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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE 

CAS#: 8006-61-9 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for 

Automotive Gasoline. 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 gasoline 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). Gasoline has been found in at least 23 

of these sites. However, we do not know how many 

of the 1,397 NPL sites have been evaluated for 

gasoline. As EPA evaluates more sites, the number 

of sites at which gasoline is found may change. 

This information is important for you to know 

because gasoline may cause harmful health effects 

and because these sites are potential or actual 

sources of human exposure to gasoline. 

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, may 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 

gasoline, 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, lifestyle, 

and state of health. 

1.1 WHAT IS GASOLINE? 

Gasoline is a complex manufactured mixture that 

does not exist naturally in the environment. 

However, for the most part, chemicals that are in 

gasoline are generally present in several physical 

states (gaseous, liquid, or others) in human 

settlements. Gasoline is produced from petroleum 

in the refining process. The gasoline discussed in 

this profile is automotive gasoline used as a fuel for 

engines in automobiles and other vehicles. Aviation 

gasoline and other types of fuels, such as diesel and 

jet fuels, fuel oils, and products that result when 

gasoline is burned, are not discussed in this profile. 

The ATSDR toxicological profiles on jet fuels, Otto 

Fuels II, and fuel oils have further information on 

other types of fuels. 

Typically, gasoline contains more than 150 

chemicals including small amounts of benzene, 

toluene, xylene, and sometimes lead. How the 

gasoline is made determines which chemicals are 

present in the gasoline mixture and how much of 

each is present. The actual composition varies with 

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 

AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE 

CAS#: 8006-61-9 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

the source of the crude petroleum, the manufacturer, 

and the time of year. Gasoline is a colorless, pale 

brown, or pink liquid. Gasoline is very flammable; 

it catches on fire quite easily, evaporates quickly, 

and forms explosive mixtures with air. Most people 

can begin to smell gasoline at 0.25 parts of gasoline 

per million parts of air (ppm). Gasoline may be 

present in the air, groundwater, and soil. Gasoline 

does not dissolve readily in water. However, some 

of the chemicals that make up gasoline can dissolve 

easily in water. 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO GASOLINE WHEN 

IT ENTERS THE ENVIRONMENT? 

Gasoline is a mixture of many different chemicals. 

Small amounts of these chemicals evaporate into 

the air when you fill the gas tank in your car or 

when gasoline is accidentally spilled onto surfaces 

and soils or into surface waters. Other chemicals in 

gasoline dissolve in water after spills to surface 

waters or underground storage tank leaks into the 

groundwater. The movement of individual 

chemicals in gasoline is influenced by physical and 

chemical properties, such as how easily they 

dissolve in water, how quickly they evaporate, and 

whether they stick to soil. In surface releases, most 

chemicals in gasoline will probably evaporate; 

others may dissolve in and be carried away by 

water; a few will probably stick to soil. The 

chemicals that evaporate are broken down by 

sunlight and other chemicals in the air; the 

completion of this process may take from hours to 

weeks. The chemicals that dissolve in water also 

break down quickly by natural processes. Most 

chemicals in gasoline do not build up to high levels 

in plants or animals. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 

GASOLINE? 

The most likely way that you might be exposed to 

gasoline is by breathing its vapors at a service 

station when you are filling your car's fuel tank. If 

an attendant fills your car's fuel tank, you may still 

be exposed to vapors, but not as much as when you 

fill it yourself. If the hose from the gas tank leaks 

or you overfill your tank, you may be exposed to 

more gasoline vapors or some gasoline may spill on 

your skin. If you work at a service station, you will 

be exposed to more gasoline and its vapors than 

someone who just fills the car up occasionally. Air 

levels as high as 99 ppm were measured at one gas 

station during filling of a car's tank with gasoline. 

When you use equipment that runs on gasoline (for 

example, a lawn mower), you may be exposed to 

gasoline or its vapors when you fill the gas tank 

(especially when the engine is hot) or operate the 

machine. 

You may also be exposed to gasoline if you use or 

drink contaminated water. However, most of the 

chemicals in gasoline are usually removed by 

purification processes before the water enters 

drinking water supplies. Gasoline can seep into 

groundwater from leaking underground pipelines or 

storage tanks. There is no information on how 

much gasoline may be in groundwater after a leak, 

but in some instances gasoline has been found 

floating on top of groundwater that is used to supply 

drinking water to homes. According to one 

estimate, as many as 75,000–100,000 underground 

storage tanks leak millions of gallons of gasoline 

into groundwater each year. Some of the chemicals 

making up the gasoline mix with the water; you 

would be exposed to these chemicals when you 

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 

AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE 

CAS#: 8006-61-9 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

drink the water, bathe or shower with it, or 

otherwise use it. 

