CAS number . . . . . . . . . . . 107-02-8
NIOSH REL. . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 ppm (0.25 mg/m3) TWA, 0.3 ppm (0.8 mg/m3)
                                 STEL
Current OSHA PEL . . . . . . . . 0.1 ppm (0.25 mg/m3) TWA
1989 OSHA PEL. . . . . . . . . . 0.1 ppm (0.25 mg/m3) TWA, 0.3 ppm (0.8 mg/m3)
                                 STEL
1993-1994 ACGIH TLV. . . . . . . 0.1 ppm (0.23 mg/m3) TWA, 0.3 ppm (0.67
                                 mg/m3) STEL
Description of substance . . . . Colorless or yellow liquid with a piercing,
                                 disagreeable odor.
LEL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8% (10% LEL, 2,800 ppm)
Original (SCP) IDLH. . . . . . . 5 ppm
Basis for original (SCP) IDLH. . The chosen IDLH is based on the statement by
                                 ACGIH [1971] that 5.5 ppm results in intense
                                 irritation and 10 ppm or more is lethal in
                                 a short time [Henderson and Haggard 1943].
                                 According to MCA [1961], the irritation
                                 properties of acrolein are clearly evident
                                 at 1 ppm.  ACGIH [1971] reported that 1 of 6
                                 rats died after being exposed to 8 ppm for 4
                                 hours and all died from exposure to 16 ppm
                                 [Smyth 1956].
Existing short-term exposure . . 1989 American Industrial Hygiene Association
guidelines                       (AIHA) Emergency Response Planning Guidelines
                                 (ERPGs):
                                      ERPG-1:  0.1 ppm (60-minute)
                                      ERPG-2:  0.5 ppm (60-minute)
                                      ERPG-3:  3   ppm (60-minute)
                                 National Research Council [NRC 1984]
                                 Emergency Exposure Guidance Levels (EEGLs):
                                      10-minute EEGL:  0.1  ppm
                                      60-minute EEGL:  0.05 ppm (tentative)
                                      24-hour EEGL:    0.01 ppm (tentative)

ACUTE TOXICITY DATA

Lethal concentration data:

                                                         Adjusted            
                               LC50    LCLo               0.5-hr       Derived
Species        Reference      (ppm)   (ppm)   Time        LC (CF)       Value
______________________________________________________________________________
Mouse    Albin 1962            875    -----   1 min   280 ppm (0.32)  28   ppm
Mouse    Albin 1962            175    -----  10 min   121 ppm (0.69)  12   ppm
Dog      Albin 1962            150    -----  30 min   150 ppm (1.0)   15   ppm
Rat      Carpenter et al.        8    -----   4 hr     16 ppm (2.0)    1.6 ppm
         1949
Rat      Catilina et al. 1966  375    -----  10 min   259 ppm (0.69)  26   ppm
Hamster  Kruysse 1971           25.4  -----   4 hr     51 ppm (2.0)    5.1 ppm
Rabbit   Pattle and             10.5  -----   6 hr     24 ppm (2.3)    2.4 ppm
         Collumbine 1956
G. pig   Pattle and             10.5  -----   6 hr     24 ppm (2.3)    2.4 ppm
         Collumbine 1956
Mouse    Pattle and             10.5  -----   6 hr     24 ppm (2.3)    2.4 ppm
         Collumbine 1956
Mouse    Philippin et al.       66    -----   6 hr    152 ppm (2.3)   15   ppm
         1970
Hamster  Sangyo Igaku 1977     -----  1,000  10 min   690 ppm (0.69)  69   ppm
Cat      Skog 1950             -----    674   2 hr  1,078 ppm (1.6)  108   ppm
Rat      Skog 1950             131    -----  30 min   131 ppm (1.0)   13   ppm

                                 
Other animal data. . . . . . . . RD50 (mouse), 1.68 [Alarie 1981].
Human data . . . . . . . . . . . It has been reported that 5.5 ppm results in
                                 intense irritation and marked lacrimation,
                                 after 60 seconds [Henderson and Haggard
                                 1943].  Exposures to 1.8 ppm result in slight
                                 eye irritation after 1 minute and profuse
                                 lacrimation after 4  minutes [NRC 1981].  In
                                 volunteers exposed for 5 minutes,
                                 concentrations of 2 to 2.3 ppm produced
                                 severe irritation [Darley et al. 1960].  A
                                 10-minute exposure at 8 ppm and a
                                 5-minute exposure at 1.2 ppm elicited
                                 extreme irritation described as "only just
                                 tolerable" [Sim and Pattle 1957].

Revised IDLH: 2 ppm
Basis for revised IDLH: The revised IDLH for acrolein is 2 ppm based on acute inhalation toxicity data in humans [Darley et al. 1960; Henderson and Haggard 1943; NRC 1981; Sim and Pattle 1957].

REFERENCES:

1. ACGIH [1971]. Acrolein. In: Documentation of the threshold limit values for substances in workroom air. 3rd ed. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, p. 5.
2. Alarie Y [1981]. Dose-response analysis in animal studies: prediction of human responses. Environ Health Perspect 42:9-13.
3. Albin TB [1962]. Handling and toxicology. In: Acrolein, Smith CW, ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 234-239.
4. Carpenter CP, Smyth HF Jr, Pozzani UC [1949]. The assay of acute vapor toxicity and the grading and interpretation of results on 96 chemical compounds. J Ind Hyg Toxicol 31(6):343-346.
5. Catilina P, Thieblot L, Champeix J [1966]. Experimental respiratory lesions by inhalation of acrolein in the rat. Arch Mal Prof 27:857-867 (in French).
6. Darley EF, Middleton JT, Garber MJ [1960]. Plant damage and eye irritation from ozone-hydrocarbon reactions. J Agri Food Chem 8:483-485.
7. Henderson Y, Haggard HW [1943]. Noxious gases. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Reinhold Publishing Corporation, p. 138.
8. Kruysse A [1971]. Acute inhalation toxicity of acrolein in hamsters (Report R 3516). The Netherlands: Central Institute for Nutrition and Food Research; TNO.
9. MCA [1961]. Chemical safety data sheet SD-85: properties and essential information for safe handling and use of acrolein. Washington, DC: Manufacturing Chemists Association, pp. 1-15.
10. NRC [1981]. Formaldehyde and other aldehydes. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, National Research Council, pp. 234-241.
11. NRC [1984]. Emergency and continuous exposure limits for selected airborne contaminants. Vol. 1. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, Committee on Toxicology, Board on Toxicology and Environmental Health Hazards, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council, pp. 27-34.
12. Pattle R, Collumbine H [1956]. Toxicity of some atmospheric pollutants. Br Med J 2:913-916.
13. Philippin C, Gilgen A, Grandjean E [1970]. Toxicological and physiological investigation on acrolein inhalation in the mouse. Int Arch Arbeitsmed 26:281-305 (translated).
14. Sangyo Igaku (Japanese Journal of Industrial Health) [1977]; 19:367 (in Japanese).
15. Sim VM, Pattle RE [1957]. Effect of possible smog irritants on human subjects. JAMA 165(15):1908-1913.
16. Skog E [1950]. A toxicological investigation of lower aliphatic aldehydes. I. Toxicity of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde and butyraldehyde; as well as acrolein and crotonaldehyde. Acta Pharmacol Toxicol 6(4):299-318.
17. Smyth HF Jr [1956]. Improved communication: hygienic standards for daily inhalation. Am Ind Hyg Assoc Q 17(2):129-185.