Oil mist (mineral)

CAS number: 8012–95–1

NIOSH REL: 5 mg/m³ TWA, 10 mg/m³ STEL

Current OSHA PEL: 5 mg/m³ TWA

1989 OSHA PEL: Same as current PEL

1993-1994 ACGIH TLV: 5 mg/m³ TWA, 10 mg/m³ STEL

Description of substance: Colorless, oily liquid aerosol dispersed in air.

LEL :. . Unknown

Original (SCP) IDLH*: No Evidence [*Note: "Effective" IDLH = 2,500 mg/m³ -- see discussion below.]

Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: The available toxicological data contain no evidence that an acute exposure to mineral oil mist would impede escape or cause any irreversible health effects within 30 minutes. For this draft technical standard, therefore, respirators have been selected on the basis of the assigned protection factor afforded by each device. However, for some particulate substances for which no evidence of an IDLH exists, the determination of allowable respiratory protection based on protection factors may result in the assignment of respirators for concentrations that are not likely to be encountered in the occupational environment. Therefore, for all such particulate substances it has been arbitrarily determined that only the "most protective" respirators are permitted for use in concentrations exceeding 500 ´ the OSHA PEL (500 ´ 5 mg/m³ is 2,500 mg/m³).

Short-term exposure guidelines: None developed

ACUTE TOXICITY DATA:

Lethal dose data:

Species	Reference	Route	LD50 (mg/kg)	LDLo (mg/kg)	Adjusted LD	Derived value
Mouse	Bothe et al. 1975	oral	22,000	-----	154,000 mg/m3	15,400 mg/m3

Human data: None relevant for use in determining the revised IDLH.

Revised IDLH: 2,500 mg/m3 Basis for revised IDLH: The available toxicological data contain no evidence that an acute exposure to a high concentration of oil mist (mineral) would impede escape or cause any irreversible health effects within 30 minutes. However, the revised IDLH for oil mist (mineral) is 2,500 mg/m3 based on being 500 times the NIOSH REL and OSHA PEL of 5 mg/m3 (500 is an assigned protection factor for respirators and was used arbitrarily during the Standards Completion Program for deciding when the "most protective" respirators should be used for particulates).

REFERENCE:

1. Bothe J, Braun W, Donhardt A [1975]. Untersuchungen zur antidotwirkung von paraffinöl bei vergiftungen mit kohlenwasserstoffen an der maus. Arch Toxikol 30:243-250 (in German).