Abstract
The acute inhalational toxicity of oxygen difluoride in the albino rat has been determined at concentrations of 5 to 40 ppm for 5 to 15 minutes. A CT product (ppm-minutes) of about 100 results in 50% mortality. At the levels studied, gross and microscopic pulmonary damage develop 7 hours after termination of the exposure, and, if death does not intervene, repair begins after the third day. The extreme toxicity of oxygen difluoride and its insidious character make it imperative to exclude its inhalation by personnel.