1.2 HOW HIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO ANTIM

1.2 HOW HIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO ANTIMONY?
Antimony is found at very low levels in the environment, so low that we
often cannot measure it. You may be exposed to antimony by breathing air,
drinking water, and eating foods that contain it. You also may be exposed by
skin contact with soil, water, and other substances that contain antimony. The
analytical methods used by scientists testing for the presence of antimony in
the environment do not determine the specific form of antimony present.
Therefore, we do not always know what form of antimony persons may be exposed
to. Similarly, we do not know what forms of antimony are found in hazardous
waste sites. Much of the antimony found in sediment, soil, and rock is so
strongly attached to dust and dirt or buried in minerals that it cannot easily
affect your health. Some antimony in the environment is less tightly attached
to particles and may be taken up by plants and animals.
The concentration of antimony in air ranges from a very small part of a
nanogram (1 nanogram equals a billionth of a gram) in a cubic meter (m3
) of
air (ng/m3
) to about 170 ng/m3
. However, near companies that change antimony
ores into metal or make antimony oxide, concentrations may be more than 1,000
ng/m3
. You may breathe high levels of antimony in dust if you live or work
near antimony mines or processing companies.
The concentration of antimony that is dissolved in rivers and lakes is
very low, usually less than 5 parts of antimony in 1 billion parts of water
(ppb) . We cannot measure such small amounts without special equipment.
Antimony does not appear to accumulate in fish and other aquatic animals. The
concentration of antimony dissolved in one polluted river where wastes from
antimony mining and processing had been dumped was as high as 8 ppb. Most of
the antimony in the river, however, was not dissolved, but was attached to
particles of dirt. Although antimony is used in solder for water pipes, it
does not seem to get into the drinking water.
Soil usually contains very low concentrations of antimony, less than 1
part of antimony in a million parts of soil (ppm). However, concentrations3
1. PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT
close to 9 ppm have been found. The highest soil concentrations found at
hazardous waste sites on the NPL and at antimony-processing sites range from
109 to 2,550 ppm. High concentrations of antimony may be found in soil because
dust sent out during processing settles out from the air. Also, waste from
antimony-processing and other antimony-using industries is usually dumped onto
the soil. We do not know the form of antimony at these sites. However, we know
that much of the antimony in antimony-processing wastes is strongly attached
to soil. You may be exposed to this antimony by skin contact. Children may
also be exposed to this antimony by eating the dirt.
Food usually contains small amounts of antimony. You eat and drink
about 5 micrograms (5 millionths of a gram) of antimony every day. The
average concentration of antimony in meats, vegetables, and seafood is
0.2-1.1 ppb. The antimony oxide that is added to many materials for fire
protection is very tightly attached to these materials and does not expose
people to antimony.
You may also be exposed to antimony in the workplace. If you work in
industries that process antimony ore and metal or make chemicals that contain
antimony, such as antimony oxide, you may be exposed to antimony by breathing
dust or by skin contact.
For more information on how you may be exposed to antimony, see
Chapter 5.