Editing Zirconium (section)

==Safety==
{{Chembox
| container_only = yes
|Section7={{Chembox Hazards
| ExternalSDS =
| GHSPictograms =
| GHSSignalWord =
| HPhrases =
| PPhrases =
| NFPA-H = 0
| NFPA-F = 1
| NFPA-R = 0
| NFPA-S =
| NFPA_ref =
 }}
}}
Although zirconium has no known biological role, the human body contains, on average, 250 milligrams of zirconium, and daily intake is approximately 4.15 milligrams (3.5 milligrams from food and 0.65 milligrams from water), depending on dietary habits.<ref name = Schroeder-and-Balassa-1966>
{{cite journal
 | author-last    = Schroeder
 | author-first   = Henry A.
 | author-last2   = Balassa
 | author-first2  = Joseph J.
 | date           = May 1966
 | title          = Abnormal trace metals in man: zirconium
 | journal        = Journal of Chronic Diseases
 | volume         = 19
 | issue          = 5
 | pages          = 573–586
 | doi            = 10.1016/0021-9681(66)90095-6
 | pmid           = 5338082
}}</ref> Zirconium is widely distributed in nature and is found in all biological systems, for example: 2.86 μg/g in whole wheat, 3.09 μg/g in brown rice, 0.55 μg/g in [[spinach]], 1.23 μg/g in eggs, and 0.86 μg/g in ground beef.{{r|Schroeder-and-Balassa-1966}} Further, zirconium is commonly used in commercial products (e.g. [[deodorant]] sticks, aerosol [[antiperspirants]]) and also in water purification (e.g. control of [[phosphorus]] pollution, bacteria- and pyrogen-contaminated water).<ref name="Lee">Lee DBN, Roberts M, Bluchel CG, Odell RA. (2010) Zirconium: Biomedical and nephrological applications. ASAIO J 56(6):550–556.</ref>

Short-term exposure to zirconium powder can cause irritation, but only contact with the eyes requires medical attention.<ref>{{cite book|contribution=Zirconium|title=International Chemical Safety Cards|date=October 2004|publisher=International Labour Organization|url=http://www.oit.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/products/icsc/dtasht/_icsc14/icsc1405.htm|access-date=2008-03-30|archive-date=2008-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201143952/http://www.oit.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/products/icsc/dtasht/_icsc14/icsc1405.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Persistent exposure to [[zirconium tetrachloride]] results in increased mortality in rats and guinea pigs and a decrease of blood [[hemoglobin]] and [[red blood cell]]s in dogs. However, in a study of 20 rats given a standard diet containing ~4% zirconium oxide, there were no adverse effects on growth rate, blood and urine parameters, or mortality.<ref>Zirconium and its compounds 1999. The MAK Collection for Occupational Health and Safety. 224–236</ref> The U.S. [[Occupational Safety and Health Administration]] (OSHA) legal limit ([[permissible exposure limit]]) for zirconium exposure is 5&nbsp;mg/m<sup>3</sup> over an 8-hour workday. The [[National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health]] (NIOSH) [[recommended exposure limit]] (REL) is 5&nbsp;mg/m<sup>3</sup> over an 8-hour workday and a short term limit of 10&nbsp;mg/m<sup>3</sup>. At levels of 25&nbsp;mg/m<sup>3</sup>, zirconium is [[IDLH|immediately dangerous to life and health]].<ref>{{cite web|title=NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards – Zirconium compounds (as Zr)|url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0677.html|website=CDC|access-date= 2015-11-27}}</ref> However, zirconium is not considered an industrial health hazard.<ref name="Lee" /> Furthermore, reports of zirconium-related adverse reactions are rare and, in general, rigorous cause-and-effect relationships have not been established.<ref name="Lee" /> No evidence has been validated that zirconium is carcinogenic<ref>{{Cite web |last=PubChem |title=Zirconium, Elemental |url=https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/source/hsdb/2528 |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Hazardous Substances Data Bank |language=en}}</ref> or genotoxic.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/3527600418 |title=The MAK-Collection for Occupational Health and Safety: Annual Thresholds and Classifications for the Workplace |chapter=Zirconium and its compounds &#91;MAK Value Documentation, 1999&#93; |date=November 2002 |pages=224–236 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-3-527-60041-0 |editor-last=Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft |edition=1 |language=de |doi=10.1002/3527600418.mb744067vere0012 |editor-last2=Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area}}</ref>

Among the numerous radioactive isotopes of zirconium, <sup>93</sup>Zr is among the most common. It is released as a [[Fission products (by element)#Zirconium-90 to 96|product of nuclear fission]] of <sup>235</sup>U and <sup>239</sup>Pu, mainly in nuclear power plants and during nuclear weapons tests in the 1950s and 1960s. It has a very long half-life (1.53 million years), its decay emits only low energy radiations, and it is not considered particularly hazardous.<ref>{{cite web |title=ANL Human Health Fact Sheet: Zirconium (October 2001) |url=http://hpschapters.org/northcarolina/NSDS/zirconium.pdf |publisher=Argonne National Laboratory |access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref>