Documentation for Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLHs)

Phthalic anhydride

IDLH Documentation CAS number: 85449

NIOSH REL: 6 mg/m³ (1 ppm) TWA

Current OSHA PEL: 12 mg/m³ (2 ppm) TWA

1989 OSHA PEL: 6 mg/m³ (1 ppm) TWA

1993-1994 ACGIH TLV: 6.1 mg/m³ (1 ppm) TWA

Description of substance: White solid (flake) or a clear, colorless, mobile liquid (molten) with a characteristic, acrid odor.

LEL: . . 1.7% (10% LEL, 10,500 mg/m³)

Original (SCP) IDLH: 10,000 mg/m³

Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: Because no data on acute inhalation toxicity are available on which to base an IDLH for phthalic anhydride, the chosen IDLH is based on repeated exposure data. AIHA [1967] reported that exposure of rats and rabbits to 10,000 mg/m³ for 4 hours/day for several days produced a 25% fatality rate [Malten and Zielhuis 1964].

Short-term exposure guidelines: None developed

ACUTE TOXICITY DATA:

Lethal dose data:

Species	Reference	Route	LD₅₀ (mg/kg)	LD_Lo (mg/kg)	Adjusted LD	Derived value
Rat	Biofax 1970	oral	4,020	-----	28,140 mg/m³	2,814 mg/m³
Mouse	Izmerov et al. 1982	oral	1,520	-----	10,500 mg/m³	1,050 mg/m³
Cat	Marhold 1986	oral	800	-----	5,600 mg/m³	560 mg/m³
Rat	Patty 1963	oral	800-1,600	-----	5,600 -11,200 mg/m³	560 - 1,120 mg/m³
Mouse	Zhilova & Kasparov 1969	oral	2,210	-----	15,470 mg/m³	1,547 mg/m³

Other animal data: It has been reported that exposure of rats and rabbits to 10,000 mg/m³ for 4 hours/day for several days produced a 25% fatality rate [Malten and Zielhuis 1964].

Human data: It has been reported that an exposure of 30 mg/m³ is associated with conjunctivitis, while 25 mg/m³ is associated with signs of mucous membrane irritation [Baader 1955]. It has been stated that phthalic anhydride has similar toxic effects (i.e., irritation of the skin, eyes, and upper respiratory system) as maleic anhydride, but has reduced potency [ACGIH 1991].

Revised IDLH: 60 mg/m³

Basis for revised IDLH: Based on acute toxicity data in animals [Biofax 1970; Izmerov et al. 1982; Malten and Zielhuis 1964; Marhold 1986; Patty 1963; Zhilova and Kasparov 1969], a value between 600 and 3,000 mg/m³ would have been appropriate. However, the revised IDLH for phthalic anhydride is 60 mg/m³ (i.e., 10 times the NIOSH REL) based on acute inhalation data in humans [Baader 1955] and an analogy to maleic anhydride [ACGIH 1991] which has a revised IDLH that is 10 times its NIOSH REL. This may be a conservative value due to the lack of relevant acute toxicity data for workers exposed to concentrations above 30 mg/m³.

REFERENCES:

1. ACGIH [1991]. Phthalic anhydride. In: Documentation of the threshold limit values and biological exposure indices. 6th ed. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, pp. 12631264.

2. AIHA [1967]. Phthalic anhydride. In: Hygienic guide series. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 28:395398.

3. Baader EW [1955]. Diseases due to phthalic acid and its compounds. Arch Gewerbepath Gewerbehyg 13:419453 (in German).

4. Biofax [1970]. Phthalic anhydride. Northbrook, IL: Biofax Industrial BioTest Laboratories, Inc.

5. Izmerov NF, Sanotsky IV, Sidorov KK [1982]. Toxicometric parameters of industrial toxic chemicals under single exposure. Moscow, Russia: Centre of International Projects, GKNT, p. 322.

6. Malten KE, Zielhuis RL [1964]. Alkyd resins. In: Industrial toxicology and dermatology in the production and processing of plastics. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier Publishing Company, pp. 5970.

7. Marhold J [1986]. Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie, Organicke Latky. Prague, Czechoslovakia: Avicenum, p. 322 (in Czechoslovakian).

8. Patty FA, ed. [1963]. Industrial hygiene and toxicology. 2nd rev. ed. Vol. II. Toxicology. New York, NY: Interscience Publishers, Inc., pp. 18221823.

9. Zhilova NA, Kasparov AA [1969]. Phthalic anhydride and nnitrosodiphenylamine (Vulcalent A). Chem Abstr 71:280. Go back to the Documentation for Immediately Dangerous To Life or Health Concentrations (IDLHs)