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Toxicological Risks of Selected Flame-Retardant Chemicals
oxide fumes containing unknown concentrations of Zn2+ (Hamdi 1969). No other studies were identified that investigated the excretion of zinc following inhalation of zinc compounds.
Following oral exposure to zinc compounds, the primary route of zinc excretion in humans and rats is the feces. Zinc can also be excreted in the urine, saliva, hair, and sweat (ATSDR 1994).
Malnutrition or low dietary levels of zinc can promote urinary zinc excretion, possibly as a result of increased levels of tissue breakdown and catabolism (ATSDR 1994).
Boric Acid
As discussed in the section on Absorption, boron has been detected in the urine after exposure to boric acid via the dermal, inhalation, and oral routes. Following ingestion of boric acid by six male volunteers, greater than 90% of an ingested dose was excreted in the urine within 96 hr (Jansen et al. 1984).
Zinc borate produced only mild conjunctivitis in albino rabbits in the eye irritation test and is not considered to be an irritant or corrosive (U.S. Borax 1996).
Zinc borate was negative in the guinea pig sensitization test (U.S. Borax 1996).
Zinc Oxide
There are two case studies in the literature that suggest that dermal occupational exposure to zinc oxide might cause or contribute to a skin condition
1
In this section, the subcommittee reviewed toxicity data on zinc borate, including the toxicity assessment prepared by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (Hatlelid 1999).