1.1 What is titanium tetrachloride? |
1.2 What happens to titanium tetrachloride
when it enters the environment? |
1.3 How might I be exposed to titanium
tetrachloride? |
1.4 How can titanium tetrachloride enter
and leave my body? |
1.5 How can titanium tetrachloride affect
my health? |
1.6 Is there a medical test to determine
whether I have been exposed to titanium tetrachloride? |
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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September 1997 |
Public Health Statement |
for |
Titanium Tetrachloride |
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This Public Health Statement is the
summary chapter from the Toxicological
Profile for titanium tetrachloride. 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 titanium tetrachloride and to emphasize
the human health effects that may result from exposure to
it.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has identified 1,416 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. Titanium tetrachloride has not been found
in any of the sites on the NPL. However, the number of NPL
sites evaluated for titanium tetrachloride is not known. As
EPA evaluates more sites, the number of sites at which titanium
tetrachloride is found may change. This information is important
because exposure to titanium tetrachloride may cause harmful
health effects. However, since titanium tetrachloride breaks
down rapidly in the environment, it is unlikely that you would
be exposed to it at disposal sites.
When a substance 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. This release
does not always lead to exposure. You can be exposed to a
substance only when you come in contact with it. You may be
exposed by breathing, eating, or drinking substances containing
the substance or by skin contact with it.
If you are exposed to a substance such
as titanium tetrachloride, many 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, lifestyle, and state of health.
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1.1
What is titanium tetrachloride? |
Titanium tetrachloride is a colorless
to pale yellow liquid that has fumes with a strong odor. If
it comes in contact with water, it rapidly forms hydrochloric
acid, as well as titanium compounds. In 1990, approximately
1.5 million tons of titanium tetrachloride were produced in
the United States.
Titanium tetrachloride is not found naturally
in the environment and is made from minerals that contain
titanium. It is used to make titanium metal and other titanium-containing
compounds, such as titanium dioxide, which is used as a white
pigment in paints and other products, and as an intermediary
to produce other chemicals.
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1.2
What happens to titanium tetrachloride when it enters the environment? |
Titanium tetrachloride enters the environment
primarily as air emissions from facilities that make or use
it in various chemical processes or as a result of spills.
If moisture is present in the air, titanium tetrachloride
reacts with the moisture to form hydrochloric acid and other
titanium compounds, such as titanium hydroxide and titanium
oxychlorides. The end-products produced when titanium tetrachloride
reacts with water are titanium dioxide and hydrochloric acid.
The hydrochloric acid may break down or be carried in the
air. Some of the titanium compounds may settle out to soil
or water. In water, they sink into the bottom sediments. They
may remain for a long time in the soil or sediments. Some
other titanium compounds, such as titanium dioxide, are also
found in the air and water.
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1.3
How might I be exposed to titanium tetrachloride? |
Titanium tetrachloride has not been found
in water, soil, food, or air except in the workplace. Because
titanium tetrachloride breaks down so rapidly in the environment,
you would probably not be exposed to it unless you worked
in a facility that made or used it, or you were exposed to
it as a result of a spill. If you work at such a facility,
you may breathe in air that contains it or breathe fumes of
hydrochloric acid. You could also breathe in particles of
titanium dioxide or titanium metal dust. If titanium tetrachloride
spills, you may get it on your skin. In 1980, about 2,100
workers may have been exposed to titanium tetrachloride in
the workplace. Since titanium tetrachloride breaks down rapidly
in the environment, it is unlikely that you would be exposed
to it at disposal sites.
No other information has been found on
the presence of titanium tetrachloride in air, water, soil,
or foods that would suggest that you may be exposed to it
from these sources.
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1.4
How can titanium tetrachloride enter and leave my body? |
The fumes from titanium tetrachloride
can easily enter your body if you breathe air that is contaminated
with it. In your nose and lungs, these fumes may cause burns.
