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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

2,4,6-TRINITROTOLUENE 

 CAS#: 118-96-7 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for 2, 4, 6,-

Trinitrotoluene. 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 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and to 

emphasize the human health effects that may result 

from exposure to it. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has 

identified 1,397 sites on its National Priorities List 

(NPL). 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene has been found in at 

least 20 of these sites. However, we do not know 

how many of the 1,397 NPL sites have been 

evaluated for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. As EPA 

evaluates more sites, the number of sites at which 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene is found may change. This 

information is important for you to know because 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene may cause harmful health 

effects and because these sites are potential or 

actual sources of human exposure to 2,4,6­

trinitrotoluene. 

When a chemical 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 as a 

chemical emission. This emission, which is also 

called a release, does not always lead to exposure. 

You can be exposed to a chemical only when you 

come into contact with the chemical. You may be 

exposed to it in the environment by breathing, 

eating, or drinking substances containing the 

chemical or from skin contact with it. 

If you are exposed to a hazardous chemical such as 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, several 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, life-style, 

and state of health. 

1.1 WHAT IS 2,4,6-TRINITROTOLUENE? 

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene is a yellow, odorless, solid 

manufactured compound that does not occur 

naturally in the environment. It is made by 

combining toluene with a mixture of nitric acid and 

sulfuric acid. 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene is also known 

by other names such as sym-trinitrotoluene, TNT, 

and 1-methyl-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene. 2,4,6­

Trinitrotoluene is produced in the United States 

only at military arsenals. It is not produced 

commercially. 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene is an explosive 

used in military shells, bombs, and grenades, in 

industrial uses, and in underwater blasting. 

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 

2,4,6-TRINITROTOLUENE 

 CAS#: 118-96-7 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO 2,4,6-

TRINITROTOLUENE WHEN IT ENTERS 

THE ENVIRONMENT? 

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene enters the environment in 

waste waters and solid wastes resulting from the 

manufacture of the compound, the processing and 

destruction of bombs and grenades, and the 

recycling of explosives. The compound moves in 

surface water and through soils to groundwater. In 

surface water, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene is rapidly broken 

down into other chemical compounds by sunlight. 

Microorganisms in water and sediment break down 

the compound more slowly. Small amounts of 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene can accumulate in fish and 

plants. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 2,4,6-

TRINITROTOLUENE? 

You may be exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene as a 

result of its movement from chemical waste 

disposal sites to drinking water. Children may also 

be exposed through eating contaminated soil. Most 

exposure would result from drinking contaminated 

water, breathing contaminated air, or eating 

contaminated foods such as fruits and vegetables. 

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene has been measured at waste 

disposal sites in groundwater at 0.32 parts of 2,4,6­

trinitrotoluene per million parts of water (ppm) and 

in soil at up to 13,000 ppm. We have no data on 

levels in air or foods. 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene can be 

taken up by plants from contaminated soil and is 

probably present in the air as a result of disposal by 

burning at military sites. Therefore, intake of air 

and homegrown fruits and vegetables by people 

living near military sites may also be sources of 

exposure to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. 

Worker exposure to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene is possible 

as a result of its use in the production of bombs and 

grenades. Most workplace exposure results from 

breathing in 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene dust or vapor and 

contact with dust on the skin. 

1.4 HOW CAN 2,4,6-TRINITROTOLUENE 

ENTER AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene rapidly and completely enters 

your body when you breathe in air or drink water 

that is contaminated with this chemical. We have 

no information on how much 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene 

enters your body when it gets on your skin. We do 

know that it enters your body more slowly through 

the skin than when it is taken into your mouth. 

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene in your blood travels 

throughout your body to all of your organs. When 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene reaches your liver, it breaks 

down and changes into several different substances. 

Not all of these substances have been identified, and 

we do not know whether they are harmful or not. 

Most of these substances travel in your blood until 

they reach your kidneys and then leave your body in 

your urine. Studies in animals show that almost all 

of the 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene that enters the body 

breaks down and leaves the body in the urine within 

24 hours. 

1.5 HOW CAN 2,4,6-TRINITROTOLUENE 

AFFECT MY HEALTH? 

Workers involved in the production of high 

explosives experienced many harmful health effects 

as a result of exposure to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene at 

their jobs. These effects included disorders of the 

blood, such as anemia, and abnormal liver function. 

However, the levels of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in the 

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 

2,4,6-TRINITROTOLUENE 

 CAS#: 118-96-7 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

workplace air at the time these effects were seen 

ranged from less than 0.01 to 1.49 milligrams of 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene per cubic meter of air (mg/m3). 

Some of the concentrations measured are higher 

than the level currently allowed in the workplace 

(0.5 mg/m3). Similar effects on the blood and the 

liver have been observed in animals that either 

breathed or were fed 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. In 

addition, studies show that animals force- fed 2,4,6­

trinitrotoluene for an intermediate-duration (from 

15–364 days) may have enlargement of the spleen 

and other harmful effects on the immune system. 

When people have prolonged skin contact with 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, they may develop an allergic 

reaction of the skin to this chemical, such as itching 

and irritation. In addition, long-term exposure to 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene has been associated with the 

development of cataracts in people. 

No information is available to indicate whether 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene causes birth defects. However, 

studies in animals that were treated with high doses 

of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene have shown that it can cause 

serious effects on the male reproductive system. 

The available information for determining whether 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene causes cancer in humans is 

inadequate. However, rats that ate 2,4,6­

trinitrotoluene for long periods developed tumors of 

the urinary bladder. Based on this study with rats, 

EPA has classified 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in Group C, 

a possible human carcinogen. 

1.6 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO 2,4,6-TRINITROTOLUENE? 

There are tests to determine if you have been 

exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. These tests 

measure 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene or its breakdown 

products in your blood and urine and have been 

used to test exposed workers. Detection of the 

breakdown products in your urine is a clear 

indication that you have been exposed. The 

complex and expensive equipment needed to 

perform these tests is generally available only at 

specialized laboratories. Another simpler, but less 

specific, test of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene exposure is a 

change in the color of your urine to amber or deep 

red. This change results from the presence of 

breakdown products and may indicate that you have 

been exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. None of 

these tests can predict whether a person exposed to 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene will experience any health 

effects related to the exposure. 

1.7 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The government has developed regulations and 

guidelines for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. These are 

designed to protect the public and workers exposed 

to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene from potential harmful 

health effects of the chemical. Since 2,4,6­

trinitrotoluene is explosive, flammable, and toxic, 

EPA has designated it as a hazardous waste. The 

Department of Transportation (DOT) regulates the 

transport of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene because it is a 

hazardous material. DOT specifies that when 2,4,6­

trinitrotoluene is shipped, it must be wet with at 

least 10% water (by weight) and it must be clearly 

labeled as a flammable solid. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

(OSHA) regulates levels of hazardous materials in 

the workplace. The maximum allowable amount of 

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 

2,4,6-TRINITROTOLUENE 

 CAS#: 118-96-7 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in workroom air during an 8­

hour workday, 40-hour workweek, is 0.5 mg/m3. 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and 

Health (NIOSH) recommends that the concentration 

in workroom air be limited to 0.5 mg/m3 for up to a 

10-hour workday during a 40-hour workweek. 

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 2,4,6­

trinitrotoluene. 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