Hydrazine

Abstract

Evaluates more than 200 published studies in an effort to determine the risks to human health and the environment posed by hydrazine, a compound which is primarily used as a raw material in the manufacture of agricultural chemicals, blowing agents, polymerization catalysts, and pharmaceutical products. The book opens with information on the physical and chemical properties of hydrazine, including a summary of analytical methods for its determination. Noting that hydrazine poses few hazards for the general population, the section concerned with environmental levels and human exposure concentrates on occupational risks at the work-place, including risks of exposure at production plants, at propulsion testing and rocket launching sites, and at locations where aircraft using hydrazine as an emergency fuel are assembled or refueled. A review of acute toxicity data for aquatic organisms, microorganisms, and plants indicates that hydrazine may present a significant hazard for the aquatic environment and plant life. The remaining sections evaluate specific health risks identified in experimental studies and case reports of accidental poisoning in man