Notes and references
aThe definition of toxicity is according to the U.S. Federal Hazardous Substances Labelling Act. The toxicity of the molybdenum compounds listed as toxic is "slight" (e.g., compare sodium arsenate, MLD10 for the rat by intraperitoneal injections). Abbreviations: LD, lethal dose for one animal; LDn, dose killing n% of a group of test animals; MLD, minimum lethal dose, i.e., the smallest of a number of doses which killed one or a group of test animals, all in mg/kg body weight.
b In tests of toxicity by skin absorption, skin irritation, and eye irritation (Test carried out for Climax Molybdenum Co. by Scientific Associates and New Drug Institute) the compounds listed were nontoxic except that ammonium and calcium molybdates were slight eye irritants.
c Some reports of high toxicity of MoO3 are based on the results of long term feeding studies wrongly presented as acute single dose studies
(e.g. LD50 125 mg/kg from L. Fairhall, R. Dunn, N. Sharpless, E. Pritchard, The toxicity of molybdenum, US Public Health Bulletin 293, 1945) (G.G. van Riper and J.C. Gilliland , ULLMANN’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY, 1990, A16, Ch. 12 )
d The description "ammonium molybdate" includes the compounds (NH4)2MoO4, (NH4)2Mo2O7 and (NH4)6Mo7O24.4H2O. There is unlikely to be any difference in the behaviour of the various molybdates.
e After a 60 min intravenous infusion.
[1] Saunders, W. B., Handbook of Toxicology, 1956, London.
[2] Fairhall, L. T., Dunn, R. C., Sharpless, N. E. and E. A. Pritchard, The Toxicity of Molybdenum, U.S. Public Health Service, Public Health Bulletin, 1945, 293
[3] Acute oral LD50 assay in rats FDRL-ID:81-0393 for AMAX Inc. Aug. 1981
[4] Food and Drug Research Laboratories Inc. Acute oral LD50 assay in rats for molybdenum trioxide pure grade, 1981, Waverly New York.
[5] Acute oral LD50 assay in rats FDRL-ID:81-0394 for AMAX Inc. Aug. 1981
[6] Irving Sax, N., Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials, 1984, 6th Ed. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. New York, 1953.
[7] Caujolle, F. and Changh, P. H., Agressologie, 1967, 8, 265 (Quoted in Lener, J. and Bibr, B., J. Hygiene, Epidemiology, Microbiology and Immunology, 1984, 28, 405).
[8] Lener, J. and Bibr, B., Proc. Int. Conf.: Heavy Metals in the Environment. Amsterdam 1981, 462. (Quoted in Lener, J. and Bibr, B., J. Hygiene, Epidemiology, Microbiology and Immunology, 1984, 28, 405).
[9] Acute oral LD50 assay in rats of MoS2 FDRL-ID 9589A for AMAX Inc. Nov 29 1987.