Uranyl fluoride

6.37

6.37 @25 °C

Pale yellow, rhombohedral, hygroscopic

Yellow, hygroscopic solid

Insoluble in benzene

64.4 g/100 g H2O at 20 °C

Hygroscopic

When heated to decomposition, UO2F2 emits toxic fluoride fumes.

Green-yellow fluorescence /uranyl ion/

Green tetravalent uranium and yellow uranyl ion (uranium dioxide(2+)) are the only species which are stable in soln. /Uranium/

In the dry state, uranium forms cmpd of valence (3+), (4+), (5+), or (6+); in aq media (3+) and (5+) are unstable; (3+) readily oxidizes and (5+) disproportionates to (4+) and (6+), the latter of which is the most stable form and exists as the oxygen-containing cation (2+) uranium dioxide (uranyl) in acid soln and in the body.

DHHS/ATSDR; Toxicological Profile for Uranium (PB/99/163362) (September 1999)

Wrenn M et al; The Potential Toxicity of Uranium in Water (1987)

THOMAS J ET AL; AIRBORNE URANIUM, ITS CONCENTRATION AND TOXICITY IN URANIUM-ENRICHMENT FACILITIES (1979). THE RELEASE OF URANIUM HEXAFLUORIDE & ITS HYDROLYSIS PRODUCTS (URANYL FLUORIDE AND HYDROGEN FLUORIDE) INTO THE WORK ENVIRONMENT OF A PLANT FOR ENRICHING URANIUM BY MEANS OF GAS CENTRIFUGES IS DISCUSSED.

NIOSH considers uranium (soluble compounds, as U) to be a potential occupational carcinogen. /Uranium (soluble compounds, as U)/

Recommended Exposure Limit: 10 Hr Time-Weighted Avg: 0.05 mg/cu m. /Uranium (soluble compounds, as U)/

(AZ) ARIZONA 30 ug/L /Uranium/

(MA) MASSACHUSETTS 20 ug/L /Uranium/

Contact lenses should not be worn when working with this chemical. /Hydrogen fluoride/

Soluble compounds of uranium as dust or mist are respiratory irritants. ... /Soluble uranium compounds (as uranium)/

Direct product of the reaction of UF6 with moisture in the air.

Uranium hexafluoride reacts vigorously with water, forming mainly uranyl fluoride and hydrofluoric acid.

Biological Exposure Indices (BEI) [ACGIH] - Fluorides in urine = 2 mg/L prior to shift or 3 mg/L at end of shift; (Repeated measurements recommended.) Uranium in urine = 200 ug/L at end of shift;

1.0 [mg/m3], as F, inhalable fraction[German Research Foundation (DFG)]

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.

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.

The worker should immediately wash the skin when it becomes contaminated. /Uranium (soluble compounds, as U)/

The worker should wash daily at the end of each work shift, and prior to eating, drinking, smoking, etc. /Uranium (soluble compounds, as U)/

For more Preventive Measures (Complete) data for URANIUM OXYFLUORIDE (14 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Intermediate Inhalation: 0.0004 mg/m3 (Soluble uranium salts) (L134) Chronic Inhalation: 0.0003 mg/m3 (Soluble uranium salts) (L134) Intermediate Oral: 0.002 mg/kg/day (Soluble uranium salts) (L134) Intermediate Inhalation: 0.008 mg/m3 (Insoluble uranium compounds) (L134)

0.2 [mg/m3], as U (2.5 mg/m3, as F)

0.6 [mg/m3], as U

8 hr Time Weighted Avg (TWA): 0.2 mg/cu m; 15 min Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL): 0.6 mg/cu m. /Uranium (natural), soluble & insoluble compounds, as U/

A1; Confirmed human carcinogen. /Uranium (natural), soluble and insoluble compounds, as U/

0.78 [mg/m3]

4.3 [mg/m3]

26 [mg/m3]

Wear appropriate personal protective clothing to prevent skin contact. /Uranium (soluble compounds, as U)/

Wear appropriate eye protection to prevent eye contact. /Uranium (soluble compounds, as U)/

Facilities for quickly drenching the body should be provided within the immediate work area for emergency use where there is a possibility of exposure. (Note: It is intended that these facilities provide a sufficient quantity or flow of water to quickly remove the substance from any body areas likely to be exposed. The actual determination of what constitutes an adequate quick drench facility depends on the specific circumstances. In certain instances, a deluge shower should be readily available, whereas in others, the availability of water from a sink or hose could be considered adequate.) /Uranium (soluble compounds, as U)/

