C(3)H(8)O

(For Structure, see paper copy)

Isopropanol, 2-propanol, propan-2-ol, sec-propyl alcohol, dimethylcarbinol, isohol, petrohol, pro

Isopropyl alcohol is a flammable, colorless liquid with an odor resembling alcohol. The air odor threshold concentration of isopropyl alcohol has been reported as 22 parts per million (ppm) parts of air.

The National Fire Protection Association has assigned a flammability rating of 3 (severe fire hazard) to isopropyl alcohol.

Fires involving isopropyl alcohol should be fought upwind from the maximum distance possible. Keep unnecessary people away; isolate the hazard area and deny entry. Isolate the area for 1/2 mile in all directions if a tank, rail car, or tank truck is involved in the fire. For a massive fire in a cargo area, use unmanned hose holders or monitor nozzles; if this is impossible, withdraw from the area and let the fire burn. Emergency personnel should stay out of low areas and ventilate closed spaces before entering. Vapors may travel to a source of ignition and flash back. Vapors are an explosion and poison hazard indoors, outdoors, or in sewers. Containers of isopropyl alcohol may explode in the heat of the fire and should be moved from the fire area if it is possible to do so safely. If this is not possible, cool fire exposed containers from the sides with water until well after the fire is out. Stay away from the ends of containers. Personnel should withdraw immediately if a rising sound from a venting safety device is heard or if there is discoloration of a container due to fire. Firefighters should wear a full set of protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus when fighting fires involving isopropyl alcohol.

The current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) for isopropyl alcohol is 400 ppm (980 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m(3))) as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) concentration [29 CFR 1910.1000, Table Z-1].

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has established a recommended exposure limit (REL) for isopropyl alcohol of 400 ppm (980 mg/m(3)) as a TWA for up to a 10-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek and a short-term exposure limit (STEL) of 500 ppm 1225 mg/m(3)) for periods not to exceed 15 minutes. Exposures at the STEL concentration should not be repeated more than four times a day and should be separated by intervals of at least 60 minutes [NIOSH 1992].

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) has assigned isopropyl alcohol a threshold limit value (TLV) of 400 ppm (983 mg/m(3)) as a TWA for a normal 8-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek and a short-term exposure limit (STEL) of 500 ppm (1230 mg/m(3)) for periods not to exceed 15 minutes [ACGIH 1994, p. 24].

The NIOSH limits are based on the risk of mucous membrane irritation;

carcinogenic effects [NIOSH 1992].

The ACGIH limits are based on the risk of eye, nose, and throat irritation [ACGIH
1991, p. 829].

Exposure to isopropyl alcohol can occur through inhalation, ingestion, eye or skin contact, and skin absorption [Genium 1993].

* The manufacture and transportation of isopropyl alcohol

* Use as a solvent both in spray and nonspray heat applications of surface coatings (stains, phenolic varnishes, nitrocellulose lacquers), quick-drying inks and paints, textile coatings and dyes, dopes, and polishes

* Liberated during manufacture and packing of acetone

* Liberated during manufacture of surface coatings, thinners, cosmetics, liniments, skin lotions, permanent wave lotions, pharmaceuticals and hair tonics

* Use as a preservative, extractant, dehydrating agent, denaturant, and synthetic flavoring agent

* Use in organic synthesis of isopropyl derivatives, including phenols, acetates, xanthates, herbicidal esters, oleate, aluminum isopropoxide, ether, amines, myristate, palmitate, nitrate, and glycerin

* Liberated during preparation, manufacture, packaging, and use of disinfectants and sanitizers (including rubbing alcohol), other antiseptic solutions, skin astringents, mouth washes, perfumes, oils, gums, resins, and creosote and mediated sprays

* Use in manufacture of cleaning and degreasing agents, including stain and spot removers, glass cleaners, rug and upholstery cleaners, tar removers, liquid soaps, and windshield cleaner fluids; in manufacture of deicing, de-fogging, and antifreeze products

* Use in extraction and purification of alkaloids, proteins, chlorophyll, perfumes, sulfuric acid, vitamin, kelp, pectin, resins, oils, shellacs, gums, and waxes

* Use as a coolant in beer manufacture; as a cleaning and drying agent in the manufacture of electronic tubes; as a de-icer for aircraft propellers; and as a fuel ingredient in refrigeration-car heaters

* Use in manufacture of adhesives, including nitrocellulose film and microfilm cement; used in manufacture of safety glass

* Process enclosure
* Local exhaust ventilation
* General dilution ventilation
* Personal protective equipment

Workers who may be exposed to chemical hazards should be monitored in a systematic program of medical surveillance that is intended to prevent occupational injury and disease. The program should include education of employers and workers about work-related hazards, early detection of adverse health effects, and referral of workers for diagnosis and treatment. The occurrence of disease or other work-related adverse health effects should prompt immediate evaluation of primary preventive measures (e.g., industrial hygiene monitoring, engineering controls, and personal protective equipment). A medical surveillance program is intended to supplement, not replace, such measures. To detect and control work-related health effects, medical evaluations should be performed (1) before job placement, (2) periodically during the term of employment, and (3) at the time of job transfer or termination.

