1.1 What is Otto Fuel II? |
1.2 What happens to Otto Fuel II when
it enters the environment? |
1.3 How might I be exposed to Otto Fuel
II? |
1.4 How can Otto Fuel II enter and leave
my body? |
1.5 How can Otto Fuel II affect my health? |
1.6 Is there a medical test to determine
whether I have been exposed to Otto Fuel II? |
1.7 What recommendations has the federal
government made to protect human health? |
1.8 Where can I get more information? |
References |
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June 1995 |
Public Health Statement |
for |
Otto Fuel II |
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This Public Health Statement is the
summary chapter from the Toxicological
Profile for Otto Fuel II. It is one in a series of Public
Health Statements about hazardous substances and their health
effects. A shorter version, the ToxFAQs™,
is also available. This information is important because this
substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous
substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed,
personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are
present. For more information, call the ATSDR Information
Center at 1-888-422-8737.
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This statement was prepared to give you
information about Otto Fuel II and its components, and to
emphasize the human health effects that may result from exposure
to them. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified
1,397 hazardous waste sites as the most serious in the nation.
These sites make up the National Priorities List (NPL) and
are the sites targeted for long-term federal clean-up activities.
Otto Fuel II has been found at two of the sites on the NPL.
However, the number of NPL sites evaluated for Otto Fuel II
and its components is not known. As EPA evaluates more sites,
the number of sites at which Otto Fuel II and its components
are found may increase. This information is important for
you to know because Otto Fuel II and its components may cause
harmful health effects and because these sites are potential
or actual sources of human exposure to Otto Fuel II and its
components.
When a chemical is released from a large
area, such as an industrial plant, or from a container, such
as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment as a chemical
emission. This emission, which is also called a release, does
not always lead to exposure. You can be exposed to a chemical
only when you come into contact with the chemical. You may
be exposed to it in the environment by breathing, eating or
drinking substances containing the chemical, or from skin
contact with it.
If you are exposed to a hazardous chemical
such as Otto Fuel II and its components, several factors will
determine whether harmful health effects will occur, and what
the type and severity of those health effects will be. These
factors include the dose (how much), the duration (how long),
the route or pathway by which you are exposed (breathing,
eating, drinking, or skin contact), the other chemicals to
which you are exposed, and your individual characteristics
such as age, sex, nutritional status, family traits, life-style,
and state of health.
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1.1
What is Otto Fuel II? |
Otto Fuel II is a distinct-smelling,
reddish-orange, oily liquid that the U.S. Navy uses as a fuel
for torpedo and other weapons systems. It is a mixture of
three synthetic substances. It contains mostly propylene glycol
dinitrate, but it also contains dibutyl sebacate and 2-nitrodiphenylamine.
Propylene glycol dinitrate is the explosive
part of Otto Fuel II. It is a colorless liquid with an unpleasant
odor. Other names for propylene glycol dinitrate are PGDN,
1,2-propylene glycol dinitrate, and 1,2-propanediol dinitrate.
Dibutyl sebacate is a clear liquid. It
is most often used for making plastics, many of which are
used for packaging food. It is also used to enhance flavor
in foods such as ice cream, candy, baked goods, and nonalcoholic
drinks. Some shaving creams also contain dibutyl sebacate.
Other names for dibutyl sebacate are decanedioic acid, dibutyl
ester; sebacic acid, dibutyl ester; and dibutyl decanedioate.
2-Nitrodiphenylamine is a solid. Otto
Fuel II contains 2-nitrodiphenylamine to control the explosion
of propylene glycol dinitrate. It is also used as a solvent
dye. Other names for 2-nitrodiphenylamine are 2-nitrobenzenamine,
2-nitro-N-phenyl; 2-nitro-N-phenylaniline; and Sudan Yellow
1339.
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1.2
What happens to Otto Fuel II when it enters the environment? |
Otto Fuel II enters the environment mainly
in waste water from Navy facilities that produce it or are
involved in torpedo rework operations. Otto Fuel II may also
be spilled by accident or be disposed of improperly and contaminate
soil. We do not have much information on what happens to Otto
Fuel II and its components when they enter the environment.
