August 1999 |
ToxFAQs™ |
for |
Jet Fuels JP-5 & JP-8 |
(Combustibles de Aviones de Reacción JP-5 y JP-8) |
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This fact sheet answers the most frequently
asked health questions about jet fuels JP-5 & JP-8. 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: Exposure to jet
fuels JP-5 and JP-8 occurs mainly in the workplace or
from accidents or spills. Breathing in large amounts of
JP-5 and JP-8 may result in headaches, difficulty in concentrating,
coordination problems, and fatigue. These chemicals have
been found in at least 22 of the 1,445 National Priorities
List sites identified by the Environmental Protection
Agency. |
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What
are jet fuels JP-5 & JP-8? |
Jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8 are substances
used as aircraft fuels by the military. JP-5 and JP-8 is shorthand
for jet propellants 5 and 8. JP-5 is the U.S. Navy's primary
jet fuel, and JP-8 is one of the jet fuels used by the U.S.
Air Force.
Both of the substances are composed of
a large number of chemicals, and both are colorless liquids
that may change into gas vapor. They smell like kerosene,
since kerosene is the primary component of both JP-5 and JP-8.
They are made by refining either crude petroleum oil deposits
found underground or shale oil found in rock.
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What
happens to jet fuels JP-5 & JP-8 when they enter the environment? |
- Some chemicals in JP-5 and JP-8 will evaporate into air
from open containers or when they are spilled into water
or soil.
- JP-5 and JP-8 in air may break down by reacting with sunlight
or chemicals in air.
- Chemicals in JP-5 and JP-8 may slowly move from the soil
into groundwater.
- Other chemicals in JP-5 and JP-8 will attach to particles
in water and may sink to the bottom sediments.
- Chemicals in JP-5 and JP-8 may be broken down by bacteria
and other organisms in soil and water.
- JP-5 and JP-8 may stay in the soil for more than 10 years.
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How
might I be exposed to jet fuels JP-5 & JP-8? |
- Most people would not be exposed to jet fuels JP-5 and
JP-8 unless they work with these substances or live very
close to where they are used or spilled.
- Breathing air in an area where an accident or leak of
jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8 has occurred.
- Drinking water contaminated with JP-5 or JP-8.
- Touching soil contaminated with jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8.
- Working refueling military aircraft or transporting jet
fuels.
- Living near a hazardous waste site where jet fuels JP-5
and JP-8 are disposed of.
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How
can jet fuels JP-5 & JP-8 affect my health? |
Little is known about the effects of
jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8 on people's health. Breathing large
amounts of JP-5 and JP-8 for a short period may result in
headaches, difficulty in concentrating, coordination problems,
and fatigue. Breathing lower levels of JP-5 and JP-8 for a
longer period could result in lack of initiative, sleep disturbances,
and dizziness.
Much information is available on accidental
poisonings in children from drinking kerosene. Effects seen
include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, coughing, drowsiness,
and loss of consciousness. Drinking very large amounts can
result in death. Skin exposure to kerosene results in skin
irritation, consisting of itchy, red, peeling, and sore skin.
It is not known whether jet fuels JP-5
and JP-8 can affect reproduction or cause birth defects in
people or animals.
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How
likely are jet fuels JP-5 & JP-8 to cause cancer? |
The International Agency for Research
on Cancer has concluded that jet fuels are not classifiable
as to their carcinogenicity to humans.
No carcinogenicity studies on jet fuels
JP-5 and JP-8 are available in people. A study on the use
of kerosene stoves found no association between their use
and bronchial cancer, while another study found an increase
in oral cancer in men who used kerosene stoves. Other studies
in people are inconclusive. An animal study showed no increase
in kidney tumors when rats breathed air containing high levels
of JP-5 or JP-8 for 90 days. Skin tumors were seen in mice
when their skin was exposed to jet fuel JP-5 for 60 weeks.
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Is
there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to jet
fuels JP-5 & JP-8? |
No test shows if you have been exposed
to JP-5 or JP-8. However, tests can determine if your blood
contains some of the chemicals found in JP-5 and JP-8. However,
the concentrations of these chemicals in JP-5 and JP-8 are
very low, and if they were detected in your blood, it would
not necessarily mean that you were exposed to JP-5 or JP-8.
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Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health? |
Very few regulations or advisories are
specific to jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8. The following is a recommendation
for petroleum products, which are similar to jet fuels JP-5
and JP-8.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
and the Air Force Office of Safety and Health have set an
exposure limit of 400 milligrams of petroleum products per
cubic meter of air (400 mg/m³)
for an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek.
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Glossary |
Carcinogenicity: Ability to cause cancer.
CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service.
Milligram (mg): One thousandth of a gram.
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References |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 1998. Toxicological Profile for jet fuels JP-5 & JP-8. 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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