Harmful effects of hydrazine on humans

Effects of Hydrazine on Human Health

Despite the widespread industrial use of hydrazine, few documented studies have been conducted on its harmful effects in humans. Humans may be exposed to hydrazine in a variety of ways, including occupational exposure, ingestion of hydrazine-containing medications, smoking, or accidental exposure.

Hydrazine is absorbed through the skin, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract and is rapidly distributed throughout the body. Acute human poisoning has been reported to include vomiting, multiple respiratory tract, central nervous system, liver, and kidney damage.

Is hydrazine fatal?

However, the available reports of acute oral hydrazine poisoning indicate that ingestion of about 20 to 50 ml of hydrazine may be fatal. Most of the effects observed in humans exposed to hydrazine have also been observed in laboratory animals. In addition to the above effects, weight loss, anemia, hypoglycemia, and liver fat have also been observed in some cases.

Hydrazine toxicity to the fetus

Hydrazine has been shown to be toxic to the fetus and embryo of some laboratory animals and plants, but there is no information on the toxicity of hydrazine to the human fetus. Skin and eye irritation has been observed in humans following contact with hydrazine, but there is insufficient information to state that it is non-irritating. Hydrazine is a strong human skin sensitizer and interacts with its derivatives.

Is hydrazine carcinogenic?

Hydrazine has been shown to cause gene mutations and chromosomal aberrations in in vitro studies in some plants, bacteria, fungi and mammalian cells. Hydrazine has been shown to be carcinogenic in laboratory animals, but there is insufficient data to support such a claim in humans. In the absence of such data and taking into account the available information on the mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of hydrazine in animals, hydrazine has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a human carcinogen. Therefore, human exposure to hydrazine should be minimized.

Permissible levels of hydrazine for humans and other organisms

Hydrazine does not pose a significant risk to ordinary people except in cases of accidents and incidents. However, it threatens employees in industrial environments. The threshold for detecting the smell of hydrazine with the human sense of smell is about 3 to 5 ppm. While the permissible concentration of hydrazine in the environment is much lower, about a few tenths of ppm. For this reason, in industrial environments where this substance is used, it should be used in closed systems as much as possible, and accurate equipment should be provided to detect its low concentrations in the air.

The decomposition of hydrazine in water is slow and depends on its physical and chemical conditions. The presence of hydrazine is dangerous for aquatic plants and microorganisms. Water, air and soil pollution should be prevented by using correct storage, transportation and waste disposal methods.

Another important point is to train employees on how to prevent and provide first aid in case of hazards. As mentioned earlier, unfortunately, in most power plants in the country, due to lack of sufficient awareness and in many cases negligence, hydrazine solution is transported and consumed without observing the smallest safety precautions. Therefore, it seems necessary to provide the necessary awareness and information to workers and even some of the people involved in the country's power plants, on the short-term and long-term risks and side effects caused by hydrazine, by the relevant authorities, and it is necessary for all people who are exposed to hydrazine or who may be exposed to hydrazine to undergo special training courses on the correct methods of transportation, use, waste disposal, and also the correct methods of dealing with accidents caused by hydrazine.

• Hydrazine is recognized by OSHA as a carcinogen (0 ppm = TLV) and is very dangerous to human health.
• Hydrazine pollutes the environment.
• Hydrazine is produced abroad and costs money.
• The amount of corrosion is higher (the amounts of iron ions are higher at different points in the water and steam cycle).
• The rate of growth of the thickness of the protective layer is higher (usually acid washing is required once every 4 years).