Cumene

IDLH Documentation

CAS number: 98­82­8

NIOSH REL: 50 ppm (245 mg/m3) TWA [skin]

Current OSHA PEL: 50 ppm (245 mg/m3) TWA [skin]

1989 OSHA PEL: Same as current PEL

1993­1994 ACGIH TLV: 50 ppm (246 mg/m3) TWA [skin]

Description of Substance: Colorless liquid with a sharp, penetrating, aromatic odor.

LEL: . . 0.9% (10% LEL, 900 ppm)

Original (SCP) IDLH: 8,000 ppm

Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: The chosen IDLH is based on the rat 4­hour LC50 of 8,000 ppm [Smyth et al. 1951 cited by AIHA 1961].

Short­term 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

Mouse
Smyth et al. 1951

Werner et al. 1944
-----

2,000
8,000

-----
4 hr

7 hr
16,000 ppm (2.0)

4,800 ppm (2.4)
1,600 ppm

480 ppm


Lethal dose data:


Species

Reference

Route
LD50

(mg/kg)
LDLo

(mg/kg)

Adjusted LD
Derived value
Mouse

Rat
Sologob 1971

Wolf et al. 1956
oral

oral
12,750

1,400
-----

-----
17,850 ppm

1,960 ppm
1,785 ppm

196 ppm


Other animal data: Daily exposures of rats to 500 ppm for 5 months resulted in no significant blood changes, although hyperemia and congestion were noted in the lungs, liver, and kidneys [Clayton and Clayton 1981].

Human data: None relevant for use in determining the revised IDLH.

Revised IDLH: 900 ppm [LEL]

Basis for revised IDLH: Based on health considerations and acute inhalation toxicity data in animals [Clayton and Clayton 1981; Smyth et al. 1951], a value of about 1,500 ppm would have been appropriate. However, the revised IDLH for cumene is 900 ppm based strictly on safety considerations (i.e., being 10% of the lower explosive limit of 0.9%).


REFERENCES:

1. AIHA [1961]. Cumene. In: Hygienic guide series. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 22:522­524.

2. Clayton GD, Clayton FE, eds. [1981]. Patty's industrial hygiene and toxicology. 3rd rev. ed. Vol. 2B. Toxicology. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 3308­3310.

3 Smyth HF Jr, Carpenter CP, Weil CS [1951]. Range­finding toxicity data: list IV. AMA Arch Ind Hyg Occup Med 4:119­122.

4. Sologob AM [1971]. Experimental study on substantiation of the hygienic standard values of metadiisopropylbenzol and paradiisopropylbenzol in water bodies. Gig Sanit 36(9):18­21 (in Russian).

5. Werner HW, Dunn RC, von Oettingen WF [1944] The acute effects of cumene vapors in mice. J Ind Hyg Toxicol 26:264­268.

6. Wolf MA, Rowe VK, McCollister DD, Hollingsworth RL, Oyen F [1956]. Toxicological studies of certain alkylated benzenes and benzene. Experiments on laboratory animals. AMA Arch Ind Health 14:387­398.
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