Pyrene

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

Flammability Toxicity (2) Tia Body Contact @ Flammability Reactivity Chronic O) 1 2 3 Fire Diamond Min Low Moderate High Extreme ANSI Signal Word Caution wowewveve Emergency Overview * % % ve Colorless solid. Irritating to eyes/skin/respiratory tract. Also causes: conjunctival irritation, dermal irritation, ingestion may irritate and burn esophagus/gastrointestinal tract.

Potential health effects

Target Organs: skin, eyes, respiratory system

Principle Routes of Exposure

inhalation, ingestion, skin contact Acute Effects Inhalation: The dust may be discomforting to the upper respiratory tract and may be fatal if inhaled. Persons with impaired respiratory function, airway diseases, and conditions such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis may incur further disability if excessive concentrations of particulate are inhaled. Animal inhalation studies have demonstrated hepatic, pulmonary and intragastric pathologic changes. The levels of neutrophil, leukocyte and erythrocytes decreased. Eye: The dust may be 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. Skin: The material may be mildly discomforting to the skin. Open cuts, abraded or irritated skin should not be exposed to this material. Toxic effects may result from skin absorption. 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. 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. Skin application resulted in hyperemia (blood engorgement), weight loss and hematopoietic (blood cell development) changes. Contact dermatitis was also evident. Ingestion: The solid/dust is discomforting to the gastrointestinal tract and harmful if swallowed. Considered an unlikely route of entry in commercial/industrial environments. Carcinogenicity: NTP - Not listed; IARC - Group 3, Not classifiable as to carcinogenicity to humans; 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 exposure to pyrene results increase in blood leukocytes (leukocytosis) The so-called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) comprise a large family; some members occur in coal tar, tobacco smoke, petroleum and air pollution. Some substituted derivatives have been identified, in animal studies, as amongst the most highly active carcinogens. Rodent species are sensitive to some PAHs with skin application producing cancerous growths. Injection produces soft tissue tumors (sarcomas) in rats and mice. Administration of PAHs to Rhesus monkey on the other hand has not yet proved successful in yielding tumors and there is inadequate date to support the proposition that individual PAHs produce cancer in humans. There are however a number of epidemiology and mortality studies that show increased incidence of cancer in humans exposed to mixtures of PAHs. Evidence exists of lung and genito-urinary cancer mortality amongst coke-oven workers and skin tumors in workers exposed to creosote. Exposures to other chemical mixtures containing PAHs such as cigarette smoke, coal tar, coal tar pitch and bitumens, have been associated with increased incidences of lung cancer in humans. Anthracene, the basic unit on which most PAHs are built, is not carcinogenic whereas benz[a]anthracene appears to have weak carcinogenicity. Additions of other benzene rings to select positions on the benz[a]anthracene skeleton results in agents with powerful carcinogenicity (e.g. dibenz[a,h]anthracene and benz[a]pyrene). Further substitution of methyl groups in position on the rings enhances carcinogenicity (7,12 dimethylbenz[a]anthracene is one of the most powerful PAH carcinogens known). Biotransformation to produce soluble metabolites suitable for excretion appears to transform some PAHs to reactive electrophiles (as epoxides) which bind to DNA. Initiation of carcinogenesis is thought to rely upon such interactions.