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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

TETRYL 

CAS#: 479-45-8 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for Tetryl. It 

is one in a series of Public Health Statements about 

hazardous substances and their health effects. A 

shorter version, the ToxFAQsTM, 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. 

This statement was prepared to give you 

information about tetryl and to emphasize the 

human health effects that may result from exposure 

to it. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has 

identified 1,397 hazardous 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. 

Tetryl has been found in at least 12 of the sites on 

the NPL. However, the number of NPL sites 

evaluated for tetryl is not known. As EPA evaluates 

more sites, the number of sites at which tetryl is 

found may increase. This information is important 

because exposure to tetryl may cause harmful health 

effects and because these sites are potential or 

actual sources of human exposure to tetryl. 

When a substance 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. This 

release does not always lead to exposure. You can 

be exposed to a substance only when you come in 

contact with it. You may be exposed by breathing, 

eating, or drinking substances containing the 

substance or by skin contact with it. 

If you are exposed to a substance such as tetryl, 

many 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. 

1.1 WHAT IS TETRYL? 

Tetryl is a synthetic substance that was used to 

make explosives, mostly during World War I and 

World War II. It is no longer manufactured or used 

in the United States. The chemical name for tetryl 

is N-methyl-N,2,4,6-tetranitroaniline. Other 

commonly used names are 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-Nmethylnitramine, nitramine, tetralite, and tetril. 

Stocks of tetryl are found in storage at military 

installations and are being destroyed by the 

Department of Defense. Tetryl was frequently 

manufactured as pellets or powder. Under certain 

manufacturing conditions, it could exist in the air as 

a dust. Tetryl is a yellow, crystal-like solid at room 

temperature. It dissolves slightly in water. It can 

also dissolve in other liquids, including benzene, 

alcohol, and acetone. At temperatures of 369°F 

(187°C) or higher, tetryl will explode. Tetryl has no 

odor, but some of its manufactured forms may have 

odors due to the presence of other chemicals. In 

addition, high concentrations of tetryl dust have an 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

TETRYL 

CAS#: 479-45-8 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

irritating effect on the nose that produces a 

sensation that might seem to be an odor. 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO TETRYL WHEN IT 

ENTERS THE ENVIRONMENT? 

Tetryl may be released to the air, water, and soil 

when old stores of the explosive are destroyed by 

exploding or burning. However, tetryl has not been 

measured in air during any of these activities. 

Tetryl that was manufactured or stored at military 

installations, or Army ammunition plants may still 

be present in the soil and water at or around these 

sites. Tetryl is not likely to evaporate into air from 

water or soil surfaces. However, tetryl may be 

present in air mixed with dust from these sites. 

Tetryl appears to break-down rapidly in some soils. 

Picric acid is one of the break down products of 

tetryl in soil. Tetryl probably does not easily travel 

from soil to groundwater. Erosion of soil from 

contaminated sites may release tetryl to nearby 

surface water. Once it is in the water, tetryl may 

dissolve or associate with small particles of 

suspended solids, sediments, or organic debris. 

Some of these particles will settle to the bottom. 

Tetryl breaks down rapidly in sunlit rivers and 

lakes, but much more slowly in groundwater. It is 

not known whether tetryl will build up in fish, 

plants, or land animals. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 

TETRYL? 

Most people are not exposed to tetryl because 

contamination is localized around military 

installations where it was manufactured, used, or 

stored. Tetryl can move through soil and enter 

underground water. If you live near one of these 

installations with tetryl contamination, you may be 

exposed to tetryl by drinking contaminated well 

water. You may also be exposed to tetryl by skin 

contact with contaminated soil or water. Workers 

who were previously involved in the processes of 

making, using, packing, or loading tetryl were 

probably exposed to tetryl by breathing 

contaminated dust and through skin contact. 

Workers currently involved in the clean-up, 

disposal, and destruction of tetryl may also be 

exposed by these routes. We do not know how 

many workers are exposed to tetryl. 

Tetryl has been found in soil and water at some 

military installations, such as Army ammunition 

plants, and in underground water at one site near a 

military installation. 

