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Ethylene chlorohydrin

May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)

CAS number: 107–07–3

NIOSH REL: 1 ppm (3 mg/m3) CEILING [skin]

Current OSHA PEL: 5 ppm (16 mg/m3) TWA [skin]

1989 OSHA PEL: 1 ppm (3 mg/m3) CEILING [skin]

1993-1994 ACGIH TLV: 1 ppm (3.3 mg/m3) CEILING [skin]

Description of Substance: Colorless liquid with a faint, ether-like odor.

LEL:. . 4.9% (10% LEL, 4,900 ppm)

Original (SCP) IDLH: 10 ppm

Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: Browning [1965] stated that the lethal dose differs somewhat in the hands of different observers. An LC50 of 290 mg/m3 (88 ppm) for rats [Semenova et al. 1971] was cited by NIOSH [1973]. However, an IDLH of 10 ppm is chosen based on other data (i.e., a rat 4-hour LC50 of 32 ppm [Browning 1965]; a rat 4-hour LC50 of 33 ppm [Patty 1963]; exposure to 7.5 ppm for 1 hour, which was lethal to rats, and 4 ppm, which was lethal to rats following 2 exposures of 1 hour each [Browning 1965]; and a ceiling TLV of 1 ppm [ACGIH 1976]).

Short-term exposure guidelines: None developed

ACUTE TOXICITY DATA

Lethal concentration data:


Species

Reference
LC50

(ppm)

LCLo

(ppm)


Time
Adjusted 0.5-hr

LC (CF)

Derived

value

Rat

Rat

G. pig

Rat

Rat

Mouse

Ambrose 1950

Browning 1965

Kovyzin 1971

Patty 1963

Semenova et al. 1971

Semenova et al. 1971

7.5

32

260

33

87

115

-----

-----

-----

-----

-----

-----

1 hr

4 hr

?

4 hr

?

?

9 ppm (1.2)

64 ppm (2.0)

?

66 ppm (2.0)

?

?

0.9 ppm

6.4 ppm

?

6.6 ppm

?

?


Lethal dose data:


Species

Reference

Route
LD50

(mg/kg)

LDLo

(mg/kg)


Adjusted LD
Derived

value

Rat

Mouse

Rat

G. pig

Goldblatt and Chiesman 1944

Lawrence et al. 1971

Semenova et al. 1971

Smyth et al. 1941

oral

oral

oral

oral

72

81

71

110

-----

-----

-----

-----

150 ppm

169 ppm

148 ppm

230 ppm

15 ppm

17 ppm

15 ppm

23 ppm


Other animal data: Rats exposed for 15 minutes a day at concentrations of 900 to 1,000 ppm died within a few days [Goldblatt and Chiesman 1944]. Repeated 1-hour exposures (not defined) to 2 ppm can be fatal to rats [Ambrose 1950].

Human data: Death has resulted from a 2-hour exposure at an estimated concentration of 300 ppm [Dierker and Brown 1944].

Revised IDLH: 7 ppm

Basis for revised IDLH: The revised IDLH for ethylene chlorohydrin is 7 ppm based on acute inhalation toxicity data in animals [Browning 1965; Patty 1963].


REFERENCES:

1. ACGIH [1976]. TLVs, Threshold limit values for chemical substances and physical agents in the workroom environment with intended changes for 1976. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, p. 18.

2. Ambrose AM [1950]. Toxicological studies of compounds investigated for use as inhibitors of biological processes. II. Toxicity of ethylene chlorohydrin. AMA Arch Ind Hyg Occup Med 21:591-597.

3. Browning E [1965]. Toxicity and metabolism of industrial solvents. New York, NY: Elsevier Publishing Company, p. 399.

4. Dierker H, Brown PG [1944]. Study of a fatal case of ethylene chlorohydrin poisoning. J Ind Hyg Toxicol 26:277-279.

5. Goldblatt MW, Chiesman WE [1944]. Toxic effects of ethylene chlorohydrin. Part I. Clinical. Br J Ind Med 1:207-223.

6. Kovyzin VG [1971]. Experimental data on the substantiation of the threshold of ethylene chlorohydrin in the air of the working zone. Gig Tr Prof Zabol 15(2):54-64 (in Russian).

7. Lawrence WH, Turner JE, Autian JJ [1971]. Toxicity of ethylene chlorohydrin. I. Acute Toxicity Studies. J Pharm Sci 60:568-571.

8. NIOSH [1973]. 10274. Ethanol, 2-chloro-. In: The toxic substances list, 1973 ed. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Publication No. HSM 73-11020, p. 413.

9. Patty FA, ed. [1963]. Industrial hygiene and toxicology. 2nd rev. ed. Vol. II. Toxicology. New York, NY: Interscience Publishers, Inc., p. 1495.

10. Semenova VN, Kazanina SS, Ekshtat BY [1971]. On the toxic properties of ethylene chlorohydrin in the air of working premises. Gig Sanit 36:376 (translated).

11. Smyth HF Jr, Seaton J, Fischer L [1941]. The single dose toxicity of some glycols and derivatives. J Ind Hyg Toxicol 23:259-268.

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