5491. Limestone

Nomenclature

Natural calcium carbonate; agricultural limestone; Agstone; lithographic stone; Solnhofen stone.

Description and references

A term originally applied only to minerals consisting largely of CaCO3, such as Portland stone, dolomite, marble, and chalk, now used indiscriminately to designate technical and agricultural grades of calcium carbonate. Review: R. S. Boynton in Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology vol. 14 (Wiley-Interscience, New York, 3rd ed., 1981) pp 343-382.

Caution

Potential symptoms of overexposure are irritation of eyes, skin, mucous membranes; cough, sneezing, rhinorrhea; lacrimation. See NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (DHHS/NIOSH 97-140, 1997) p 186.