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Ethylene dibromide
May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
CAS number: 106–93–4
NIOSH REL: 0.045 ppm TWA, 0.13 ppm 15-minute CEILING; NIOSH considers ethylene dibromide to be a potential occupational carcinogen as defined by the OSHA carcinogen policy [29 CFR 1990].
Current OSHA PEL: 20 ppm TWA, 30 ppm CEILING,
50 ppm 5-minute MAXIMUM PEAK
1989 OSHA PEL: Same as current PEL
1993-1994 ACGIH TLV: A2 [skin]
Description of Substance: Colorless liquid or solid (below 50 F) with a sweet odor.
LEL:. . Noncombustible Liquid
Original (SCP) IDLH: 400 ppm
Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: The chosen IDLH is based on the maximum survival exposure for rats of 400 ppm for 36 minutes [Rowe et al. 1952] cited by Patty [1963].
Short-term exposure guidelines: None developed
ACUTE TOXICITY DATA
Lethal concentration data:
| Species | Reference | LC50(ppm) | LCLo(ppm) | Time | Adjusted 0.5-hrLC (CF*) | Derivedvalue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RatRat
G. pig Rat |
Bakhishev 1973McCollister et al. 1956
Rowe et al. 1952 Rowe et al. 1952 |
1,831—–
—– 691 |
—–200
400 —– |
30 min8 hr
3 hr 1 hr |
1,831 ppm (1.0)2,020 ppm (10.1)
1,780 ppm (4.45) 1,230 ppm (1.78) |
183 ppm202 ppm
178 ppm 123 ppm |
*Note: Conversion factor (CF) was determined with “n” = 1.2 [ten Berge et al. 1986].
Lethal dose data:
| Species | Reference | Route | LD50(mg/kg) | LDLo(mg/kg) | Adjusted LD | Derived value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RatRabbit
G. pig Rat Mouse Rat |
Kenaga and Morgan 1978Rowe et al. 1952
Rowe et al. 1952 Rowe et al. 1952 Rowe et al. 1952 Rowe et al. 1952 |
oraloral
oral oral oral oral |
10855
110 146 420 117 |
———-
—– —– —– —– |
97 ppm49 ppm
99 ppm 131 ppm 376 ppm 105 ppm |
9.7 ppm4.9 ppm
9.9 ppm 13 ppm 38 ppm 11 ppm |
Other animal data: It has been stated that ethylene dibromide is more toxic than carbon tetrachloride in inhalation exposures less than 7 hours [McCollister et al. 1956]. It has been reported that rats have survived a 36-minute exposure to 400 ppm [Rowe et al. 1952].
Human data: It has been stated that a concentration of 50 ppm (for an unstated time period) could be dangerous to exposed humans [Kochmann 1928]. Exposures above 100 ppm for an hour or less or by longer exposures at lower concentrations (e.g., 75 ppm) have resulted in gastrointestinal discomfort, vomiting, and respiratory involvement [Ott et al. 1980].
| Revised IDLH: 100 ppmBasis for revised IDLH: The revised IDLH for ethylene dibromide is 100 ppm based on acute inhalation toxicity data in humans [Ott et al. 1980] and animals [Rowe et al. 1952]. [Note: NIOSH recommends as part of its carcinogen policy that the “most protective” respirators be worn for ethylene dibromide at concentrations above 0.045 ppm.] |
REFERENCES:
1. Bakhishev GN [1973]. Relative toxicity of aliphatic halohydrocarbons to rats. Farmakol Toksikol 8:140-143 (in Russian).
2. Kenaga EE, Morgan RW [1978]. Commercial and experimental organic insecticides. Entomological Society of America Special Publication 78-1:17.
3. Kochmann M [1928]. Possible industrial poisonings with ethylene dibromide. Muench Med Wochschr 75:1334-1336. [From ACGIH [1991]. Ethylene dibromide. In: Documentation of the threshold limit values and biological exposure indices. 6th ed. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, pp. 606-608.]
4. McCollister DD, Hollingsworth RL, Oyen F, Rowe VK [1956]. Comparative inhalation toxicity of fumigant mixtures. AMA Arch Ind Health 13:1-7.
5. Ott MG, Scharnweber HC, Langer RR [1980]. Mortality experience of 161 employees exposed to ethylene dibromide in two production units. Br J Ind Med 37:163-168.
6. Patty FA, ed. [1963]. Industrial hygiene and toxicology. 2nd rev. ed. Vol. II. Toxicology. New York, NY: Interscience Publishers, Inc., p. 1285.
7. Rowe VK, Spencer HC, McCollister DD, Hollingsworth RL, Adams EM [1952]. Toxicity of ethylene dibromide determined on experimental animals. AMA Arch Ind Hyg Occup Med 6:158-173.
8. ten Berge WF, Zwart A, Appelman LM [1986]. Concentration-time mortality response relationship of irritant and systematically acting vapours and gases. J Haz Mat 13:301-309.