Another way you might be exposed to gasoline or 

its vapors is by being close to a spot where gasoline 

has spilled or leaked into the soil. Information on 

the amount of gasoline that has seeped into the soil 

from spills, storage tanks, or pipelines is not 

available. 

Certain workers have a greater risk of exposure to 

gasoline vapors. These include service station 

attendants, drivers of gasoline tank trucks, workers 

at bulk loading terminals and marine loading docks, 

workers who remove and service underground 

storage tanks and gasoline pipelines, workers who 

find and clean up gasoline spills and leaks, and 

refinery workers. If you have any of these jobs, you 

are probably exposed to small amounts of gasoline 

vapors every day you work. If you work at a job 

using gasoline-powered equipment or vehicles, you 

may be exposed to gasoline and its vapors. 

1.4 HOW CAN GASOLINE ENTER AND 

LEAVE MY BODY? 

Gasoline can easily enter your body when you 

breathe in air or drink water that is contaminated 

with gasoline. No information is available on how 

much gasoline enters your body when it gets on 

your skin. When products like gasoline get on your 

skin, however, they enter your body more slowly 

than when they are taken into your mouth. Some of 

the chemicals in gasoline, such as benzene, are 

expected to penetrate the skin more easily than 

some of the other chemicals in gasoline. Most of 

the gasoline that you breathe in or swallow is 

breathed out unchanged, but some of it can enter 

your blood rapidly. Gasoline in your blood travels 

throughout your body. When the chemicals in 

gasoline reach your liver, they are changed into 

several different chemical substances. Most of 

these new substances travel in your blood until they 

reach your kidneys and then leave your body in 

urine. However, some of the new substances 

formed in the liver do not leave your body as 

rapidly. 

1.5 HOW CAN GASOLINE AFFECT MY 

HEALTH? 

Many of the harmful effects seen after exposure to 

gasoline are due to the individual chemicals in the 

gasoline mixture, such as benzene and lead in very 

small amounts. Inhaling or swallowing large 

amounts of gasoline can cause death. The levels of 

gasoline that killed people are about 10,000–20,000 

ppm when breathed in and about 12 ounces when 

swallowed. High concentrations of gasoline are 

irritating to the lungs when breathed in and irritating 

to the lining of the stomach when swallowed. 

Gasoline is also a skin irritant. Breathing in high 

levels of gasoline for short periods of time or 

swallowing large amounts of gasoline may also 

cause harmful effects on the nervous system. These 

effects become more serious as the amount of 

gasoline breathed in or swallowed increases. Less 

serious nervous system effects include dizziness and 

headaches, while more serious effects include coma 

and the inability to breathe. Effects on the nervous 

system have also occurred in people exposed to 

gasoline vapors for long periods of time, either in 

their jobs or because they intentionally sniff 

gasoline for its ability to cause hallucinations. 

Harmful effects on the lungs can occur when a 

person swallows large amounts of gasoline because 

the gasoline in the stomach can enter the lungs 

during vomiting. 

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 

AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE 

CAS#: 8006-61-9 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

Some laboratory animals that breathed high 

concentrations of unleaded gasoline vapors 

continuously for 2 years developed liver and kidney 

tumors. However, there is no evidence that 

exposure to gasoline causes cancer in humans. 

There is not enough information available to 

determine if gasoline causes birth defects or affects 

reproduction. 

1.6 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO GASOLINE? 

There are laboratory tests that can determine if you 

have been exposed to gasoline. However, these 

tests are not generally available in your doctor's 

office. The tests involve measuring elevated blood 

or urine levels of lead (as an indication of exposure 

to leaded gasoline only), benzene, or other 

substances that may result from exposure to 

gasoline or other sources. These methods are 

sensitive enough to measure background levels and 

levels when health effects may occur. If you have 

these substances in your body, however, they may 

be there as the result of exposure from sources other 

than gasoline. Nevertheless, these tests are useful if 

exposure to gasoline is suspected. 

1.7 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The government has developed regulations and 

guidelines for gasoline. EPA has established many 

regulations to control air pollution. These are 

designed to protect the public from the possible 

harmful health effects of gasoline. To protect 

workers, the Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA) has set a legal limit of 300 

ppm for workroom air. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

(OSHA) regulates levels of gasoline in the 

workplace. The maximum amount of gasoline 

allowed in workroom air during an 8-hour workday 

of a 40-hour workweek is 900 milligrams of 

gasoline vapor per cubic meter of air (mg/m3), or 

300 ppm. However, this level is not intended to be 

used as a standard for pollutants outside the 

workplace. 

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. 

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 

AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE 

CAS#: 8006-61-9 

Division of Toxicology June 1995 

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 

Automotive Gasoline. 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