Before a worker is placed in a job with a potential for exposure to isopropyl alcohol, a licensed health care professional should evaluate and document the worker's baseline health status with thorough medical, environmental, and occupational histories, a physical examination, and physiologic and laboratory tests appropriate for the anticipated occupational risks. These should concentrate on the function and integrity of the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. Medical surveillance for respiratory disease should be conducted using the principles and methods recommended by the American Thoracic Society.

A preplacement medical evaluation is recommended to assess medical conditions that may be aggravated or may result in increased risk when a worker is exposed to isopropyl alcohol at or below the prescribed exposure limit. The health care professional should consider the probable frequency, intensity, and duration of exposure as well as the nature and degree of any applicable medical condition. Such conditions (which should not be regarded as absolute contraindications to job placement) include a history and other findings consistent with diseases of the eyes, skin, and respiratory system.

Occupational health interviews and physical examinations should be performed at regular intervals during the employment period, as mandated by any applicable Federal, State, or local standard. Where no standard exists and the hazard is minimal, evaluations should be conducted every 3 to 5 years or as frequently as recommended by an experienced occupational health physician. Additional examinations may be necessary if a worker develops symptoms attributable to isopropyl alcohol exposure. The interviews, examinations, and medical screening tests should focus on identifying the adverse effects of isopropyl alcohol on the eyes, skin, and respiratory system. Current health status should be compared with the baseline health status of the individual worker or with expected values for a suitable reference population.

The medical, environmental, and occupational history interviews, the physical examination, and selected physiologic or laboratory tests that were conducted at the time of placement should be repeated at the time of job transfer or termination to determine the worker's medical status at the end of his or her employment. Any changes in the worker's health status should be compared with those expected for a suitable reference population.

Biological monitoring involves sampling and analyzing body tissues or fluids to provide an index of exposure to a toxic substance or metabolite. No biological monitoring test acceptable for routine use has yet been developed for isopropyl alcohol.

Isopropyl alcohol is not subject to EPA emergency planning requirements under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) (Title III) in 42 USC 11022.

A hazardous substance release is defined by EPA as any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing into the environment (including the abandonment or discarding of contaminated containers) of hazardous substances. In the event of a release that is above the reportable quantity for that chemical, employers are required to notify the proper Federal, State, and local authorities [40 CFR 355.40].

The reportable quantity of isopropyl alcohol is 5,000 pounds. If an amount equal to or greater than this quantity is released within a 24-hour period in a manner that will expose persons outside the facility, employers are required to do the following:

- Notify the National Response Center immediately at (800) 424-8802 or at (202) 426-2675 in Washington, D.C. [40 CFR 302.6].

Employers are not required by EPA in 40 CFR Part 372.30 to submit a Toxic Chemical Release Inventory form (Form R) to EPA reporting the amount of isopropyl alcohol emitted or released from their facility annually.

EPA considers a waste to be hazardous if it exhibits any of the following characteristics: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity as defined in 40 CFR 261.21-261.24.

Providing detailed information about the removal and disposal of specific chemicals is beyond the scope of this guideline. The U.S. Department of Transportation, EPA, and State and local regulations should be followed to ensure that removal, transport, and disposal of this substance are conducted in accordance with existing regulations. To be certain that chemical waste disposal meets EPA regulatory requirements, employers should address any questions to the RCRA hotline at (703) 412-9810 (in the Washington, D.C. area) or toll-free at (800) 424-9346 (outside Washington, D.C.). In addition, relevant State and local authorities should be contacted for information on any requirements they may have for the waste removal and disposal of this substance.

Good industrial hygiene practice requires that engineering controls be used where feasible to reduce workplace concentrations of hazardous materials to the prescribed exposure limit. However, some situations may require the use of respirators to control exposure. Respirators must be worn if the ambient concentration of isopropyl alcohol exceeds prescribed exposure limits. Respirators may be used (1) before engineering controls have been installed, (2) during work operations such as maintenance or repair activities that involve unknown exposures, (3) during operations that require entry into tanks or closed vessels, and (4) during emergencies. Workers should only use respirators that have been approved by NIOSH and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

Employers should institute a complete respiratory protection program that, at a minimum, complies with the requirements of OSHA's Respiratory Protection Standard [29 CFR 1910.134]. Such a program must include respirator selection, an evaluation of the worker's ability to perform the work while wearing a respirator, the regular training of personnel, respirator fit testing, periodic workplace monitoring, and regular respirator maintenance, inspection, and cleaning. The implementation of an adequate respiratory protection program (including selection of the correct respirator) requires that a knowledgeable person be in charge of the program and that the program be evaluated regularly. For additional information on the selection and use of respirators and on the medical screening of respirator users, consult the latest edition of the NIOSH Respirator Decision Logic [NIOSH 1987b] and the NIOSH Guide to Industrial Respiratory Protection [NIOSH 1987a].