EPA 749-F-94.003
Environmental Protection December 1994

United States

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Chemicals can be released to the envi-
ronment as a result of their manufacture,
processing, and use. The EPA has de-
veloped information summaries on se-
lected chemicals to describe how you
might be exposed to these chemicals,
how exposure to them might affect you
and the environment, what happens to
them in the environment, who regulates
them, and whom to contact for additional
information. EPA is committed to re-
ducing environmental releases of
chemicals through source reduction and

other practices that reduce creation of —

pollutants.

WHAT IS ACETALDEHYDE, HOW
IS IT USED, AND HOW MIGHT I
_ BE EXPOSED?

Acetaldehyde is a colorless,
flammable liquid. It occurs naturally in
certain foods, such as ripe ‘fruits and
coffee, and in cigarette smoke. Green
plants produce acetaldehyde as they
break down food. It is produced in large
amounts (740 million pounds in 1989) by
two companies in the United States. US
production of acetaldehyde may decline

"in the near future as Mexico increases its
production of the chemical. US demand
for acetaldehyde increksed slightly from
1987 to 1989, but is likely to remain
steady at its current level. The largest
users of acetaldehyde are companies that
make acetic acid and related chemicals.
Companies also use acetaldehyde to
make other chemicals such as pyridine,
pentaerythritol, and peracetic acid.

Exposure to acetaldehyde can occur
in the workplace or in the environment fol-
lowing releases to air, water, land, or
groundwater. Exposure can also occur when
people eat fruit, drink coffee, or smoke
cigarettes. Acetaldehyde enters the body
when breathed in with contaminated air or
when consumed with contaminated food or
water. It does not remain in the body due to
its breakdown, mainly to a chemical that is
normally present in the human body.

WHAT HAPPENS TO ACETALDEHYDE
IN THE ENVIRONMENT?

Acetaldehyde evaporates when ex-
posed to air. It dissolves completely when
mixed with water. Most direct releases of
acetaldehyde to the environment are to air or
to underground sites. It also evaporates from
water and soil exposed to air. Once in air, it
breaks down to other chemicals. Microor-
ganisms that live in water and in soil can also
break down acetaldehyde. Because it is a
liquid that does not bind well to soil, acet-
aldehyde that makes its way into the ground
can move through the ground and entei
groundwater. Plants and animals are not
likely to store acetaldehyde.

HOW DOES ACETALDEHYDE AFFECT
HUMAN HEALTH AND THE
ENVIRONMENT?

Effects of acetaldehyde on humar
health and the environment depend <.. how
much acetaldehyde is present and the lengtt:

and frequency of exposure. Effects
also de pend on the health of a person
or the condition of the environment
wen ¢xposure occurs.

Breathing acetaldehyde for
short periods of time can irritate the
human respiratory system. Acetalde-
hyde «an also adversely affect the
ccrdiovascular system. Contact with
acetaldehyde liquid or vapor irritates
the skin and the eyes. These effects
are no: likely to occur at levels of
acetalc ehyde that are normally found
in the :nvironment.

Human health effects asso-
ciated with breathing or otherwise
consuining small amounts of acetal-
dehydi) over long periods of time are
not krown. Limited evidence from
atima studies shows that acetalde-
hyde van adversely affect the devel- -
oping fetus. Laboratory studies also
show ‘hat acetaldehyde can severely
damage the respiratory tract and cause
cance: in animals exposed repeatedly
by inhalation. Repeat exposure to
acetallehyde in air may likewise
cause cancer in humans.

Acetaldehyde by itself is not
likely to cause environmental harm at
levels normally found in the envi-
ronment. Acetaldehyde can con-
tibut to the formation of photo-
chemical smog when it reacts with
cther volatile organic carbon sub-
stance. s in air.