Industrial Hygiene Testing Services

Cinnaminson, NJ, September 9^th, 2021

Hydrazines are described by the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) as clear, colorless liquids with an ammonia-like odor. There are numerous kinds of highly reactive hydrazine compounds that easily catch fire.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), hydrazines are used in many industries, such as the manufacturing of rocket propellants and fuels for spacecraft. Examples of other workers at potential risk of being exposed to hydrazine include:
 

• Workers who use it for boiler water treatments to protect against corrosion
• Industrial workers who use it as a chemical reactant
• Researchers who explore cancer treatments
• Agricultural workers who use it in pesticides

“Workers may be harmed from exposure to hydrazine with the level of harm depending on factors such as the dose, duration, and work being done,” said Joe Frasca, Senior Vice President, Marketing at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “ATSDR reports that breathing hydrazines for short periods may cause coughing and irritation of the throat and lungs, convulsions, tremors, or seizures. Breathing hydrazines for long periods may cause liver and kidney damage, as well as serious effects on reproductive organs. Eating or drinking small amounts of hydrazines may cause nausea, vomiting, uncontrolled shaking, inflammation of the nerves, drowsiness, or coma. NIOSH also lists it as a potential occupational carcinogen.”

To protect workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for hydrazine and NIOSH has a Recommended Exposure Limit (REL). EMSL’s industrial hygiene laboratories offer testing services, sampling supplies, and gas detector tubes to identify hydrazine and many other industrial chemicals. They also recently sponsored an educational video about hydrazine and potential occupational exposure risks that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/uG3pT3WqNxI.

To learn more about this or other industrial hygiene, air quality, environmental, health and safety testing services, or for access to sampling supplies and products, please visit www.EMSL.com, call (800) 220-3675, or email info@EMSL.com.


About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is one of the leading testing laboratories throughout the United States and Canada. EMSL is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider specializing in fast laboratory results for mold, bacteria, Legionella, USP <797>, pathogens, asbestos, lead, soot, char & ash from fires, VOC’s, odors, radon, formaldehyde, indoor air quality, microbiology, environmental, industrial hygiene, radiological, food, beverage & consumer products, and material testing services for the identification of unknown substances. EMSL services both professionals and the general public. EMSL maintains an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies including, but not limited to A2LA, AIHA-LAP, LLC (AIHA-LAP, LLC EMLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC IHLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC ELLAP), NVLAP, CDC ELITE, CPSC, CA ELAP, NY ELAP, TX DOH, NJDEP, and multiple other state accrediting agencies. Please visit our website at www.EMSL.com for a complete listing of accreditations. In addition, EMSL carries a wide range of Sampling Equipment and Investigative Products for environmental professionals.