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Furfuryl alcohol
May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
CAS number: 98–00–0
NIOSH REL: 10 ppm (40 mg/m3) TWA, 15 ppm (60 mg/m3) STEL [skin]
Current OSHA PEL: 50 ppm (200 mg/m3) TWA
1989 OSHA PEL: 10 ppm (40 mg/m3) TWA, 15 ppm (60 mg/m3) STEL [skin]
1993-1994 ACGIH TLV: 10 ppm (40 mg/m3) TWA, 15 ppm (60 mg/m3) STEL [skin]
Description of Substance: Colorless to amber liquid with a faint, burning odor.
LEL: . . 1.8% (10% LEL, 1,800 ppm)
Original (SCP) IDLH: 250 ppm
Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: The chosen IDLH is based on the rat 4-hour LC50 of 233 ppm of a furfuryl alcohol, hydrazine, and aniline mixture [Jacobson et al. 1958]. Also, Deichmann and Gerarde [1969] stated that 8% mortality resulted from a 6-hour exposure of rats to 47 ppm furfuryl alcohol and 100% mortality resulted at 243 ppm.
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
Rat Rat Mouse Mouse Rat Rat |
Comstock and Oberst 1952Comstock and Oberst 1952
Deichmann and Gerarde 1969 Deichmann and Gerarde 1969 Deichmann and Gerarde 1969 NIOSH 1979 NIOSH 1979 Terrill et al. 1989 |
LC16: 700LC25: 700
LC8: 47 LC100: 243 —– 397 85 592 |
———-
—– —– 597 —– —– —– |
4 hr8 hr
6 hr 6 hr 6 hr 6 hr 6 hr 1 hr |
1,400 ppm (2.0)1,750 ppm (2.5)
108 ppm (2.3) 559 ppm (2.3) 1,373 ppm (2.3) 913 ppm (2.3) 196 ppm (2.3) 740 ppm (1.25) |
140 ppm175 ppm
11 ppm 56 ppm 137 ppm 91 ppm 20 ppm 74 ppm |
Other animal data: Exposure of rats to 100 ppm for 6 hours per day, 5 days per week for 16 weeks resulted in decreased weight gain and biochemical changes in the brain (i.e., increased cerebral glial acid-proteinase and phosphohydrase activity) [Savolainen and Pfaffli 1983].
Human data: No discomfort was reported from concentrations up to 10.8 ppm for 15 minutes, but severe lacrimation occurred at 15.8 ppm [Apol 1973]. It has also been reported that there is no hazard from exposures up to 16 ppm [Burton and Rivera 1972].
| Revised IDLH: 75 ppmBasis for revised IDLH: The revised IDLH is 75 ppm based on acute inhalation toxicity data in animals [Terrill et al. 1989]. |
REFERENCES:
1. Apol AG [1973]. Health hazard evaluation, Western Foundry Co., Tigard, OR. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH Report No. HHE 72-116-85.
2. Burton DJ, Rivera RO [1972]. Health hazard evaluation, May Foundry, Salt Lake City, UT: Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH Report No. HHE 2-10-15.
3. Comstock CC, Oberst FW [1952]. Inhalation toxicity of aniline, furfural alcohol, and their mixtures in rats and mice. U.S. Army Chemical Center, MD: Chemical Corps, Medical Laboratories, Research Report No. 139.
4. Deichmann WB, Gerarde HW [1969]. Furfuryl alcohol. In: Toxicology of drugs and chemicals. New York, NY: Academic Press, Inc., pp. 280-281.
5. Jacobson KH, Rinehart WE, Wheelwright HJ Jr, Ross MA, Papin JL, Daly RC, Greene EA, Groff WA [1958]. The toxicology of an aniline-furfuryl alcohol-hydrazine vapor mixture. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 19:91-100.
6. NIOSH [1979]. Criteria for a recommended standard: occupational exposure to furfuryl alcohol. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHEW (NIOSH) Publication No. 79-133.
7. Savolainen H, Pfaffli P [1983]. Neurotoxicity of furfuryl alcohol vapor in prolonged inhalation exposure. Environ Res 31(2):420-427.
8. Terrill JB, Van Horn WE, Robinson D, Thomas DL [1989]. Acute toxicity of furan, 2-methyl furan, furfuryl alcohol, and furfural in the rat. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 50:A359-A361.