What Is Bromine?

The CDC says bromine is a naturally occurring element that is a liquid at room temperature, has a brownish-red color and smells like bleach. It says bromine can be found as an alternative to chlorine in swimming pools, and that products with bromine are used in agriculture, sanitation and as fire retardants. For hot tubs, the CDC recommends a bromine level of 4 to 8 parts per million, and says to talk to the operator or owner if a reading is above 8 ppm.

The CDC says that after a bromine release, you should first get fresh air by leaving the area, since moving to fresh air is a good way to reduce the chances of health effects, and that survivors of serious poisoning from breathing in bromine may have long-term lung problems. The NIOSH Pocket Guide lists symptoms including dizziness, headache, tearing, nosebleed, cough, a feeling of oppression, pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, abdominal pain, diarrhea, measles-like skin eruptions, and eye and skin burns.

The New Jersey Department of Health lists the OSHA permissible exposure limit for bromine as 0.1 ppm averaged over an 8-hour workshift, and the NIOSH recommended limit as 0.1 ppm averaged over a 10-hour workshift, with 0.3 ppm not to be exceeded during any 15-minute period.