September 1996 |
ToxFAQs™ |
for |
Jet Fuels JP-4 and JP-7 |
(Combustibles de Aviones de Reacción JP-4 y JP-7) |
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This fact sheet answers the most frequently
asked health questions about jet fuels JP-4 and JP-7. 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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SUMMARY: JP-4 and JP-7 are
liquid mixtures produced from petroleum and used by the
U.S. Air Force as aircraft fuels. Breathing large amounts
of the vapors from these fuels may cause nausea and nervous
system effects. JP-4 has been found in at least 4 of the
1,430 National Priorities List sites identified by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). JP-7 has not been
found at any sites. |
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What
are jet fuels JP-4 and JP-7? |
Jet fuels JP-4 and JP-7 (jet propellant-4
and jet propellant-7) are flammable, colorless to straw-colored
liquid mixtures that come from crude petroleum. They smell
like kerosene. Jet fuels are blends of other chemicals made
according to U.S. Air Force standards for use as aircraft
fuels.
Although JP-4 and JP-7 are liquids at
room temperature, they also evaporate easily.
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What
happens to jet fuels JP-4 and JP-7 when they enter the environment? |
- JP-4 and JP-7 enter the environment when they are spilled
or leak into water or soil during their manufacture, storage,
disposal, or release from jets during flight.
- Some chemicals found in JP-4 may dissolve in water, while
others may evaporate into the air.
- Some chemicals found in JP-4 may stick to particles in
water, which will eventually cause them to settle to the
bottom sediment.
- Some of the chemicals found in JP-4 may be broken down
slowly in air, water, and soil by sunlight or small organisms.
- There is no information about what happens to JP-7 when
it enters the environment, but it probably acts similarly
to JP-4.
- There is no information on whether JP-4 and JP-7 build
up significantly in plants and animals.
- It is likely that some of the chemical components of JP-4
and JP-7 build up in plants and animals.
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How
might I be exposed to jet fuels JP-4 and JP-7? |
- Exposure to JP-4 occurs primarily in workers who manufacture,
transport, or use jet fuels.
- Exposure to JP-4 is most likely to occur through skin
contact or breathing contaminated air.
- You may be exposed to JP-4 by breathing some of the chemicals
that evaporate from a spill or leak site.
- You may also be exposed through drinking or swimming in
water that has been contaminated with JP-4, or from touching
soil contaminated from a spill or leak.
- There is no information about how individuals may be exposed
to JP-7, but it is reasonable to assume that you could be
exposed in the same ways as for JP-4.
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How
can jet fuels JP-4 and JP-7 affect my health? |
Little information is available about
the health effects that may be caused by JP-4 and JP-7. Inhaling
large amounts of JP-4 vapor may cause painful breathing and
a feeling of suffocation, as well as headache, dizziness,
nausea, depression, anxiety, memory loss, and irritability.
Animal studies have shown that inhaling
extremely large amounts of JP-4 or JP-7 vapor does not cause
death. However, animals breathing high levels of JP-4 vapor
for short periods exhibited poor coordination and convulsions.
A depressed activity level has been seen in animals breathing
low levels of JP-4 vapor. Other effects seen in animals breathing
JP-4 or JP-7 vapor have been skin and eye irritation, changes
in liver cells, and decreased numbers of white blood cells.
We do not know whether JP-4 or JP-7 can
cause birth defects or if they affect reproduction in people.
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How
likely are jet fuels JP-4 and JP-7 to cause cancer? |
The International Agency for Research
on Cancer (IARC) has stated there is not enough information
to determine how likely JP-4 and JP-7 are to cause cancer
in humans.
Studies with mice and rats have suggested
that skin contact with JP-4 may cause skin cancer, although
this is not certain. There is also no clear evidence that
breathing, eating, or drinking JP-4 or JP-7 causes cancer
in animals.
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Is
there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to jet
fuels JP-4 and JP-7? |
There is no medical test that shows if
you have been exposed to JP-4 and JP-7. Tests are available
to determine if some of the chemicals commonly found in jet
fuels are in your blood. However, the presence of these chemicals
in blood may not necessarily mean that you have been exposed
to JP-4 or JP-7.
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Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health? |
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) has set an exposure limit of 500 parts of petroleum
distillates per million parts of air (500 ppm) for an 8-hour
workday, 40-hour workweek.
The Air Force Office of Safety and Health
(AFOSH) has set an exposure limit of 400 ppm petroleum distillates
for an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek.
The National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that average workplace
air levels not exceed 350 milligrams of petroleum distillates
per cubic meter of air (350 mg/m³) for a 40-hour workweek.
The Department of Transportation (DOT)
lists JP-4 and JP-7 as hazardous materials and, therefore,
regulates their transportation.
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Glossary |
CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service.
Evaporate: To change into a vapor or
a gas.
Milligram: One thousandth of a gram.
ppm: Parts per million.
Sediment: Mud and debris that have settled
to the bottom of a body of water.
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References |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 1995. Toxicological Profile for jet fuels JP-4 and JP-7. 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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