Sulfur Dioxide

Sulfur dioxide is a common air pollutant. One major source is coal-burning

to make electricity.

What is sulfur dioxide?

Sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas with a pungent and suffocating odor,

similar to a just-struck match. It has an acidic taste, and is a liquid when
under pressure. Sulfur dioxide is formed when fuel containing sulfur, such
as coal and oil, is burned. The chemical symbol for sulfur dioxide is SO2. 

Most sulfur dioxide in the air comes from the burning of coal and oil at
electric power plants. Other sources of sulfur dioxide in the air are industrial
facilities that use coal or oil, petroleum refineries, cement manufacturing,
metal processing, paper pulp manufacturing, and copper smelting. Trains,
large ships, and some diesel equipment burn high sulfur fuel, which
releases sulfur dioxide into the air. It can also be released into the air from
volcanic eruptions. 

Sulfur dioxide is used as a food preservative for some fruits and

vegetables; as a disinfectant; for bleaching flour, fruit, grain, wood pulp,
wool, textile fibers, wicker, gelatin, and glue; and for making other
chemicals. It is also used in metal mining and refining, water treatment, and
food processing.

How might I be exposed to sulfur dioxide?

Sulfur dioxide is a common air pollutant found in most of the air in the
United States. You can be exposed to sulfur dioxide outdoors mainly by
breathing air that contains it. You are most likely to be exposed to sulfur
dioxide in the summer, when the sun and hot temperatures react with
pollution to form smog, causing government officials to issue air quality
alerts. You can also be exposed to sulfur dioxide through natural pollution
sources, such as plant decay and volcanoes. 

Levels of sulfur dioxide in the air will be higher than normal near facilities
that release sulfur dioxide through heavy industrial activities such as
copper smelting or the burning or processing of coal and oil. 

You can be exposed to sulfur dioxide at work if you work in facilities that
produce sulfur dioxide as a by-product, such as copper smelting plants and
electric power plants. You can also be exposed if you work in the
manufacturing of sulfuric acid, paper, food preservatives, or fertilizers.

How can sulfur dioxide affect my health?

Short-term exposure to high levels of sulfur dioxide in the air can be life-
threatening by causing breathing difficulties and obstructing airways,
especially for people with lung disease. Long-term exposure to persistent
levels of sulfur dioxide can cause chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and
respiratory illness. It can also aggravate existing heart disease. 

When sulfur dioxide reacts with other chemicals in the air to form tiny
sulfate particles, these particles can gather in the lungs and cause
increased respiratory problems and difficulty breathing. Long-term
exposure to sulfate particles can cause respiratory disease and even
premature death. 

Prolonged industrial exposure to sulfur dioxide may decrease fertility in

men and women. 

Breathing sulfur dioxide can irritate the nose, throat, and lungs, and cause
coughing and shortness of breath. Short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide
can cause stomach pain, menstrual disorders, watery eyes, inhibition of
thyroid function, loss of smell, headache, nausea, vomiting, fever,
convulsions, and dizziness. 

At work, direct contact with sulfur dioxide as a gas can irritate and burn the
skin and eyes, with possible eye damage. Direct contact with sulfur dioxide
as a liquid can cause frostbite. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health
Administration has established safe levels of exposure to sulfur dioxide,
and standards for sampling air that might contain it. 

Adults and children with asthma are sensitive to sulfur dioxide exposure,
especially if they are active outdoors. Other people who are sensitive to
sulfur dioxide are children, adults, and the elderly who have heart or lung
disease.