1.4 HOW CAN TETRYL ENTER AND LEAVE 

MY BODY? 

Tetryl can enter your body if you breathe it in the 

air, drink it in water, or get it on your skin. We do 

not know the extent to which tetryl enters your body 

by these routes. Based on limited information from 

animal studies, tetryl probably leaves your body in 

urine after being broken down to other substances. 

1.5 HOW CAN TETRYL AFFECT MY 

HEALTH? 

Most of the information on the health effects of 

tetryl is from studies on workers in military 

facilities during World War I and World War II. 

These workers were involved in the production, use, 

packing, or loading of tetryl. The levels of tetryl in 

air at these facilities were often not measured. 

Many workers who breathed tetryl-laden dust 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

TETRYL 

CAS#: 479-45-8 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

complained of coughs, fatigue, headaches, eye 

irritation, lack of appetite, nosebleeds, nausea, 

and/or vomiting. Most workers who routinely 

handled tetryl powder and pellets in munitions 

factories developed a distinct yellow staining of the 

hands, neck, and hair. Workers with this staining 

were sometimes referred to as "canaries." Many 

workers who had skin contact with tetryl dust or 

compounds containing tetryl also developed skin 

rashes (dermatitis). The rashes ranged from mild to 

severe and symptoms often included reddening, 

itching, swelling, and peeling of skin. Most of these 

health effects usually developed within a few days 

to a few weeks after exposure to tetryl. Some 

workers were more sensitive to tetryl exposure and 

developed allergies to tetryl. These often included 

severe asthma-like reactions that sometimes 

required medical attention or hospitalization. 

Workers who developed allergies to tetryl had 

reactions within a few hours after being exposed 

again to tetryl. Many of these workers were moved 

to work areas where there was no tetryl. Little is 

known about the longer term health effects in 

workers exposed to tetryl. 

There is no information on health effects in people 

exposed to drinking water contaminated with tetryl. 

Rabbits fed high doses of tetryl every day for 6 to 9 

months developed degenerative lesions of the liver 

and kidney. Decreased blood-clotting capability 

and changes in the spleen were also noted. We do 

not know if tetryl causes cancer or birth defects, or 

if it affects reproduction in people or animals. The 

Department of Health and Human Services, the 

International Agency for Research on Cancer, and 

the Environmental Protection Agency have not 

classified the carcinogenicity of tetryl. 

1.6 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO TETRYL? 

During World War I and World War II, most 

workers who routinely handled tetryl powder and 

pellets in munitions factories developed a distinct 

yellow staining of the skin. Many workers also 

developed skin rashes. These workers were 

exposed to high concentrations of tetryl dust in the 

air and by direct contact with the explosives. There 

are no medical tests to show if you have been 

specifically exposed to tetryl. However, if the 

breakdown products of tetryl found in the urine of 

animals exposed to tetryl were also present in the 

urine of exposed people, these breakdown products 

could be used to indicate exposure to tetryl or 

similar substances. The symptoms caused by 

exposure to tetryl can also occur for many other 

reasons; therefore, they cannot be used as proof of 

tetryl exposure. 

1.7 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The federal government has developed standards 

and guidelines to protect people from the health 

effects of tetryl. The Department of Transportation 

has many regulations for the transportation of 

explosives such as tetryl. Although tetryl is no 

longer being manufactured or used, the 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

(OSHA) has set a regulatory level for tetryl in the 

workplace. The maximum allowable amount of 

tetryl in workroom air during an 8-hour workday, 

40-hour workweek, is 1.5 milligrams of tetryl per 

cubic meter of air (mg/m3). This level may apply to 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

TETRYL 

CAS#: 479-45-8 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

workers engaged in destruction of tetryl explosives 

and those who work in locations where tetryl is 

stored. The National Institute for Occupational 

Safety and Health recommends that workers not be 

exposed to air containing more than 1.5 mg/m3 

during a 10-hour workday. 

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 

Reference 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

(ATSDR). 1995. Toxicological profile for tetryl. 

Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services, Public Health Service. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov