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Aluminum phosphide (CASRN 20859-73-8)
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0005
Aluminum phosphide;
CASRN 20859-73-8
Health assessment information on a chemical substance is included in IRIS
only after a comprehensive review of chronic toxicity data by U.S. EPA
health scientists from several Program Offices and the Office of Research
and Development. The summaries presented in Sections I and II represent
a consensus reached in the review process. Background information and
explanations of the methods used to derive the values given in IRIS are
provided in the Background Documents.
STATUS OF DATA FOR Aluminum phosphide
File First On-Line 01/31/1987
Category (section) |
Status |
Last Revised |
|---|---|---|
| Oral RfD Assessment (I.A.) | on-line | 03/01/1988 |
| Inhalation RfC Assessment (I.B.) | no data | |
| Carcinogenicity Assessment (II.) | no data |
_I. Chronic Health Hazard Assessments for Noncarcinogenic Effects
_I.A. Reference Dose for Chronic Oral Exposure (RfD)
Substance Name — Aluminum phosphide
CASRN — 20859-73-8
Last Revised — 03/01/1988
The oral Reference Dose (RfD) is based on the assumption that thresholds
exist for certain toxic effects such as cellular necrosis. It is expressed
in units of mg/kg-day. In general, the RfD is an estimate (with uncertainty
spanning perhaps an order of magnitude) of a daily exposure to the human
population (including sensitive subgroups) that is likely to be without
an appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime. Please refer
to the Background Document for an elaboration of these concepts. RfDs
can also be derived for the noncarcinogenic health effects of substances
that are also carcinogens. Therefore, it is essential to refer to other
sources of information concerning the carcinogenicity of this substance.
If the U.S. EPA has evaluated this substance for potential human carcinogenicity,
a summary of that evaluation will be contained in Section II of this file.
__I.A.1. Oral RfD Summary
Critical Effect |
Experimental Doses* |
UF
|
MF
|
RfD
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body weight and clinical parameters Rat Chronic Oral |
NOAEL: 0.51 mg/kg of food or 0.025 mg/kg/day (phosphine) converted to 0.043 mg/kg/day aluminum phosphide LOAEL: none |
100
|
1
|
4E-4
mg/kg/day |
*Conversion Factors: Food consumption: 5% bw; molecular weight: AlP/PH3: x 57.95/34.0 thus, 0.51 mg/kg of food x 0.05 kg food/kg bw/day x 57.95/34.0 = 0.043 mg/kg/day
__I.A.2. Principal and Supporting Studies (Oral RfD)
Hackenburg, U. 1972. Chronic ingestion by rats of standard diet treated with aluminum phosphide. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 23(1): 147-158.
Aluminum phosphide pellets and tablets (Phastoxin) are used as fumigants for wheat and other grains (Dieterich et al., 1967). Upon exposure to moisture in the air, they immediately decompose to phosphine gas, with little trace residue of phosphide remaining, which could be lost in handling of the grain.
A chronic feeding study of aluminum phosphide-fumigated chow fed to 30 rats/sex was conducted by Hackenburg (1972). The average concentration was 0.51 mg phosphine/kg food for a 2-year period. At the end of the treatment period, there were no differences between treated and control rats in blood or urine chemistry, or histologic parameters.
The phosphine gas measured in the Hackenburg (1972) study was liberated by decomposition of aluminum phosphide pellets. Acute toxicity data generated (Sax, 1984) suggest that the phosphide moiety contributes the most to the acute toxicity of this compound, as opposed to any deleterious effect due to aluminum cation. The steep slope of the dose-response curve of phosphine gas (Klimmer, 1969) implies that phosphine is extremely hazardous at doses slightly above a NOEL. Therefore, it is appropriate to derive an RfD for aluminum phosphide based upon the RfD for phosphine.
__I.A.3. Uncertainty and Modifying Factors (Oral RfD)
UF — After correcting for the molecular weight of aluminum phosphide relative to that of phosphine (57.95/34.00), and by application of an uncertainty factor of 100 (10 for interspecies conversion and 10 for sensitive population), an RfD for aluminum phosphide of 0.00043 (0.00025 mg/kg/day phosphine x 1.70) can be derived.
