n-Butylamine
May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
CAS number: 109–73–9
NIOSH REL: 5 ppm (15 mg/m3) CEILING [skin]
Current OSHA PEL: 5 ppm (15 mg/m3) CEILING [skin]
1989 OSHA PEL: Same as current PEL
1993-1994 ACGIH TLV: 5 ppm (15 mg/m3) CEILING [skin]
Description of Substance: Colorless liquid with a fishy, ammonia-like odor.
LEL: . . 1.7% (10% LEL, 1,700 ppm)
Original (SCP) IDLH: 2,000 ppm
Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: The chosen IDLH is based on the statement by AIHA [1960] that no rats died after a 4-hour exposure to 2,000 ppm [Smyth 1956], but 3 of 3 rats died after a 50-minute exposure to 3,100 ppm [Terhaar]. No other data on acute inhalation toxicity are available on which to base the IDLH.
Short-term exposure guidelines: None developed
ACUTE TOXICITY DATA
Lethal concentration data:
Species |
Reference |
LC50 (ppm) |
LCLo (ppm) |
Time |
Adjusted 0.5-hr LC (CF) |
Derived value |
Rat Rat Mouse Rat |
AIHA 1960 Carpenter et al.1949 Izmerov et al. 1982 Smyth 1956 |
LC100: 3,100 ----- ----- LC100: 4,000 |
----- 4,000 263 ----- |
50 min 4 hr 2 hr 2-5 min |
3,658 ppm (1.18) 8,000 ppm (2.0) 410 ppm (1.6) 1,600-2,200 ppm (0.4/055) |
366 ppm 800 ppm 41 ppm 160-220 ppm |
Lethal dose data:
Species |
Reference |
Route |
LD50 (mg/kg) |
LDLo (mg/kg) |
Adjusted LD |
Derived value |
Rat Mouse G. pig |
Cheever et al. 1982 Trubko 1975 Trubko 1975 |
oral oral oral |
366 430 430 |
----- ----- ----- |
843 ppm 990 ppm 990 ppm |
84 ppm 99 ppm 99 ppm |
Other animal data: Rats have survived a 4-hour exposure to 2,000 ppm [Cheever et al. 1982]. It has been stated that butylamine is more than twice as toxic as ethylamine by the respiratory route [ACGIH 1991].
Human data: None relevant for use in determining the revised IDLH.
Revised IDLH: 300 ppm Basis for revised IDLH: The revised IDLH for n-butylamine is 300 ppm based on acute inhalation toxicity data in animals [AIHA 1960; Smyth 1956] and an analogy [ACGIH 1991] to ethylamine which has a revised IDLH of 600 ppm. |
REFERENCES:
1. ACGIH [1991]. n-Butylamine. In: Documentation of the threshold limit values and biological exposure indices. 6th ed. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, pp. 176-177.
2. AIHA [1960]. n-Butylamine. In: Hygienic guide series. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 21:532-533.
3. Carpenter CP, Smyth HF Jr, Pozzani UC [1949]. The assay of acute vapor toxicity and the grading and interpretation of results on 96 chemical compounds. J Ind Hyg Toxicol 31(6):343-346.
4. Cheever KL, Richards DE, Plotnick HB [1982]. The acute oral toxicity of isomeric monobutylamines in the adult male and female rat. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 63:150-152.
5. Izmerov NF, Sanotsky IV, Sidorov KK [1982]. Toxicometric parameters of industrial toxic chemicals under single exposure. Moscow, Russia: Centre of International Projects, GKNT, p. 28.
6. Smyth HF Jr [1956]. Improved communication: hygienic standards for daily inhalation. Am Ind Hyg Assoc Q 17:129-185.
7. Terhaar CJ [?]. Personal communication to AIHA from the Laboratory of Industrial Medicine, Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY. [From AIHA [1960]. n-Butylamine. In: Hygienic guide series. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 21:532-533.]
8. Trubko EI [1975]. Investigations on hygienic standardization of n-butylamines in water bodies. Gig Sanit 40(11):21-23 (in Russian).
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