Sulfur Trioxide Toxicity - An Overview

Introduction

Sulfur trioxide is a crystalline (sand-like) colorless to white solid that can also exist as a gas or liquid. It is principally employed as a sulfating agent in detergent production, disinfectant, preservatives, textiles, and batteries.

What Are the Adverse Health Effects of Sulfur Trioxide Toxicity?

The adverse health effects of sulfur trioxide toxicity are:

Acute Health Effects:

With exposure to sulfur trioxide, the following acute (short-term) health consequences could happen:

• Contact can cause severe skin irritation, eye burn, and even eye damage.

• Sulfur trioxide can irritate the throat and nose when inhaled.

• Sulfur trioxide can irritate the lungs, leading to coughing and breathing difficulties when inhaled.

• Greater doses may result in pulmonary edema, a medical emergency characterized by extreme shortness of breath. Sulfur trioxide exposure can result in headaches, lightheadedness, nausea, and vomiting.

Chronic Health Effects:

• After being exposed to sulfur trioxide, the following chronic (long-term) health impacts may appear at some point and may endure for months or years:

Cancer Hazard:

• Sulfur trioxide causes human cancer. Strong inorganic acid mists with sulfuric acid have been shown to increase the risk of lung and laryngeal cancer in people.

• According to many scientists, there is no safe degree of exposure to a carcinogen. Such a chemical might also have the ability to harm a person's reproductive system.

Reproductive Hazard:

• The New Jersey Department of Health's current knowledge indicates that sulfur trioxide's potential to impact reproduction has yet to be investigated.

Long-Term Effects:

• The lungs may become irritated by sulfur trioxide.

• Persistent exposure can lead to bronchitis, which manifests as coughing up phlegm and having trouble breathing.

What Are the Workplace Controls and Practices While Working With Sulfur Trioxide Toxicity?

If a less hazardous chemical cannot be substituted, extremely toxic compounds, reproductive risks, or sensitizers require specialist advice on management strategies. The following are the control measures:

• Describing the chemical mechanisms for extremely caustic and unpleasant compounds.

• Employing local exhaust ventilation for substances that could injure a person after just one exposure

• Employing general ventilation to limit exposures to substances that irritate the skin and eyes.

Furthermore suggested are the work practices listed below:

• Label process containers.

• Inform and train workers about hazards.

• Check airborne chemical concentrations.

• Employ engineering controls if concentrations are higher than advised exposure levels.

• Give out emergency showers and eyewash stations.

• If skin comes into contact with a dangerous substance, wash or shower. Always wash after a shift at work.

• If clothing gets contaminated, change it into clean clothes.

• Take no contaminated garments home with you.

• Take particular instructions on how to clean filthy garments.

• Never consume food, beverages, or tobacco in locations where chemicals are handled, processed, or stored.

• Before consuming anything, smoking, drinking, applying cosmetics, or using the bathroom, wash your hands thoroughly.

Moreover, the following could be necessary or useful:

• Check to ensure there isn't an explosive concentration of sulfur trioxide before entering a restricted location where it might be present.

• When cleaning up solid sulfur trioxide, use a vacuum to minimize dust.

Which Personal Protective Equipment Should Be Used While Working With Sulfur Trioxide?

Companies must choose the best personal protective equipment for each risk and educate staff members on how and when to use it. The following suggestions are simply recommendations that might not be appropriate:

Gloves and Clothing:

• Avoid getting sulfur trioxide on the skin.

• Do not forget to protect the body using personal protective equipment made of materials that won't be harmed or compromised by this substance.

• Manufacturers and providers of safety equipment can advise you on the gloves and garment materials that are the most protective for your business.

• Manufacturers of safety gear advise using silver shields for gloves.

• Before starting work, all protective gear (suits, gloves, shoes, and helmet) should be available, cleaned, and put on daily.

Eye Protection:

• While dealing with fumes, gases, or vapors, put on non-vented, impact-resistant goggles.

• Put on splash, impact, and indirect vent-resistant goggles when working with liquids.

• At the same time, working with caustic, extremely irritating, or hazardous compounds, put on face protection and goggles.

• Using contact lenses when handling this chemical is not recommended.

Respiratory Protection:

Improper use of respirators is risky. Only if the employer has created a documented program that considers job conditions, worker training requirements, respirator fit testing, and medical examinations could respirators be utilized.

• Use a full facepiece respirator and an acid gas cartridge specifically authorized for sulfuric acid where there is a chance of exposure greater than 0.2 milligrams per meter cube (as sulfuric acid).

• Full-facepiece-powered air-purifying respirators provide more protection.

• If the worker uses a filter or cartridge respirator and smells, tastes, or otherwise detects sulfur trioxide, he should leave the area immediately.

• Using a full facepiece respirator while wearing particulate filters causes anomalous breathing resistance or eye irritation.

• Take into account all exposure points that can exist in the workplace. To guard against various chemical forms (such as vapor and mist) or a combination of chemicals, a worker may need a combination of filters, prefilters, or cartridges.

• Use a supplied-air respirator with a full facepiece and a pressure-demand or other positive-pressure mode if there is a risk of exposure to sulfur trioxide as a liquid or gas or if the presence of sulfur dioxide exceeds 0.25 ppm. Use in conjunction with an additional self-contained breathing apparatus running in a pressure-demand or other positive-pressure mode for extra protection.

• Use a supplied-air respirator with a complete facepiece and pressure demand or another positive-pressure mode when the possible exposure to sulfuric acid is greater than two milligrams per meter cube. Use in conjunction with an additional self-contained breathing apparatus running in a pressure-demand or other positive-pressure mode for extra protection.

What Should Be Done in Case of Spill and Emergency of Sulfur Trioxide?

Take the following actions if sulfur trioxide, whether solid or liquid, is spilled or leaks:

• Secure and regulate entry to the area, and evacuate the personnel.

• Remove all potential sources of ignition.

• Cover spilled substance with lime, soda ash, or crushed limestone.

• To protect against rain and water, cover it with a plastic sheet.

• Gather materials most easily and safely, then place them in sealed containers.

• Please clean up the area, then ventilate and wash it.

• Avoid washing into sewage.

• Keep sulfur trioxide away from enclosed areas, such as sewers, as an explosion could occur.

• Sulfur trioxide may need to be contained and disposed of as hazardous waste. Get in touch with the environmental protection department in your state.

Conclusion

This chemical is carcinogenic to humans and is present in strong inorganic acid mists. Greater exposure levels have the potential to result in pulmonary edema, a medical emergency characterized by extreme breathlessness. In addition, sulfur trioxide exposure may result in headaches, lightheadedness, nausea, and vomiting.