Particles that contain titanium may remain in your lungs or
nearby tissue. Titanium tetrachloride and its breakdown products
do not appear to enter other parts of your body.
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1.5
How can titanium tetrachloride affect my health? |
To protect the public from the harmful
effects of toxic chemicals and to find ways to treat people
who have been harmed, scientists use many tests. One
way to see if a chemical will hurt people is to learn how
the chemical is absorbed, used, and released by the body;
for some chemicals, animal testing may be necessary. Animal
testing may also be used to identify health effects such as
cancer or birth defects. Without laboratory animals, scientists
would lose a basic method to get information needed to make
wise decisions to protect public health. Scientists have the
responsibility to treat research animals with care and compassion.
Laws today protect the welfare of research animals, and scientists
must comply with strict animal care guidelines.
Titanium tetrachloride can be very irritating
to the skin, eyes, mucous membranes, and the lungs. Titanium
tetrachloride is corrosive because it reacts strongly with
water to produce hydrochloric acid. The reaction products,
especially hydrochloric acid, cause the harmful health effects
and burns that can occur after exposure to titanium tetrachloride.
Breathing in large amounts of titanium tetrachloride can injure
the lungs seriously enough to cause death. We do not know
how much of the compound is necessary to cause death. After
short-term exposure to titanium tetrachloride, less serious
respiratory system effects can include coughing and tightness
in the chest. More severe effects can include chemical bronchitis
or pneumonia, and congestion of the mucous membranes of the
upper respiratory tract. These effects can cause long-term
effects such as the narrowing of the vocal cords, windpipe,
and upper airways. Although there are no data on swallowing
titanium tetrachloride, it is likely that eating large amounts
of this chemical could also cause death.
Accidental exposure to liquid titanium
tetrachloride can result in skin burns and can cause permanent
damage to the eyes if they are not protected.
Some laboratory animals that breathed
titanium tetrachloride fumes for 2 years developed lung tumors
of a special type. However, there is no evidence that chronic
exposure to titanium tetrachloride causes cancer in humans.
There is not enough information to determine if titanium tetrachloride
causes birth defects or affects reproduction. Titanium tetrachloride
has not been classified for its carcinogenic properties.
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1.6
Is there a medical test to determine whether I have been exposed
to titanium tetrachloride? |
There is no medical test to indicate
whether you have been exposed to titanium tetrachloride. However,
you can be tested for the presence of titanium dioxide or
titanium metal, which are breakdown products of titanium tetrachloride.
This test uses electron microscopes to examine lung tissue
for particles that contain titanium. This test is not specific
for titanium tetrachloride exposure, but it does indicate
exposure to some titanium-containing substances. Also, the
test does not indicate whether you may have potential health
effects resulting from such exposure or the amount of titanium
compound to which you were exposed.
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1.7
What recommendations has the federal government made to protect
human health? |
The federal government develops regulations
and recommendations to protect public health. Regulations
can be enforced by law. Federal agencies that develop regulations
for toxic substances include the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Recommendations
provide valuable guidelines to protect public health but cannot
be enforced by law. Federal organizations that develop recommendations
for toxic substances include the Agency for Toxic Substances
and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Regulations and recommendations can be
expressed in not-to-exceed levels in air, water, soil, or
food that are usually based on levels that affect animals,
then they are adjusted to help protect people. Sometimes these
not-to-exceed levels differ among federal organizations because
of different exposure times (an 8-hour workday or a 24-hour
day), the use of different animal studies, or other factors.
Recommendations and regulations are also periodically updated
as more information becomes available. For the most current
information, check with the federal agency or organization
that provides it. Some regulations and recommendations for
titanium tetrachloride include the following:
- Releases of more than 1 pound of titanium tetrachloride
must be reported to EPA.
- Maximum levels have not been established for titanium
tetrachloride exposure in the workplace.
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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). 1997. Toxicological
profile for titanium tetrachloride. Atlanta, GA: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.
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