Phenols, chlorinated exposure

Incompatibilities and Reactivities Phenol, chlorine dioxide, copper, crotonaldehyde [Note May contain inhibitors (e g., tributylcatechol) to prevent self-polymerization. May form explosive peroxides upon exposure to air.]... 

Plant uptake is one of several routes by which an organic contaminant can enter man s food chain. The amount of uptake depends on plant species, concentration, depth of placement, soil type, temperature, moisture, and many other parameters. Translocation of the absorbed material into various plant parts will determine the degree of man s exposure—i.e., whether the material moves to an edible portion of the plant. Past experience with nonpolar chlorinated pesticides suggested optimal uptake conditions are achieved when the chemical is placed in a soil with low adsorptive capacity e.g., a sand), evenly distributed throughout the soil profile, and with oil producing plants. Plant experiments were conducted with one set of parameters that would be optimal for uptake and translocation. The uptake of two dioxins and one phenol (2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP)) from one soil was measured in soybean and oats (7). The application rates were DCP = 0.07 ppm, DCDD 0.10 ppm, and TCDD = 0.06 ppm. The specific activity of the com-... 

Ocular Effects. A case-control study of office workers was conducted by Baj et al. (1994) to evaluate the risks of chronic exposures to inhaled formaldehyde, phenol and isomers of organic chlorohydrocarbons from Ksylamit which is a widely used liquid wood preservative reported to consist of a mixture of chlorinated benzenes, pentachlorophenol, alpha-chloronaphthalene, chloroparafifin, and kerosene . Twenty-two workers (18 women and 4 men) exposed for at least 6 months were the cases, and 29 non-exposed, non-smoking volunteers matched for age, sex, and place of residence were the controls. The authors indicate that all of the exposed workers developed chronic complaints, among them burning eyes, but that no remarkable increase in morbidity was found during the 6 months of exposure to Ksylamit , nor during the 3-year follow-up study (details of which were not provided). The authors attribute these symptoms to the irritant effect of the inhaled Ksylamit probably (based on the references provided) due to the formaldehyde vapor they assert emanates from the woodpreserving liquid. 

Dermal Effects. Skin rash and mouth sores were reported in persons living near a site with contaminated well water resulting from an overturned tanker car carrying 37,900 L of 100% phenol (Baker et al. 1978). The level of phenol in the drinking water of this cohort was >0.1 mg/L, and while substantial oral exposure probably occurred, dermal exposure cannot be ruled out. Increases in the prevalence of skin rashes and sore throats were reported by persons drinking water from a river contaminated by an accidental spill of phenol (Kim et al. 1994). Because the water was chlorinated before use, the effect may also have been a result of exposure to chlorophenol. 

Occupational exposure may occur in chemical plants producing chlorinated phenols or PCBs, in factories utilizing these chemicals for the production of other substances,... 

The chlorinated phenols are widely used in a variety of working operations. They may be highly contaminated with PCDDs and PCDFs the levels of these impurities for most products on the market is in the range of 100 - 3000 pg/g, see Table III. Consequently special interest should be given the occupational exposure to chlorinated phenols. 

Eriksson, M., Hardell, L. Adami, H.-O. (1990) Exposure to dioxins as a risk factor for soft tissue sarcoma a population-based case-control study. J. natl Cancer Inst., 82, 486-490 Exon, J.H. Koller, L.D. (1982) Effects of transplacental exposure to chlorinated phenols. Envi-... 

Woods, J.S., Polissar. L., Severson, R.K., Heuser, L.S. Kulander. B.G. (1987) Soft tissue sarcoma and non-Hodgkin s lymphoma in relation to phcnoxyherbicide and chlorinated phenol exposure in western Washington. J. natl Cancer Inst., 78. 899-910... 

Irritant dermatitis does not involve an immune response and is typically caused by contact with corrosive substances that exhibit extremes of pH, oxidizing capability, dehydrating action, or tendency to dissolve skin lipids. In extreme cases of exposure, skin cells are destroyed and a permanent scar results. This condition is known as a chemical burn. Exposure to concentrated sulfuric acid, which exhibits extreme acidity, or to concentrated nitric acid, which denatures skin protein, can cause bad chemical bums. The strong oxidant action of 30% hydrogen peroxide likewise causes a chemical bum. Other chemicals causing chemical bums include ammonia, quicklime (CaO), chlorine, ethylene oxide, hydrogen halides, methyl bromide, nitrogen oxides, elemental white phosporous, phenol, alkali metal hydroxides (NaOH, KOH), and toluene diisocyanate. 

DOT CLASSIFICATION 5.1 Label Oxidi2er SAFETY PROFILE Poison by intravenous route. Moderately toxic by ingestion. An experimental teratogen. Experimental reproductive effects. Mutation data reported. Ingestion of large quantities may cause gastroenteritis. Chronic exposure can cause anemia, nephritis, and methemoglobinemia. When heated, reaction with calcium hydroxide + polychlorinated phenols forms extremely toxic chlorinated benzodioxins. 

In the first report on phenolic PCB metabolites in blood from rats after exposure to Aroclor 1254, and from environmentally exposed Baltic grey seals and humans only a few OH-PCBs were structurally identified [39]. Since then, additional metabolites have been identified and are shown in the chromatogram of a human blood sample taken from a Faeroe Island woman (Fig. 6A). All the identified metabolites have chlorine atoms attached to the carbons ortho to the oxidized carbon. With a few exceptions, the hydroxy-group is attached to one of the two para-positions of the PCB molecule. These structural elements are also found in 3,3, 4, 5-tetraiodo-L-thyronine, or thyroxine, the natural substrate of TTR [44]. The affinities of the retained OH-PCB congeners are up to 10 times greater than for thyroxine [44,134]. The structural similarity to thyroxine was... 

All of these studies, in which associations between exposure to TCDD and an increased incidence of soft tissue sarcoma were reported, involved workers who had either manufactured these compounds or had applied the herbicide 2,4,5-T. In all of these instances, however, the workers were exposed not only to TCDD but also to either chlorinated phenols or to phenoxy herbicides. 

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