MF — None
__I.A.4. Additional Studies/Comments (Oral RfD)
The ACGIH (1980) has recommended a TLV of 0.3 ppm (0.42 mg/cu.m) for phosphine, based principally upon an epidemiologic study by Jones (1964) where workers were exposed intermittently to about 10 ppm phosphine gas. Based on this TLV, an RfD of 0.0021 mg/kg/day (i.e., 0.42 mg/cu.m x 10 cu.m/day x 5 day/7 day x 0.5/70 kg/10 = 0.0021 mg/kg/day) can be derived. However, an RfD for phosphine of 0.00025 mg/kg/day based on the 2-year rat study by Hackenburg (1972) (described above) has been derived for providing adequate protection against adverse human health effects.
__I.A.5. Confidence in the Oral RfD
Study — Medium
Database — Medium
RfD — Medium
The confidence in the study was rated medium because of the moderate number of animals/dose, the extensive methodology employed to assure proper administration of the test compound, and the extensive number of parameters measured; however, only one dose was used. The database was rated medium because the effectiveness and safety of this chemical has been reported through supporting studies. The overall rating for the RfD is, thus, medium.
__I.A.6. EPA Documentation and Review of the Oral RfD
Source Document — This assessment is not presented in any existing U.S. EPA document.
Other EPA Documentation — None
Agency Work Group Review — 08/19/1985
Verification Date — 08/19/1985
Screening-Level Literature Review Findings — A screening-level review conducted by an EPA contractor of the more recent toxicology literature pertinent to the RfD for aluminum phosphide conducted in August 2003 identified one or more significant new studies. IRIS users may request the references for those studies from the IRIS Hotline at hotline.iris@epa.gov or 202-566-1676.
__I.A.7. EPA Contacts (Oral RfD)
Please contact the IRIS Hotline for all questions concerning this assessment or IRIS, in general, at (202)566-1676 (phone), (202)566-1749 (FAX) or hotline.iris@epa.gov (internet address).
_I.B. Reference Concentration for Chronic Inhalation Exposure (RfC)
Substance Name — Aluminum phosphide
CASRN — 20859-73-8
Not available at this time.
_II. Carcinogenicity Assessment for Lifetime Exposure
Substance Name — Aluminum phosphide
CASRN — 20859-73-8
This substance/agent has not undergone a complete evaluation and determination under US EPA's IRIS program for evidence of human carcinogenic potential.
_III.
[reserved]
_IV. [reserved]
_V. [reserved]
_VI. Bibliography
Substance Name — Aluminum phosphide
CASRN — 20859-73-8
Last Revised — 08/01/1989
_VI.A. Oral RfD References
ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists). 1980. Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values, 4th ed. ACGIH, Cincinnati, OH. p. 13-14, 337-338.
Dieterich, W.H., G. Mayr, K. Hild, J.B. Sullivan and J. Murphy. 1967. Hydrogen phosphide as a fumigant for foods, feeds and processed food products. Residue Rev. 19: 135-149.
Hackenburg, U. 1972. Chronic ingestion by rats of standard diet treated with aluminum phosphide. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 23(1): 147-158.
Jones, A.T., R.C. Jones and E.Q. Longely. 1964. Environmental and clinical aspect of bulk wheat fumigation with aluminum phosphide. Am. Ind. Hyg. Assn. J. 25: 376-379.
Klimmer, O.R. 1969. Contributions to the study of the action of phosphine (PHs). The question of the so-called chronic phosphine poisoning. Arch. fur Tox. 24: 164-167.
Sax, N.I. 1984. Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., Inc., NY. p. 175-179.
_VI.B. Inhalation RfC References
None
_VI.C. Carcinogenicity Assessment References
None
_VII. Revision History
Substance Name — Aluminum phosphide
CASRN — 20859-73-8
|
Date |
Section |
Description |
|---|---|---|
| 03/01/1988 | I.A.5. | Confidence levels revised |
| 03/01/1988 | I.A.6. | Documentation revised |
| 08/01/1989 | VI. | Bibliography on-line |
| 01/01/1992 | I.A.7. | Primary contact changed |
| 01/01/1992 | IV. | Regulatory actions updated |
| 04/01/1997 | III., IV., V. | Drinking Water Health Advisories, EPA Regulatory Actions, and Supplementary Data were removed from IRIS on or before April 1997. IRIS users were directed to the appropriate EPA Program Offices for this information. |
| 10/28/2003 | I.A.6. | Screening-Level Literature Review Findings message has been added. |
_VIII. Synonyms
Substance Name — Aluminum phosphide
CASRN — 20859-73-8
Last Revised — 01/31/1987
- 20859-73-8
- AIP
- Al-Phos
- Aluminum Monophosphide
- Aluminum Phosphide
- Celphos
- Delicia
- Delicia Gastoxin
- Detia
- Detia-EX-B
- Phostoxin
- Phostoxin-A
- Quickphos