Chem/Tox Chemical Research Paper Requirements SFTY 4213/5213 crn 37012/37013 Block 2, summer 2016 Term Paper Requirements (100 points) The student will write a research paper on a chemical, or group of chemicals, that present toxicity to humans. The subject chemical must be approved by the professor before research can begin. The paper must include discussions regarding the specific chemical’s chemical name, physical properties, common uses, exposure limits, toxicokinetics, acute effects including target organs, chronic effects including target organs, and protocols for industrial hygiene sampling and sample analysis. The term paper must follow APA formatting and style guidelines, and shall consist of a cover page, table of contents, abstract or executive summary, body of the paper (not less than 5-7 pages), and a reference list at the end of the paper. You must cite your sources using Purdue OWL in APA. The paper must be typed using Arial 12 point. In addition, the term paper must include: a. what the chemical is or was used for b. why is this chemical on the Substance Priority List (SPL) c. what are the human health, toxicity, and exposure concerns d. site specific examples that put this chemical on the SPL e. list and discuss at least one documented case (court case,EPA,CERCLA, etc.) where this chemical(s) were used and what happened. Also include: a clearly defined statement of the situation, an analysis of the risks involved, and solution(s) to the problem Structure, presentation, and grammatical accuracy will be considered in the grading. The term paper is due on or before July 28 th and must be submitted through the appropriate drop box. Late papers will not be accepted. Darwish 6 Table of Contents About the Author……………………………………………………………….....2 Introduction……………………………………………………………………......3 H2S Properties……………………………………………………………………..4 Common Use………………………………………………………………………5 Exposure and Health effects…………………………………………………….…6 Government Regulation………………………………………………………...….8 Control Method…………………………………………………………………….9 Case Study………………………………………………………………………….9 Conclusion..……………………………………………………………………….10 Recommendation……………………………………………………………….....10 Work cite……………………………………………………………………...…..11 Appendix……………………………………………………………………...…..12 Introduction Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gas that naturally occurs in hot springs, crude petroleum, and even natural gas. This gas is usually produced by the breakdown of organic materials commonly found in wastes of human and animals by bacteria. Some of the activities that commonly result to the production of hydrogen sulfide gas include treatment of wastewater, drilling and even refining of petroleum or natural gas (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Aside from being in a form of gas, hydrogen sulfide may also exist as a gas, which is compressed to become a liquid. It is commonly found in places which are enclosed and hav ...

1. Chem/Tox
Chemical Research Paper Requirements
SFTY 4213/5213 crn 37012/37013
Block 2, summer 2016
Term Paper Requirements (100 points)
The student will write a research paper on a chemical, or group
of
chemicals, that present toxicity to humans. The subject
chemical must be
approved by the professor before research can begin.
The paper must include discussions regarding the specific
chemical’s
chemical name, physical properties, common uses, exposure
limits,
toxicokinetics, acute effects including target organs, chronic
effects
including target organs, and protocols for industrial hygiene
sampling and
sample analysis.
The term paper must follow APA formatting and style
guidelines, and shall
consist of a cover page, table of contents, abstract or executive

2. summary,
body of the paper (not less than 5-7 pages), and a reference list
at the end
of the paper. You must cite your sources using Purdue OWL in
APA. The
paper must be typed using Arial 12 point. In addition, the term
paper must
include:
a. what the chemical is or was used for
b. why is this chemical on the Substance Priority List (SPL)
c. what are the human health, toxicity, and exposure concerns
d. site specific examples that put this chemical on the SPL
e. list and discuss at least one documented case (court
case,EPA,CERCLA, etc.) where this chemical(s) were used
and what happened. Also include: a clearly defined
statement of the situation, an analysis of the risks involved,
and solution(s) to the problem
Structure, presentation, and grammatical accuracy will be
considered in
the grading. The term paper is due on or before July 28
th
and must be
submitted through the appropriate drop box. Late papers will
not be
accepted.
Darwish 6

3. Table of Contents
About the
Author………………………………………………………………...
..2
Introduction…………………………………………………………
…………......3
H2S
Properties……………………………………………………………
………..4
Common
Use……………………………………………………………………
…5
Exposure and Health
effects…………………………………………………….…6
Government
Regulation………………………………………………………...….
8
Control
Method………………………………………………………………
…….9
Case
Study…………………………………………………………………
……….9
Conclusion..…………………………………………………………
…………….10
Recommendation……………………………………………………
………….....10
Work
cite……………………………………………………………………..
.…..11
Appendix………………………………………………………………
……...…..12

