December 1989 |
Public Health Statement |
for |
Bis(chloromethyl) Ether |
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This Public Health Statement is the
summary chapter from the Toxicological
Profile for bis(chloromethyl) ether. 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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1.1
What is bis(chloromethyl) ether? |
Bis(chloromethyl) ether (BCME) is a man-made
chemical with a strong, unpleasant odor. It is a clear liquid
at room temperature, but it readily evaporates into air. BCME
undergoes chemical reactions easily, so it is broken down
very rapidly when it comes into contact with water. Consequently,
any BCME that might escape from a chemical plant or a chemical
waste site into water or moist soil would be destroyed within
a few minutes. BCME that escapes into air is also broken down
by reacting with water and other chemicals, but this takes
a few hours.
BCME was used in the past to make several
types of polymers, resins and textiles. However, because BCME
is believed to cause cancer in humans, these uses have been
stopped. BCME is now used only in small amounts inside fully
enclosed systems in chemical plants.
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1.2
How might I be exposed to bis(chloromethyl) ether? |
Since BCME has such limited use in the
United States, chances for exposure to BCME are low. Some
BCME can form as an impurity during the production of other
chemicals, so exposure might occur in chemical plants that
make or use these chemicals. Also, some BCME may exist in
chemical waste sites, although this is not certain. Because
BCME evaporates easily, the most likely way to be exposed
to BCME in the workplace or around a waste site is by breathing
air containing BCME vapors. However, information on levels
of BCME which exist in air is not available.
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1.3
How can bis(chloromethyl) ether enter and leave my body? |
Because BCME is so quickly broken down
by water, most BCME that contacts the body is quickly changed
into other chemicals (formaldehyde and hydrochloric acid)
before it passes through the outermost layer of cells contacted
(e.g., the cells that line the nose, windpipe and lungs).
Some BCME may enter into the blood or internal tissues, but
this has not been studied and the amount may be too small
to measure.
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1.4
How can bis(chloromethyl) ether affect my health? |
Studies of people exposed to BCME in
the workplace show that breathing of BCME vapors causes irritation
to the nose, throat, and lungs. Contact with the liquid is
also highly irritating to skin. In animals, breathing in high
levels of BCME causes swelling and bleeding in the lung and
can cause death. Workers exposed to BCME have been shown to
have a higher-than-expected incidence of lung cancer. This
observation is supported by studies in animals which also
show that BCME can cause cancer.
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1.5
Is there a medical test to determine whether I have been exposed
to bis(chloromethyl) ether? |
Because BCME is broken down so rapidly
in the body, there are no specific tests to determine if a
human has been exposed to this compound. The only available
medical tests are physical examination of the nose and throat,
chest X-ray, and examination of the sputum for abnormal cell
types. Unfortunately, these tests are not specific for this
compound, and would reveal effects of the compound only after
damage to the tissues had already occurred.
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1.6
What levels of exposure have resulted in harmful health effects? |
No information exists for either animals
or humans on harmful health effects following oral exposure,
but oral exposure is of little concern since BCME breaks down
in water or moist foods and exposure is not likely by this
route. Direct skin contact with even small amounts (less than
a drop) of the liquid form of BCME causes severe skin irritation
at the site of contact. It is not known what levels result
in health effects in people from breathing BCME. In animals,
lung injury has occurred from short and long-term exposure
to levels of 0.7 parts per million (ppm) BCME and greater.
An increased number of deaths due to nasal tumors was seen
in animals exposed to BCME in air at levels of 0.1 ppm for
6 months.
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1.7
What recommendations has the federal government made to protect
human health? |
The EPA recommends that levels in lakes
and streams should be limited to 0.0000038 parts per billion
parts of water (0.0000038 ppb) to prevent possible health
effects from drinking water or eating fish contaminated with
bis(chloromethyl) ether. Any release to the environment greater
than 10 pounds of bis(chloromethyl) ether must be reported
to the EPA.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) has set a limit of 1 ppb as the highest acceptable
level in workplace air, and strict controls have been established
to minimize exposure to this chemical.
The federal recommendations have been
updated as of July 1999.
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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). 1989. Toxicological
profile for bis(chloromethyl)ether. Atlanta, GA: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.
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