We do know that Otto Fuel II enters the environment as a mixture
of three separate components. A large portion of the propylene
glycol dinitrate will evaporate very rapidly from the water
or the surface of wet soil, but a small portion of it will
be broken down by light to other chemicals. Propylene glycol
dinitrate that enters the air is probably also broken down
by light. Some studies suggest that propylene glycol dinitrate
in water or soil is broken down by microorganisms that are
normally present, but not all studies agree about this point.
It is unlikely that 2-nitrodiphenylamine will evaporate from
water or soil into the air. 2-Nitrodiphenylamine will also
probably not stay dissolved in water because it does not dissolve
easily in water and because it most likely sticks to particles
in the water or soil. 2-Nitrodiphenylamine that enters the
water is broken down by light. A portion of 2-nitrodiphenylamine
in the water or soil also is broken down by microorganisms.
We do not know which of the two processes (light- or microorganism-
assisted) is more important in breaking down this chemical
in the environment. Many microorganisms in water and soil
have the capability to break down dibutyl sebacate. We do
not have any information on other ways that dibutyl sebacate
might be broken down in water or soil. There is no evidence
that dibutyl sebacate evaporates into the air from soil or
water.
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1.3
How might I be exposed to Otto Fuel II? |
Humans are most likely to be exposed
to Otto Fuel II or its components in areas where Otto Fuel
II is used as a torpedo fuel or where it is made. The most
likely ways these people will be exposed to Otto Fuel II are
by breathing contaminated air and by touching the fuel during
handling. One of the chemicals that makes up Otto Fuel II,
propylene glycol dinitrate, was measured at levels of less
than 1 part per million (ppm) parts of air in a facility where
Otto Fuel II was used. Another chemical found in Otto Fuel
II, 2-nitrodiphenylamine, was measured at levels of 1–14 ppm
in waste water released from a plant where torpedo fuel was
being manufactured. This chemical was also measured at levels
of 0.5–12.2 ppm in the sediment of the river where the waste
water was dumped. Almost nothing is known about levels of
Otto Fuel II or its components at hazardous waste sites or
at other places. It is not known whether exposure of persons
living or working near hazardous waste sites occurs. Exposure
to 2-nitrodiphenylamine also may occur as the result of its
manufacture and use as a solvent dye. Exposure to dibutyl
sebacate also may occur as a result of its manufacture and
use as a flavor enhancer, as an ingredient in plastic food
containers, and as an ingredient in shaving lotions.
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1.4
How can Otto Fuel II enter and leave my body? |
Propylene glycol dinitrate, the explosive
chemical in Otto Fuel II, enters your bloodstream when you
breathe it in, when you drink water containing it, eat food
or soil containing it, and when your skin comes in contact
with it. 2-Nitrodiphenylamine and dibutyl sebacate, the other
two components in Otto Fuel II, enter your bloodstream when
you drink water or eat food with either of these two chemicals
in it. We do not know how much of these two chemicals can
enter your bloodstream by breathing or touching them. Within
a day, propylene glycol dinitrate is rapidly and completely
broken down in your blood to chemicals that are normally found
in your body. Some of the breakdown products leave your body
in your urine, and others are used by your body to make other
chemicals. One study reported that dibutyl sebacate is rapidly
broken down in your body by the same process that your body
uses to break down fat. We do not know what happens to the
breakdown products of dibutyl sebacate in your body. We also
do not know what happens to 2-nitrodiphenylamine in your body
or how it is eliminated.
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1.5
How can Otto Fuel II affect my health? |
People who work around Otto Fuel II report
experiencing a number of effects which include headaches,
loss of balance, poor eye-hand coordination, eye irritation,
congested noses, nausea, dizziness, and difficulty breathing.
The most common side effect of overexposure is headache. It
can occur when there are no other reported side effects, even
when the degree of overexposure is minimal. The greater the
overexposure, the larger the number of reported symptoms.
Some people who work around Otto Fuel II get used to being
around it, and after a period of time, they do not seem to
experience discomfort. People who have worked around Otto
Fuel II, but later are no longer exposed to this chemical,
might feel chest pain or rapid beating of the heart, or have
heart attacks. We do not know if Otto Fuel II affects the
ability of people to have children or if it causes children
to have birth defects. We also do not know if this chemical
affects the ability of people to fight disease or if it causes
cancer in people. Most of the effects of Otto Fuel II on people's
health are believed to be caused by its major component, propylene
glycol dinitrate. Exposure to levels of propylene glycol dinitrate
as low as 0.2 ppm in the air for several hours causes headaches
in some persons. At 0.2 ppm, some brain wave patterns are
also altered, and at 0.5 ppm, dizziness and nausea are common.
