Abstrakt
The chapter brings the overview of the toxic effects of osmium and its compounds. Osmium metal, Os, is poorly absorbed and exposure is unlikely to cause toxicity.
Osmium may oxidise if the metal is heated or finely divided to produce osmium tetroxide, osmic acid, OsO4, non-combustible, colourless to pale yellow solid with a disagreeable odour. It is the most common compound of Os and the main compound of toxicological interest.
OsO4 sublimes at a room temperature and is a strong oxidising agent. It may lead to severe burns to the eyes, and skin, irritation of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract and death.
Even short-term exposure to low concentrations of OsO4 vapour may cause lacrimation, coughing, headache and dizziness. Osmium tetroxide may turn skin and cornea black and lead to blindness.
Exposures to osmium relates mainly to accidents at work with either inhalational exposure, or spilling solutions of OsO4 in the skin or in the eyes, which may lead to osmium absorption. Median osmium blood concentration measured in the controls was 0.002 µg/L.
After an exposure of a laboratory technician to osmium tetroxide solution during an accident in a laboratory, a blood serum concentration of 0.22 µg/L was measured after the exposure of the skin and eyes).