Eyewash fountains should be provided in areas where there is any possibility that workers could be exposed to the substance; this is irrespective of the recommendation involving the wearing of eye protection. /Uranium (soluble compounds, as U)/

For more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (Complete) data for URANIUM OXYFLUORIDE (7 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Maximum Allowable Concn (MAC) USSR 0.015 mg/cu m (soluble cmpd), 0.075 mg/cu m (insoluble cmpd) /Uranium cmpd/

Australia: natural, soluble and insoluble compounds, 0.2 mg/cu m, as U; STEL 0.6 mg/cu m, as U (1990); Federal Republic of Germany: uranium compounds, 0.25 mg/cu m total dust, as U; short-term level 2.5 mg/cu m total dust, as U, 30 min, once per shift; due to natural radioactivity of uranium, the tolerance value of the "Strahlenschutzverordnung" from October 13, 1976, is to be observed (1989); United Kingdom: natural, soluble compounds, 0.2 mg/cu m, as U, 10-min STEL 0.6 mg/cu m, as U (1991). /Uranium (natural), soluble and insoluble compounds/

10.0 [mg/m3], as U

10 mg/cu m; NIOSH considers uranium (soluble compounds, as U) to be a potential occupational carcinogen. /Uranium (soluble compounds, as U)/

EYES: irrigate opened eyes for several minutes under running water. INGESTION: do not induce vomiting. Rinse mouth with water (never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person). Seek immediate medical advice. SKIN: should be treated immediately by rinsing the affected parts in cold running water for at least 15 minutes, followed by thorough washing with soap and water. If necessary, the person should shower and change contaminated clothing and shoes, and then must seek medical attention. INHALATION: supply fresh air. If required provide artificial respiration.

Uranium primarily damages the kidney, but may also damage the lungs, central nervous system, and immune system. Uranium's radioactivity is believed to damage the DNA, resulting in carcinogenic effects and reproductive and developmental damage. (L248, L249)

Uranium is combined with either bicarbonate or a plasma protein in the blood but once in the kidney, it is released and forms complexes with phosphate ligands and proteins in the tubular wall, causing damage. Uranium may also inhibit both sodium transport-dependent and independent ATP utilization and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the renal proximal tubule. Uranium causes respiratory diseases by damaging alveolar epithelium type II cells in the lungs. Uranium induces c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) activation, which in turn induces tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) secretion and generates and inflammatory response in the lungs. Studies have shown that the more soluble the uranium salt, the more toxic it is. Ionizing radiation produced by uranium damages the DNA, resulting in gene mutations and chromosomal aberrations. This can both both initiate and promote carcinogenesis, and interfere with reproduction and development. (L249, A160)

... Arrange for periodic medical examination of persons in contact with uranium and its disintegration products. Monitoring of the uranium content of biological media is required. Persons employed in industrial operations with uranium and exposed to the action of radon should have periodical chest x-ray examinations. The intervals between examinations should be planned with regard to the conditions of work. /Uranium, alloy and compounds/

A complete history and physical examination: The purpose is to detect existing conditions that might place the exposed employee at increased risk, and to establish a baseline for future health monitoring. Exam of respiratory system, blood, liver, lymphatic system, and kidneys should be stressed. Skin should be examined for evidence of chronic disorders. A complete blood count: Since uranium is deposited in the bone & is an alpha particle emitter, the function of the bone marrow is at risk. A complete blood count should be performed incl a red cell count, a white cell count, a differential count of a stained smear, as well as hemoglobin and hematocrit. ... Surveillance of the lung is indicated. Urinalysis: Although not reported with insol uranium cmpd, kidney damage has been reported due to uranium exposure. A urinalysis should be performed, including at a minimum specific gravity, albumin, glucose, & microscopic of centrifuged sediment. Periodic medical exam: The aforementioned medical examination should be repeated on an annual basis. In addition, a determination of urinary uranium levels should be performed at any time overexposure is suspected or signs and symptoms of toxicity occur. /Uranium and insol compounds (as uranium)/

Practical recommendations for biologic monitoring of exposure: Chemical agent: uranium; reference value < 0.3 ug/g creatinine in urine; reference value < 0.01 ug/100 mL in blood. /Uranium compounds, as U, from table/

