July 1999 |
ToxFAQs™ |
for |
Isophorone |
(Isoforona) |
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This fact sheet answers the most frequently
asked health questions about isophorone. For more information,
you may call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737.
This fact sheet is one in a series of summaries about hazardous
substances and their health effects. 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.
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HIGHLIGHTS: Isophorone is used
in the printing industry. Exposure to high levels causes
irritation of the nose and throat, dizziness, and fatigue.
This chemical has been found in at least 9 of the 1,177
National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). |
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What
is isophorone? |
Isophorone is a clear liquid that smells
like peppermint. It can be dissolved in water and evaporates
somewhat faster than water. It is an industrial chemical used
as a solvent in some printing inks, paints, lacquers, and
adhesives. It is also used as an intermediate in the production
of certain chemicals. Although isophorone is an industrial
chemical, it also occurs naturally in cranberries.
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What
happens to isophorone when it enters the environment? |
- Isophorone is released to the air from inks, paints, and
other products containing it.
- It disappears in air very quickly, half of it disappears
in less than 5 hours.
- Isophorone may be present in water from industrial releases.
- In water, it can be broken down by bacteria over a period
of several days to about a month.
- In soil, it may be be broken down by bacteria, filter
to groundwater, or evaporate to the air; however, there
is not much information on its presence in soil.
- It does not build up in the food chain.
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How
might I be exposed to isophorone? |
- Breathing low levels found in air.
- Drinking water contaminated with isophorone.
- Eating food that contains isophorone.
- Working in the printing, adhesives, and coatings industries
where isophorone is used.
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How
can isophorone affect my health? |
The only effects of isophorone reported
by people who have been exposed are irritation of the skin,
eyes, nose, and throat, and dizziness and fatigue. These effects
have occurred in workers who breathed vapors of isophorone
and other chemicals in the printing industry.
Short-term exposure of animals to high
levels of isophorone has caused inactivity and coma. Some
animal studies suggest that isophorone may cause birth defects
and slower growth in the offspring of rats and mice that breathed
the vapors during pregnancy. These studies found some harmful
health effects in adult female animals. When rats and mice
were given high doses of isophorone in food or water for a
long time, the male rats developed kidney disease.
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How
likely is isophorone to cause cancer? |
No studies are available on whether isophorone
causes cancer in people. In male rats, isophorone caused an
increase in tumors of the kidney, liver, and lymph and reproductive
glands when they were exposed to it by ingestion. There was
no increase in tumors in female rats or mice. The EPA has
determined that isophorone is a possible human carcinogen,
based on adequate evidence in animals and inadequate evidence
in people.
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Is
there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to isophorone? |
There is no medical test to determine
whether you have been exposed to isophorone. A few studies
in rats and rabbits have shown that isophorone and its breakdown
products can be found in the urine of these animals, so it
may be possible to find a method for testing the urine of
people to determine exposure to isophorone. We do not know
whether such a measurement would predict how much exposure
had occurred or the possible health effects.
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Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health? |
The EPA recommends that levels in lakes
and streams should be limited to 8.4 parts of isophorone per
billion parts of water (8.4 ppb) to prevent possible health
effects from drinking water or eating fish contaminated with
isophorone.
The EPA requires that discharges, spills,
or accidental releases of 5,000 pounds or more of isophorone
must be reported to the EPA.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) has set a permissible exposure limit of 140 milligrams
of isophorone per cubic meter of air (140 mg/m³)
for an 8-hour workday in a 40-hour workweek.
The National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends an occupational exposure
limit of 23 mg/m³ for isophorone
for a 10-hour workday in a 40-hour workweek.
The federal recommendations have been
updated as of July 1999.
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Glossary |
Carcinogen: A substance that can cause
cancer.
CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service.
Ingestion: Taking food or drink into
your body.
Milligram (mg): One thousandth of a gram.
National Priorities List: A list of the
nation's worst hazardous waste sites.
ppm: Parts per million.
Short-term: Lasting 14 days or less.
Solvent: A substance that dissolves another
substance.
Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue.
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References |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 1989. Toxicological Profile for isophorone. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.
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Where can I get more information? |
ATSDR can tell you where to find occupational
and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize,
evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous
substances. You can also contact your community or state health
or environmental quality department if you have any more questions
or concerns. For more information, contact:
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Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737)
FAX: (770)-488-4178
Email: ATSDRIC@cdc.gov
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