US Department of Labor – OSHA

General Description

Synonyms: Triatomic oxygen
OSHA IMIS Code Number: 1980
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number: 10028-15-6
NIOSH, Registry of Toxic Effects (RTECS) Identification Number: RS8225000
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, Ozone: chemical description, physical properties, potentially hazardous incompatibilities, and more

Exposure Limits

OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for General Industry: 29 CFR 1910.1000 Z-1 Table -- 0.1 ppm, 0.2 mg/m3 TWA
OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for Construction Industry: 29 CFR 1926.55 Appendix A -- 0.1 ppm, 0.2 mg/m3 TWA
OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for Maritime: 29 CFR 1915.1000 Table Z-Shipyards -- 0.1 ppm, 0.2 mg/m3 TWA
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value (TLV): Heavy Work - 0.05 ppm TWA; Moderate Work - 0.08 ppm TWA; Light Work - 0.10 ppm TWA; Heavy, Moderate, or light workloads (≤ 2 hrs) - 0.20 TWA; Appendix A4 - Not Classifiable as a Human Carcinogen
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Recommended Exposure Limit (REL): 0.1 ppm, 0.2 mg/m3 Ceiling

Health Factors

NIOSH Immediately Dangerous To Life or Health Concentration (IDLH): 5 ppm

Potential symptoms: Eye, mucous membrane irritation; headache, fatigue, dizziness, drowsiness; anorexia, nausea, vomiting; cough, sore throat; shortness of breath, pulmonary edema; chronic respiratory disease; conjunctivitis; eye, skin burns; frostbite (on contact with liquid); rapid heart rate (tachycardia), low blood pressure (hypotension).

Health Effects: Irritation-Eyes, Nose, Throat, Skin---Marked (HE14); Lung edema (HE11), Cumulative lung damage (HE10), Respiratory sensitization (HE9).

Affected organs: Eyes, respiratory system

Notes:

    1. Generally recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an antimicrobial agent in bottled water at a maximum residual concentration of 0.4 mg/liter (21 CFR 184.1563); use in treatment, storage, and processing of other foods is also regulated by 21 CFR 173.368.
    2. Ozone can increase sensitivity to bronchoconstrictors and allergens, and may facilitate the development of asthma.
    3. One proposed mechanism for ozone-induced lung cell damage is the stimulation of lipid peroxidation, which produces aldehydes like 4-hydroxynonenal that can form adducts with cysteine, lysine, and histidine in lung proteins.