1.1 What is 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene? |
1.2 What happens to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene
when it enters the environment? |
1.3 How might I be exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene? |
1.4 How can 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene enter
and leave my body? |
1.5 How can 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene affect
my health? |
1.6 Is there a medical test to determine
whether I have been exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene? |
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 |
2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene |
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This Public Health Statement is the
summary chapter from the Toxicological
Profile for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. 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 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and to emphasize the
human health effects that may result from exposure to it.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified 1,397
sites on its National Priorities List (NPL). 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene
has been found in at least 20 of these sites. However,
we do not know how many of the 1,397 NPL sites have been evaluated
for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. As EPA evaluates more sites,
the number of sites at which 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene is found
may change. This information is important for you to
know because 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene may cause harmful health
effects and because these sites are potential or actual sources
of human exposure to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene.
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 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, 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, life-style,
and state of health.
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1.1
What is 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene? |
2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene is a yellow, odorless,
solid manufactured compound that does not occur naturally
in the environment. It is made by combining toluene
with a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid. 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene
is also known by other names such as sym-trinitrotoluene,
TNT, and 1-methyl-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene. 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene
is produced in the United States only at military arsenals.
It is not produced commercially. 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene
is an explosive used in military shells, bombs, and grenades,
in industrial uses, and in underwater blasting.
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1.2
What happens to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene when it enters the environment? |
2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene enters the environment
in waste waters and solid wastes resulting from the manufacture
of the compound, the processing and destruction of bombs and
grenades, and the recycling of explosives. The compound
moves in surface water and through soils to groundwater.
In surface water, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene is rapidly broken
down into other chemical compounds by sunlight. Microorganisms
in water and sediment break down the compound more slowly.
Small amounts of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene can accumulate in fish
and plants.
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1.3
How might I be exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene? |
You may be exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene
as a result of its movement from chemical waste disposal sites
to drinking water. Children may also be exposed through
eating contaminated soil. Most exposure would result
from drinking contaminated water, breathing contaminated air,
or eating contaminated foods such as fruits and vegetables.
2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene has been measured at waste disposal
sites in groundwater at 0.32 parts of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene
per million parts of water (ppm) and in soil at up to 13,000
ppm. We have no data on levels in air or foods.
2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene can be taken up by plants from contaminated
soil and is probably present in the air as a result of disposal
by burning at military sites. Therefore, intake of air
and homegrown fruits and vegetables by people living near
military sites may also be sources of exposure to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene.
Worker exposure to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene
is possible as a result of its use in the production of bombs
and grenades. Most workplace exposure results from breathing
in 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene dust or vapor and contact with dust
on the skin.
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1.4
How can 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene enter and leave my body? |
2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene rapidly and completely
enters your body when you breathe in air or drink water that
is contaminated with this chemical. We have no information
on how much 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene enters your body when it
gets on your skin. We do know that it enters your body
more slowly through the skin than when it is taken into your
mouth. 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene in your blood travels throughout
your body to all of your organs. When 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene
reaches your liver, it breaks down and changes into several
different substances. Not all of these substances have
been identified, and we do not know whether they are harmful
or not. Most of these substances travel in your blood
until they reach your kidneys and then leave your body in
your urine. Studies in animals show that almost all
of the 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene that enters the body breaks down
and leaves the body in the urine within 24 hours.
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1.5
How can 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene affect my health? |
Workers involved in the production of
high explosives experienced many harmful health effects as
a result of exposure to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene at their jobs.
These effects included disorders of the blood, such as anemia,
and abnormal liver function. However, the levels of
2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in the workplace air at the time these
effects were seen ranged from less than 0.01 to 1.49 milligrams
of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene per cubic meter of air (mg/m³).
Some of the concentrations measured are higher than the level
currently allowed in the workplace (0.5 mg/m³).
Similar effects on the blood and the liver have been observed
in animals that either breathed or were fed 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene.
In addition, studies show that animals force- fed 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene
for an intermediate-duration (from 15–364 days) may have enlargement
of the spleen and other harmful effects on the immune system.
When people have prolonged skin contact with 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene,
they may develop an allergic reaction of the skin to this
chemical, such as itching and irritation. In addition,
long-term exposure to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene has been associated
with the development of cataracts in people.
No information is available to indicate
whether 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene causes birth defects.
However, studies in animals that were treated with high doses
of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene have shown that it can cause serious
effects on the male reproductive system. The available
information for determining whether 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene
causes cancer in humans is inadequate. However, rats
that ate 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene for long periods developed
tumors of the urinary bladder. Based on this study with
rats, EPA has classified 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in Group C,
a possible human carcinogen.
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1.6
Is there a medical test to determine whether I have been exposed
to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene? |
There are tests to determine if you have
been exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. These tests measure
2,4,6-trinitrotoluene or its breakdown products in your blood
and urine and have been used to test exposed workers.
Detection of the breakdown products in your urine is a clear
indication that you have been exposed. The complex and
expensive equipment needed to perform these tests is generally
available only at specialized laboratories. Another
simpler, but less specific, test of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene
exposure is a change in the color of your urine to amber or
deep red. This change results from the presence of breakdown
products and may indicate that you have been exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene.
None of these tests can predict whether a person exposed to
2,4,6-trinitrotoluene will experience any health effects related
to the exposure.
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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 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. These are
designed to protect the public and workers exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene
from potential harmful health effects of the chemical.
Since 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene is explosive, flammable, and toxic,
EPA has designated it as a hazardous waste. The Department
of Transportation (DOT) regulates the transport of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene
because it is a hazardous material. DOT specifies that
when 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene is shipped, it must be wet with
at least 10% water (by weight) and it must be clearly labeled
as a flammable solid.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) regulates levels of hazardous materials in the workplace.
The maximum allowable amount of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in workroom
air during an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek, is 0.5 mg/m³.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) recommends that the concentration in workroom air
be limited to 0.5 mg/m3 for up to a 10-hour workday during
a 40-hour workweek.
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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 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.
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