Because of its rapid and substantial urinary excretion, the concentration of uranium in urine can form the basis of assessing intake. Once measurements in urine have been made, biokinetic models may then be used to calculate intake. However, for inhalation, lack of informationon the temporal pattern of exposure and chemical form and variation in natural excretion (e.g. reported urine concentrations of 0.0128 ug/L as an average for "unexposed individuals" vs observed values of 0.004 to 0.058 ug/L) can result in appreciable errors in such estimates. ... The occupational exposure decision level used for uranium workers at one facility in the U.S. is 0.8 ug/L of uranium in urine. This value assumes an acute inhalation intake of moderately soluble uranium and a 60 day urine sampling frequency. For investigational puropses, a value of 4 ug/L of urine is used for U.K. workers. /Uranium compounds/

For more Medical Surveillance (Complete) data for URANIUM OXYFLUORIDE (7 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

/SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS/ Symptoms of fluoride intoxication, usually occurring within 1 hr, range from salivation, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, & diarrhea in cases of minor poisoning, to hyperactive reflexes, tonic & clonic convulsions, & ultimately, in severe cases, death occurs, usually from respiratory or cardiac failure. /Fluoride/

/SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS/ For sol uranium cmpd: lacrimation, conjunctivitis; short breath, coughing, chest rales; nausea, vomiting; skin burns ... albuminuria, lymphatic cancer. /Sol uranium cmpd/

/SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS/ The high chemical toxicity of uranium and its salts is largely shown in kidney damage, which may not be reversible. Acute arterial lesions may occur after acute exposures. /Uranium and salts/

/EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDIES/ A retrospective cohort mortality study was conducted on workers at the Portsmouth Uranium Enrichment facility in Pike County, Ohio. Primary hazards included inhalation exposure to uranyl fluoride containing uranium-235 and uranium-234, technetium-99 compounds, and hydrogen fluoride. Uranium-238 presented a nephrotoxic hazard. Analysis covered the period from September 1, 1954, to December 31, 1982. White males working for at least 1 week during this time were included (total 5,773). Statistically significant mortality deficits based on USA death rates were found for all causes, accidents, violence, and diseases of nervous, circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems. Standardized mortality rates were 85 and 54 for all malignant neoplasms and for other genitourinary diseases, respectively. Deaths from stomach cancer and lymphatic/hematopoietic cancers were significantly incr. A subcohort selected for greatest potential uranium exposure had reduced deaths from these malignancies. Insignificantly incr stomach cancer mortality was found after 15 yr employment and after 15 yr latency. Routine urinalysis data suggested low internal uranium exposures. /Information obtained indicated that there/ is no significant excess mortality among these workers. /Uranyl fluoride and other chemicals/

For more Human Toxicity Excerpts (Complete) data for URANIUM OXYFLUORIDE (6 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ Several uranium compounds tested by dropping on the eyes of rabbits, guinea pigs, & rats have caused severe eye damage as well as systemic poisoning. The following compounds caused injury to the eyes: ... uranyl nitrate, uranyl fluoride ... & uranium peroxide.

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ Acute ip toxicity of soluble uranium compounds for the rat is considerably less than the iv toxicity; approx LD values ranged from 40 mg UO2F2/kg to 400 mg UCl4/kg.

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ The dermal effects of a number of uranium compounds following their applications to the skin of rabbits /were examined/. Extremely water sol cmpd, including uranyl nitrate, uranyl fluoride, uranium tetrachloride, and uranium pentachloride were the most toxic...

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ /KIDNEY/ ... Severe degeneration of the cortical tubules ... were observed in dogs 1to 3 days after a 1-hour exposure to 250 mg uranium/cu m as uranyl fluoride.

For more Non-Human Toxicity Excerpts (Complete) data for URANIUM OXYFLUORIDE (19 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

Humans who excrete acidic urine may be more sensitive to uranium-induced kidney injury.

Populations susceptible to uranium toxicosis would include people with impaired renal function. People with stomach ulcers are thought to have elevated absorption of some toxic metals and might be unusually susceptible to uranium toxicity.

