1.1 What are 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene? |
1.2 What happens to 1,3-dinitrobenzene
and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene when they enter the environment? |
1.3 How might I be exposed to 1,3-dinitrobenzene
and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene? |
1.4 How can 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene
enter and leave my body? |
1.5 How can 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene
affect my health? |
1.6 Is there a medical test to determine
whether I have been exposed to 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene? |
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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June 1995 |
Public Health Statement |
for |
1,3-Dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-Trinitrobenzene
(1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB) |
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CAS#
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1,3-Dinitrobenzene 99-65-0 |
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1,3,5-Trinitrobenzene 99-35-4 |
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This Public Health Statement is the
summary chapter from the Toxicological
Profile for 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB
and 1,3,5-TNB). 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 1,3-dinitrobenzene (1,3-DNB) and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene
(1,3,5-TNB) and to emphasize the human health effects that
may result from exposure to them. The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has identified 1,397 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. 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB have been found
in at least 19 of the sites on the NPL. However, the number
of NPL sites evaluated for 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB is not known.
As EPA evaluates more sites, the number of sites at which
1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB are found may increase. This information
is important because exposure to 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB may
cause harmful health effects and because these sites are potential
or actual sources of human exposure to 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB.
When a chemical 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 as a chemical
emission. This emission, which is also called a release, does
not always lead to exposure. You can be exposed to a chemical
only when you come into contact with the chemical. You may
be exposed to it in the environment by breathing, eating,
or drinking substances containing the chemical or from skin
contact with it.
If you are exposed to a hazardous chemical
such as 1,3-DNB or 1,3,5-TNB, several 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 are 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene? |
1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB are synthetic substances
that are used in explosives. In making 1,3,5-TNB, 1,3-DNB
is often made first. Both 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB are formed
as by-products when another explosive, trinitrotoluene (TNT),
is made. 1,3-DNB is also used to make certain dyes, as an
intermediate in the synthesis of organic chemicals, and in
the plastics manufacturing industry. 1,3,5-TNB is used in
making rubber. Other names for 1,3-DNB include m-dinitrobenzene,
1,3-dinitrobenzol, 2,4-dinitrobenzene, dinitrobenzene, and
m-DNB. Other names for 1,3,5-TNB include benzite, s-trinitrobenzene,
sym-trinitrobenzene, symmetric trinitrobenzene, syn-trinitrobenzene,
and TNB. Both 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB are yellow, crystal-like
solids at room temperature. They may exist in the air in very
small amounts as a dust or a vapor and can dissolve in certain
liquids. If either compound is put under very high heat, it
will explode. These compounds have no odor or taste.
In this profile, 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB
are discussed together because they have very similar structures.
Since the two compounds are similar in structure, their toxic
effects may not be very different.
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1.2
What happens to 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene
when they enter the environment? |
Waste discharges from Army ammunition
plants or other chemical manufacturers are the primary sources
for the releases of both compounds to air, water, and soil.
They can also enter the environment from their use as explosives
and from spills or improper disposal. It is unlikely that
either compound would normally be found in the air. However,
under some industrial use conditions, some 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB
may enter the air in the form of dust. We have very little
information about what happens to 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB in
the air. The small amounts of 1,3,5-TNB that may enter the
air are likely to break down very slowly. It might persist
for many years in the air. 1,3-DNB is also likely to break
down in the air; however, we do not know how long this would
take. Both compounds are slightly soluble in water. 1,3-DNB
evaporates slowly from water; 1,3,5-TNB does not evaporate
from water. Neither compound sticks strongly to soil; therefore,
both can move through soil into groundwater. 1,3-DNB breaks
down slowly in water and soil. It stays for days to months
in water. Although 1,3,5-TNB probably breaks down in water
and soil, we do not know how long this takes. Neither compound
is likely to build up in fish or humans.