4. Introduction
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gas that naturally occurs in hot
springs, crude petroleum, and even natural gas. This gas is
usually produced by the breakdown of organic materials
commonly found in wastes of human and animals by bacteria.
Some of the activities that commonly result to the production of
hydrogen sulfide gas include treatment of wastewater, drilling
and even refining of petroleum or natural gas (Occupational
Safety and Health Administration).
Aside from being in a form of gas, hydrogen sulfide may also
exist as a gas, which is compressed to become a liquid. It is
commonly found in places which are enclosed and have poor
ventilation because it travels along the ground as a result of its
heavier weight than air. Some of the common locations of
hydrogen sulfide include basements, and sewer lines
(Occupational Safety and Health Administration).
H2S is becoming public concern, especially because enormous
number of industries use H2S in their manufacture. Hence,
enormous number of workers are exposed to it. In this report I
am going to thoroughly explain H2S properties, common use of
H2S, health effects, and the government regulation of H2S in
workplace. In addition, methods to control and limit H2S
exposure, case study, and finally conclusion.
H2S Properties
Similar to other compounds, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) also
has different properties and components. Based on its chemical
family, hydrogen sulfide is a part of the group of inorganic gas
or inorganic sulfide. It is physically colorless, however it can be
seen as a liquid at extremely low temperatures or extremely

5. high pressures. In terms of odor, this gas has a smell similarly
to rotten eggs at very low concentrations. However, at 30-100
ppm, its odor becomes sweet. It has a molecular weight of
34.08, melting point of -85.5°C, and boiling point of -60.3°C
(“CHEMINFO: Hydrogen Sulfide”).
When dealing with the solubility of the gas, it has been revealed
that it is slightly soluble in water and has variety of solubility
in other liquids. For example, ethanol, methanol, acetone,
gasoline, kerosene, and other oils are substances where
hydrogen sulfide is soluble in. Since the compound is a gas in
form, its pH value cannot be computed. However, when it exists
as a liquid, the pH for the compound is approximately 4.1.
Lastly, the critical pressure and temperature of this compound is
9006-9008 kPa and 100.4°C respectively (“CHEMINFO:
Hydrogen Sulfide”).
Hydrogen sulfide gas has a density of 2.07 g/cu cm and a vapor
density of approximately 7.837 at 470 °C. It has a viscosity of
0.17 at 120°C, 0.008 at 140°C, 0.0064 at 158°C, and 5.952 at
160°C (Nehb and Vydra, 2006). In terms of iconicity, hydrogen
sulfide is at 10.46 eV. On the other hand, for its spectral
properties, the index of refraction is 1.947 for alpha and 2.038
for beta (Lewis, 2007).
Common Use
This compound is commonly used in the production of various
metallic sulfides. Other industries use this compound for the
production of other compounds such as phosphors and oil
additives, which are substance added slightly to compounds
usually to improve its quality. Moreover, hydrogen sulfide is
used as to analyse other chemicals in analysis procedure.
Further more, it’s used as by-product in multiple fields like
petroleum production, mining, textile manufacture, food
processing, and agricultural soils. Lastly, it is also used as
remover of impurities in metals and for the reaction of other
metals with various organic compounds (“CHEMINFO:

6. Hydrogen Sulfide”).
Exposure and Health Effects
Since hydrogen sulfide is considered as a toxic and irritable
gas, it is important that the presence of such gas is detected
early to be able to protect the health of individuals and
employees. The health effects of hydrogen sulfide can be
classified based on the route by which it enters the body.
When an individual is exposed to hydrogen sulfide through
inhalation, exposure to 0.01-1.5 ppm of hydrogen sulfide will
already allow the person to smell the characteristic rotten egg
smell of the gas. On the other hand, exposure to 2-5 ppm of
hydrogen sulfide concentration can lead to nausea, watery eyes
or teary eyes, apnea, and even headaches. In asthma patients,
exposure to this concentration may already lead to airway
problems such as bronchial constriction. Meanwhile, at 20 ppm
concentration of hydrogen sulfide, an individual already
experiences fatigue, increased irritability, loss of appetite,
nausea, vertigo, and poor memory (“United States Department
of Labor”).
Higher concentrations of hydrogen sulfide such as 50-100 ppm
may lead to a state commonly known as gas eye. Moreover,
continuous exposure to this chemical at 50-100 ppm after 1 hour
can lead to the irritation of the respiratory system. Defects in
the digestive system and the person’s loss of appetite are also
some of the health effects associated with exposure to hydrogen
sulfide levels of 50-100 ppm. At 100 ppm concentration of
hydrogen sulfide gas, the individual exposed is at high risk of
experiencing symptoms such as coughing, irritation of the eyes,
loss of smell, drowsiness, irritation of the throat after an hour
of exposure to this concentration, and even death when the
length of exposure reaches 48 hours (“United States Department

