Ethylbenzene

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

Flammability Toxicity (2) Health Body Contact © Flammability Reactivity ©) Chronic 1 2 3 Fire Diamond Min Low Moderate High Extreme ANSI Signal Word Warning! Flammable youve Emergency Overview 0% Colorless liquid; pungent odor. Irritating to eyes/skin/respiratory tract. Other Acute Effects: chest constriction, vertigo, narcosis, cramps, respiratory paralysis. Chronic Effects: fatigue, sleepiness, headache, blood disorders, lymphocytosis. Flammable.

Potential health effects

Target Organs: eyes, respiratory system, skin, central nervous system (CNS), blood

Principle Routes of Exposure

inhalation, skin contact, eye contact Acute Effects Inhalation: The vapor is discomforting to the upper respiratory tract. Inhalation hazard is increased at higher temperatures. Acute effects from inhalation of high concentrations of vapor are pulmonary irritation, including coughing, with nausea; central nervous system depression - characterized by headache and dizziness, increased reaction time, fatigue and loss of coordination. Copyright © 2006 by Genium Group, Inc. Any commercial use or reproduction without the publisher’s permission is prohibited. Judgments as to the suitability of information herein for the purchaser’ s purposes are necessarily the purchaser’s responsibility. Although reasonable care has been taken in the preparation of such information, Genium Group, Inc. extends no warranties, makes no representations, and assumes no responsibility as to the accuracy or suitability of such information for application to the purchaser’s intended purpose or for consequences of its use. If exposure to highly concentrated solvent atmosphere is prolonged this may lead to narcosis, unconsciousness, even coma and possible death. Inhalation of vapor may aggravate a pre-existing respiratory condition such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema. When humans were exposed to the 100 and 200 ppm for 8 hours about 45-65% is retained in the body. Only traces of unchanged ethyl benzene are excreted in expired air following termination of inhalation exposure. Humans exposed to concentrations of 23-85 ppm excreted most of the retained dose in the urine (mainly as metabolites). Guinea pigs that died from exposure had intense congestion of the lungs and generalized visceral hyperemia. Rats exposed for three days at 8700 mg/m (2000 ppm) showed changes in the levels of dopamine and noradrenaline in 3 various parts of the brain. Eye: The liquid is highly discomforting to the eyes and is capable of causing a mild, temporary redness of the conjunctiva (similar to wind-burn), temporary impairment of vision and/or other transient eye damage/ulceration. The vapor is discomforting to the eyes. The material may produce severe irritation to the eye causing pronounced inflammation. Repeated or prolonged exposure to irritants may produce conjunctivitis. Two drops of the material in to the conjunctival sac produced only slight irritation of the conjunctival membrane but no corneal injury. Skin: The liquid is discomforting to the skin if exposure is prolonged and is capable of causing skin reactions which may lead to dermatitis. The material may cause skin irritation after prolonged or repeated exposure and may produce a contact dermatitis (nonallergic). This form of dermatitis is often characterized by skin redness (erythema) and swelling (edema) which may progress to vesiculation, scaling and thickening of the epidermis. Histologically there may be intercellular edema of the spongy layer (spongiosis) and intracellular edema of the epidermis. The mean rate of absorption of liquid ethyl benzene applied to 17.3 cm2 area of the forearm of seven volunteers for 10-15 minutes was determined to be 38 mg/cm2/hr. Immersion of the whole hand in aqueous solutions of ethyl benzene (112-156 mg/l) for 1 hour yielded mean absorption rates of 118 and 215.7 ug/cm2/hr. The rate of absorption is thus greater than that of aniline, benzene, nitrobenzene, carbon disulfide and styrene. Repeated application of the undiluted product to the abdominal area of rabbits (10-20 applications over 2-4 weeks) resulted in erythema, edema and superficial necrosis. The material did not appear to be absorbed through the skin in sufficient quantity to produce outward signs of toxicity. Ingestion: Considered an unlikely route of entry in commercial/industrial environments. The liquid may produce considerable gastrointestinal discomfort and may be harmful or toxic if swallowed. Ingestion may result in nausea, pain and vomiting. Vomit entering the lungs by aspiration may cause potentially lethal chemical pneumonitis. Carcinogenicity: NTP - Not listed; IARC - Not listed; OSHA - Not listed; NIOSH - Not listed; ACGIH - Not listed; EPA - Class D, Not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity; MAK - Not listed.

Potential chronic health

Chronic solvent inhalation exposures may result in nervous system impairment and liver and blood changes. Prolonged or continuous skin contact with the liquid may cause defatting with drying, cracking, irritation and dermatitis following. Industrial workers exposed to a maximum level of ethyl benzene of 0.06 mg/l (14 ppm) reported headaches and irritability and tired quickly. Functional nervous system disturbances were found in some workers employed for over 7 years whilst other workers had enlarged livers.