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1.3
How might I be exposed to 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene? |
Most of the population will not be exposed
to 1,3-DNB or 1,3,5-TNB. If you live or work near an Army
ammunition plant or other chemical manufacturer, you may be
exposed to these compounds by contaminated drinking water,
food, air, or soil. At this time, it is not known how much
of these compounds you might consume or how much might be
in the air. We also do not know how many workers are exposed
to the compounds. Both 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB have been found
in water and soil at some Army ammunition plants. Groundwater
samples had levels of 1,3-DNB ranging from 0.0012 to 0.195
parts per one million parts of water (ppm). 1,3-DNB was present
at higher levels in soil, with concentrations ranging from
0.77 to 1.5 ppm. 1,3,5-TNB was also present in groundwater
samples at concentrations up to 8 ppm. 1,3,5-TNB was present
at higher levels in soil, with concentrations ranging from
368 to 3,920 ppm.
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1.4
How can 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene enter and
leave my body? |
1,3-DNB can enter your bloodstream if
you breathe it in the air or get it on your skin. There is
no information on how 1,3,5-TNB can enter or exit your body.
Exposure of the general population to 1,3-DNB or 1,3,5-TNB
is not likely, so most people exposed to 1,3-DNB have come
in contact with it in their work place. Results of studies
in people and animals show that 1,3-DNB enters the body very
quickly through the skin or lungs. Once 1,3-DNB is inside
your body, it breaks down quickly. 1,3-DNB and its related
breakdown products also exit the body very quickly in the
urine. Some breakdown products of 1,3-DNB may also leave in
the feces. Results of studies in people and animals show that
most of the 1,3-DNB exits the body within 2 to 3 weeks after
exposure.
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1.5
How can 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene affect
my health? |
1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB are suspected to
cause similar health effects. Exposure to high concentrations
of 1,3-DNB can reduce the ability of blood to carry oxygen
and can cause your skin to become bluish in color. If you
are exposed to 1,3-DNB for a long time, you can develop a
reduction (or loss) in the number of red blood cells (anemia).
Other symptoms of 1,3-DNB exposure include headache, nausea,
and dizziness. We do not know if there are any long-term health
effects of exposure to 1,3-DNB or 1,3,5-TNB in people. We
also do not know if 1,3-DNB or 1,3,5-TNB causes birth defects
or cancer in people.
Results of studies in animals show that
effects of 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB on the blood are similar
to the effects seen in people. Results from animal studies
also show some other effects of 1,3-DNB exposure, such as
behavioral changes, damaged sperm production, and male reproductive
damage. We do not know if these other effects could occur
in people. Animal studies also show that, in certain cases,
a large enough single oral dose of 1,3-DNB can cause death.
Neither 1,3-DNB or 1,3,5-TNB have been tested to see whether
or not they cause cancer in animals.
The Environmental Protection Agency has
determined that 1,3-DNB is not classifiable as to its human
carcinogenicity and has not classified the carcinogenicity
of 1,3,5-TNB.
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1.6
Is there a medical test to determine whether I have been exposed
to 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene? |
No tests are available commercially to
determine if you have been exposed to 1,3-DNB or 1,3,5-TNB.
There are tests to detect 1,3-DNB and its breakdown products
in the blood and urine of exposed animals, but these tests
have not been used for people.
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1.7
What recommendations has the federal government made to protect
human health? |
The government has developed regulations
and guidelines for 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB. These are designed
to protect the public from the harmful health effects of the
chemicals. EPA has classified 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB as hazardous
wastes that must meet certain disposal requirements. The Department
of Transportation has many regulations on the transportation
of explosives including 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) regulates levels of 1,3-DNB in the workplace. The maximum
allowable amount of 1,3-DNB in workroom air during an 8-hour
workday, 40-hour workweek, is 1.0 milligram per cubic meter
(mg/m³).
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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). 1995. Toxicological
profile for 1,3-dinitrobenzene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene.
Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Public Health Service.
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