We do not know anything about the effects of propylene glycol
dinitrate on the ability of people to have babies or to fight
disease. We also do not know whether propylene glycol dinitrate
causes birth defects or cancer. Very little is known about
the other two components of Otto Fuel II, 2-nitrodiphenylamine
or dibutyl sebacate. We do not know anything about the human
health effects of the component 2-nitrodiphenylamine. The
only thing we know about the human health effects of the component
dibutyl sebacate is that it was not irritating to the skin
of volunteers who were tested.
Animal studies show effects of propylene
glycol dinitrate that are related to the effects seen in people.
Results from animal studies also show additional effects of
propylene glycol dinitrate that have not been reported in
people exposed to this chemical. Exposure of animals to moderate-to-large
amounts of propylene glycol dinitrate for several weeks causes
problems in blood, like anemia and a decreased ability of
the blood to carry oxygen. The livers and kidneys of some
animals exposed to moderate levels of propylene glycol dinitrate
all day, every day, for several months showed some damage.
We do not know whether these effects might also occur in persons
exposed to sufficiently high concentrations. We also do not
know whether propylene glycol dinitrate affects the ability
of animals to have babies or whether it causes birth defects
in animals. However, we know that rats that had Otto Fuel
II applied to their skin during pregnancy gave birth to babies
with low birth weights. Propylene glycol dinitrate has not
been sufficiently tested to see whether or not it causes cancer
in animals.
Animal studies also examined the effects
of dibutyl sebacate. These studies showed that eating large
amounts of this chemical for long periods did not affect the
health of the animals that ate it. The babies of animals that
ate large amounts of this chemical grew more slowly than babies
of animals that did not eat it. We do not know whether dibutyl
sebacate causes cancer in animals.
We do not know anything about the health
effects of 2-nitrodiphenylamine in animals.
The Department of Health and Human Services,
the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the Environmental
Protection Agency have not reviewed Otto Fuel II to determine
what classification of carcinogenicity it should receive.
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1.6
Is there a medical test to determine whether I have been exposed
to Otto Fuel II? |
There is no routinely available test
that can directly measure an individual's exposure to Otto
Fuel II. Sensitive methods have been used to measure propylene
glycol dinitrate, the major component in Otto Fuel II, in
both the blood and the exhaled air of the exposed individual.
Tests that measure the amount of a breakdown product of propylene
glycol dinitrate in your urine could give some information
about whether a person has been exposed to this chemical.
These tests, which assume the same breakdown products for
humans and animals, could be easily performed by clinical
laboratories. Your body rapidly breaks down propylene glycol
dinitrate, and the breakdown products leave your body in your
urine within a day. Therefore, the tests are only helpful
if given within a few hours of exposure. The tests also are
not specific for exposure to propylene glycol dinitrate. Many
other chemicals, such as those found in fertilizers, explosives,
some heart and diarrhea medications, and some food preservatives,
also raise the amount of this breakdown product in the urine.
No tests are known for measuring the other two components
of Otto Fuel II in your body.
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1.7
What recommendations has the federal government made to protect
human health? |
The government has developed regulations
and guidelines for Otto Fuel II and the chemicals in it. These
are designed to protect the public from potential harmful
health effects of the chemical. The Department of Transportation
regulates the transportation of Otto Fuel II because of its
potential health effects.
The National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that workers not be exposed
to air containing more than 0.05 ppm propylene glycol dinitrate
during an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek.
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1.8 Where can I get more information? |
If you have any more questions or concerns, please contact
your community or state health or environmental quality department or:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Information line and technical assistance:
Phone: 888-422-8737
FAX: (770)-488-4178
ATSDR can also tell you the location of occupational and environmental health
clinics. These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, and treating illnesses
resulting from exposure to hazardous substances.
To order toxicological profiles, contact:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Phone: 800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000
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References |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 1995. Toxicological
profile for Otto Fuel II. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.
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