Cool all affected containers with flooding quantities of water. Apply water from as far a distance as possible.

Evacuation: If fire becomes uncontrollable - consider evacuation of one-half (1/2) mile radius.

Environmental considerations: Water spill: Neutralize with agricultural lime (CaO), crushed limestone (CaCO3), or sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). Adjust pH to neutral (pH+ 7). Use mechanical dredges or lifts to remove immobilized masses of pollutants and precipitates.

Environmental considerations: Land spill: Big a pit, pond, lagoon, holding area to contain liquid or solid material. /SRP: If time permits, pits, ponds, lagoons, soak holes, or holding areas should be sealed with an impermeable flexible membrane liner./ Cover soldis with a plastic sheet to prevent dissolving in rain or fire fighting water.

SRP: The most favorable course of action is to use an alternative chemical product with less inherent propensity for occupational exposure or environmental contamination. Recycle any unused portion of the material for its approved use or return it to the manufacturer or supplier. Ultimate disposal of the chemical must consider: the material's impact on air quality; potential migration in soil or water; effects on animal, aquatic, and plant life; and conformance with environmental and public health regulations.

The following wastewater treatment technologies have been investigated for iron (Fe+2): Concentration process: Biological treatment. /Iron (Fe+2)/

SRP: Local exhaust ventilation should be applied wherever there is an incidence of point source emissions or dispersion of regulated contaminants in the work area. Ventilation control of the contaminant as close to its point of generation is both the most economical and safest method to minimize personnel exposure to airborne contaminants.

SRP: Contaminated protective clothing should be segregated in such a manner so that there is no direct personal contact by personnel who handle, dispose, or clean the clothing. Quality assurance to ascertain the completeness of the cleaning procedures should be implemented before the decontaminated protective clothing is returned for reuse by the workers. Contaminated clothing should not be taken home at end of shift, but should remain at employee's place of work for cleaning.

SRP: The scientific literature for the use of contact lenses in industry is conflicting. The benefit or detrimental effects of wearing contact lenses depend not only upon the substance, but also on factors including the form of the substance, characteristics and duration of the exposure, the uses of other eye protection equipment, and the hygiene of the lenses. However, there may be individual substances whose irritating or corrosive properties are such that the wearing of contact lenses would be harmful to the eye. In those specific cases, contact lenses should not be worn. In any event, the usual eye protection equipment should be worn even when contact lenses are in place.

Remove contaminated clothing and shoes.

For more Preventive Measures (Complete) data for FERRIC NITRATE (7 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Excerpt from ERG Guide 140 [Oxidizers]:

Immediate precautionary measure

13 [mg/m3]

64 [mg/m3]

390 [mg/m3]

Methemoglobinemia can be treated with supplemental oxygen and methylene blue 1% solution administered intravenously slowly over five minutes followed by IV flush with normal saline. Methylene blue restores the iron in hemoglobin to its normal (reduced) oxygen-carrying state. (L1613)

Nitrate's toxicity is a result of it's conversion to nitrite once in the body. Nitrite causes the autocatalytic oxidation of oxyhemoglobin to hydrogen peroxide and methemoglobin. This elevation of methemoglobin levels is a condition known as methemoglobinemia, and is characterized by tissue hypoxia, as methemoglobin cannot bind oxygen. (A2450, L1613)

Nitrate and nitrite poisoning causes methemoglobinemia. Symptoms include cyanosis, cardiac dysrhythmias and circulatory failure, and progressive central nervous system (CNS) effects. CNS effects can range from mild dizziness and lethargy to coma and convulsions. (L1137)

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ /After intake of nitrate/ signs of abdominal pain & diarrhea are seen owing to irritant action of nitrate ion, accompanied by muscular weakness & incoordination, convulsions, accelerated heart rate, dyspnea, & in severe cases, progressive cyanosis, first visible as a bluish discoloration of the mucous membranes and unpigmented areas of the body, leading to torpor, coma and death. /Nitrate/

Basic treatment: Establish a patent airway. Suction if necessary. Watch for signs of respiratory insufficiency and assist ventilations if necessary. Administer oxygen by nonrebreather mask at 10 to 15 L/min. Monitor for shock and treat if necessary ... . For eye contamination, flush eyes immediately with water. Irrigate each eye continuously with normal saline during transport ... . Do not use emetics. For ingestion, rinse mouth and administer 5 ml/kg up to 200 ml of water for dilution if the patient can swallow, has a strong gag reflex, and does not drool. /Iron and related compounds/

Advanced treatment: Consider orotracheal or nasotracheal intubation for airway control in the patient who is unconscious. Monitor cardiac rhythm and treat arrhythmias if necessary ... . Start an IV with lactated Ringer's /SRP: "To keep open", minimal flow rate/. Watch for signs of fluid overload. For hypotension with signs of hypovolemia, administer fluid cautiously. Watch for signs of fluid overload ... . Use proparacaine hydrochloride to assist eye irrigation ... . /Iron and related compounds/

Maintain an open airway and assist ventilation if necessary. Treat shock caused by hemorrhagic gastrointestinitis aggressively with intravenous crystalloid fluids, and replace blood if needed. Patients are often markedly hypovolemic owing to gastrointestinal losses and third spacing of fluids into the intestinal wall and interstitial space. Treat coma, seizures, and metabolic acidosis if they occur. For seriously intoxicated victims (eg, shock, severe acidosis, and/or serum iron > 500-600 mcg/dL) administer deferoxamine. Monitor the urine for the urine for the characteristic orange or pink deferoxamine-iron complex. Therapy may be stopped when the urine returns to normal or when the serum iron level decreases to the normal range. Prolonged deferoxamine has been associated with adult respiratory distress syndrome and Yersinia sepsis.

Activated charcoal is not effective. Ipecac is not recommended, because it can aggravate iron-induced gastrointestinal irritation and interfere with whole bowel irrigation. Consider gastric lavage if product was a liquid formulation or tablets were chewed. Do-not use phosphate-containing solutions for lavage; these may result in life-threatening hypernatremia, hyperphosphatemia, and hypocalcemia. Bicarbonate and deferoxamine lavage are of doubtful efficacy. Deferoxamine lavage is not effective and may enhance iron absorption. Whole-bowel irrigation is very effective for ingested tablets and may be considered first-line treatment, especially if large numbers of tablets are visible on plain abdominal x-ray. Massive ingestions may lead to concretions or bezoars. Repeated or prolonged whole-bowel irrigation may remove tablets. Endoscopy or surgical gastrotomy is rarely required.

Hemodialysis and hemoperfusion are not effective for removing iron but may be necessary to remove iron-deferoxamine complex in patients with renal failure. Exchange transfusion is occasionally used for massive pediatric ingestions but is of questionable efficacy.

Persons in charge of vessels or facilities are required to notify the National Response Center (NRC) immediately, when there is a release of this designated hazardous substance, in an amount equal to or greater than its reportable quantity of 1000 lb or 454 kg. The toll free number of the NRC is (800) 424-8802; In the Washington D.C. metropolitan area (202) 426-2675. The rule for determining when notification is required is stated in 40 CFR 302.4 (section IV. D.3.b).

Ferric nitrate is designated as a hazardous substance under section 311(b)(2)(A) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and further regulated by the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1977 and 1978. These regulations apply to discharges of this substance. This designation includes any isomers and hydrates, as well as any solutions and mixtures containing this substance.