Handling
Concentrations in air as low as 10 7 g/m 3 can cause lung congestion, skin damage, or eye damage.
Exposure to osmium tetroxide should not exceed 0.0016 mg/m 3 (8-hour time weighted average - 40-hour
work week).
Uses
The tetroxide has been used to detect fingerprints and to stain fatty tissue for miscroscope slides. The
metal is almost entirely used to produce very hard alloys, with other metals of the platinum group, for
fountain pen tips, instrument pivots, phonograph needles, and electrical contacts.
Cost
The price of 99% pure osmium powder - the form usually supplied commercially - is about $100/g,
depending on quantity and supplier.
Sources: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics and the American Chemical Society.
Last Updated: 12/19/97, CST Information Services Team
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Osmium