(AZ) ARIZONA 30 ug/L /Uranium/

(MA) MASSACHUSETTS 20 ug/L /Uranium/

Approximately 60% of uranium absorbed into the blood is transported in the form of a bicarbonate complex, and 40% is bound to plasma proteins. The uranyl-bicarbonate complex is filtered out of the blood by the renal glomerulus and is passed into the tubules. The pH of urine decreases in the tubules, resulting in dissociation of the complex and release of the reactive uranyl ion. Nephrotoxicity results primarily from damage to the tubular epithelium, which allows leakage of glucose, protein, aminoacids, and enzymes into the urine. In high doses (more than 6 mg uranium/kg), glomerular damage may also occur, causing decreased renal blood flow and a decreased glomerular filtration rate. The kidney responds to toxic levels of uranium within 24-48 hr after exposure. The changes become progressively more severe over approximately a 5 day period. The damaged tubular epithelium regenerates quickly as the uranium concentration is reduced. /Soluble uranium compounds/

Compared to other heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead, and mercury ... uranium's nephrotoxic effect is less intense. Although the nephrotoxicity of uranium is attributed primarily to its metallotoxicity (chemical toxicity), some authors have discussed that renal damage from exposure to high-LET alpha-emitting heavy metals, like uranium, is derived from combined chemical and radiotoxic effect. /Uranium NOS/

... Uranyl fluoride can produce a typical toxicity because of hydrolysis to hydrogen fluoride.

Uranium is absorbed in low amounts via oral, inhalation, and dermal routes. Uranium in body fluids generally exists as the uranyl ion (UO2)2+ complexed with anions, such as citrate and bicarbonate, or plasma proteins. Uranium preferentially distributes to bone, liver, and kidney. The large majority of uranium that enters the body is not absorbed and is eliminated from the body via the urine and faeces. (L248)

Uranium hexafluoride/uranyl fluoride inhalation studies were undertaken in purebred, female beagle dogs to examine the possible relations of exposure, whole body, lung & renal uranium levels to excretion rates, renal injury, distribution & retention, & tolerance. Each of these issues was investigated in the context of chemical toxicity of uranium(6+) following brief exposures to 235-uranyl fluoride in the presence & absence of hydrogen fluoride (the decomp products of 235-uranium hexafluoride). Both gamma-uranium-235 & alpha-uranium-234 counting methods were applied. Findings show that uranyl fluoride retention time in the lung is shorter than for uranium trioxide or uranyl nitrate, more than 80% translocated with half-life of less than 20 min & urinary elimination of (6+) follows closely to the international commission on radiological protection's excretion equation. /Uranium fluorides/

Sol compounds are highly transportable from lung to other parts of the body; these include uranium hexafluoride, uranyl nitrate, uranyl chloride, uranyl fluoride, & uranyl acetates, sulfates & carbonates. /Soluble uranium compounds/

GI absorption of small doses of soluble uranyl salts in mammals is about 10%;... Absorption of uranium salts from sites of im injection and from peritoneal cavity is poor. ... Soluble uranyl salts are also absorbed through skin. Following inhalation the absorption of uranium salts from the lung tissues into blood depends upon ... solubility and particle size. /Soluble uranyl salts/

In acute human exposure situations, uranium deposits in the kidney are eliminated with a half-time of 2 to 6 days. Inhaled soluble uranium salts that reach the alveoli are almost completely absorbed and then cleared rapidly to the urine, kidneys, and bone, with none left in the lungs by 30 days. Insoluble compounds, such as UO2 or UO3, that reach the alveoli tend to remain in lung tissue or hilar lymph nodes but are cleared in rats with half-times of 1 day (25%), 10 days (15%), and 155 days (60%). /Uranium compounds/

Uranium, difluorodioxo-, (T-4)-: INACTIVE

Intermediate in the conversion of UF6 to a uranium oxide or metal form and is a direct product of the reaction of UF6 with moisture in the air.

Uranium ion (6+);22541-40-8

Uranium is a chemical hazard as well as a radiological hazard. /Uranium compounds/

The chemical toxicity and reactive properties of any uranium compound must be weighed against the inherent toxicity of the compound or the uranium alone. For example, gaseous uranium hexafluoride (UF6) reacts with atmospheric moisture and undergoes hydrolysis, producing uranyl fluoride (UO2F2) and hydrogen fluoride (HF), a highly corrosive and toxic gas. Depending on the temperature, humidity, and uranium enrichment, the HF may be a more serious health and safety concern than either the UF6 or the contained uranium.

In uranium processes that create fluoride compounds (UF4, UF6, etc.), the a-n reaction with this light nuclide can result in neutron radiation fields, the intensity of which are a function of the compound, mixing, storage configuration, and enrichment. As indicated in Section 2.0, low enriched UF6 (< 5%) in large storage containers can result in neutron radiation in the 0.2 mrem/h range, while highly enriched (> 97%) UF6 can create fields in the 4 mrem/h range. At high enrichments, the neutron fields can be up to a factor of 2 higher than the gamma fields and be the limiting source of whole body exposure. /Uranium fluorides/