7. of Labor”).
On the other hand, when an individual is exposed to hydrogen
sulfide through direct skin contact, freezing of the tissues
commonly referred to as frostbite can occur. Some of the known
symptoms of this phenomenon include prickling and itching
along with numbness of the area in direct contact with the
hydrogen sulfide. During severe exposure, the production of
blisters can occur. However, in worse circumstances, the death
of the tissues is also possible (“CHEMINFO: Hydrogen
Sulfide”).
When compared to the other modes of transmission, the most
commonly reported effect of exposure to hydrogen sulfide is the
irritation of the eyes. It has been reported that inflammation and
irritation of the eyes can actually occur even at very-low
concentrations. Other symptoms of hydrogen sulfide exposure
include light sensitivity, tearing of the eyes, burning sensation
in the eyes, and even blurred visions (“CHEMINFO: Hydrogen
Sulfide”).
Government Regulation
In terms of government regulation, the Occupational Safety &
Health Administration (OSHA) proposed different requirements
for the evaluation and control of exposures to hydrogen sulfide.
For general industry, it is required to have proper ventilation
and safety management of the chemicals, which are considered
as highly hazardous. It is also expected that individuals who are
at high risk of being exposed to hydrogen sulfide be provided

8. with proper personal protective equipment especially for
respiratory protection. There is also worker exposure limits
proposed by the same organization. For a general industry,
exposures to hazardous chemicals should not exceed 20 ppm.
For construction, the exposure of individuals to gases, vapors,
and even dusts and mists should be set at 10 ppm. Lastly, air
contaminants should have an exposure limit of 10 ppm (“United
States Department of Labor”).
Control Method
Some of the common control methods for hydrogen sulfide
include provision of local exhaust ventilation along with the
usage of proper respiratory protection devices. It is also
possible for the hydrogen sulfide to be measured and recovered
to reduce the exposure of individuals to high concentrations of
the cases. The provision of water discharge, which is continuous
to the sewage system and proper covering and venting of the
drains of wastes, is another control method (“United States
Department of Labor”).
Case Studies
There are also case studies focused on hydrogen sulfide
exposure, in this case study, a total of 3 industrial incidents
caused by exposure to hydrogen sulfide have been presented. In
these cases, the use of biological monitoring was thoroughly
discussed to provide evidences for the regulatory enforcement
of hydrogen sulfide. For the incidents considered as non-fatal,
urine samples are to be submitted at two or more time points.
These time should be between the time of the incident and 15-h
post exposure. Based on the results, hydrogen sulfide
concentration of 12 ppm for 30 minutes can be detected using
biological monitoring (Jones, pp. 374).

9. Conclusion
To sum up, hydrogen sulfide gas is a colorless, odorless,
flammable, extremely hazardous gas that has a smell of rotten
eggs. It can cause multiple health effects range from mild like
nausea, headache, and loss of appetite to more sever effects like
eye and skin irritation, and/or even death at extremely high
concentrations. Therefore, different government agencies
proposed some regulatory guidelines and regulations aiming to
control and limit the exposure of hydrogen sulfide by workers
in workplaces.
Recommendation
Based on the given information and the case study, hydrogen
sulfide is capable of causing acute effects including eyes
irritation, skin irritation, respiratory problems, among other
problems and these incidents do occur in general industries, the
concentration level should be reduced to 10ppm in workplaces
in order to minimize health defects for workers.
Works Cited
“CHEMINFO: Hydrogen Sulfide.” CHEMINFO: Hydrogen
Sulfide. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety,
2012. Web. 08 Apr. 2016
Jones, K. “Case studies of hydrogen sulphide occupational
exposure incidents in the UK.” Toxicology Letters 231.3
(2014): 374-377. Web.

10. Lewis, R.J. Sr. Hawley’s Condensed Chemical Dictionary 15th
edition. New York, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007.
Print.
Nehb, W. and Vydra, K. Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial
Chemistry. 7th ed. (1999-2011). New York, NY: John Wiley &
Sons, 2006. Print.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. “OSHA Fact
Sheet: Hydrogen Sulfide.” OSHA. 2005. Print.
“United States Department of Labor.” Safety and Health Topics
Web. 10 Apr 2016.