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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

1,2-DIBROMOETHANE 

CAS#: 106-93-4 

Division of Toxicology July 1992 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for 1,2-

Dibromoethane. 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 1,2-dibromoethane (ethylene 

dibromide, EDB) and to emphasize the human 

health effects that may result from exposure to it. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has 

identified 1,177 sites on its National Priorities List 

(NPL). 1,2-Dibromoethane has been found at 9 of 

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

the 1,177 NPL sites have been evaluated for 1,2-

dibromoethane. As EPA evaluates more sites, the 

number of sites at which 1,2-dibromoethane is 

found may change. The information is important to 

you because 1,2-dibromoethane may cause harmful 

health effects and because these sites are potential 

or actual sources of human exposure to 1,2-

dibromoethane. 

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 the chemical. 

If you are exposed to a hazardous substance such as 

1,2-dibromoethane, 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 1,2-DIBROMOETHANE? 

1,2-Dibromoethane is a pesticide and gasoline 

additive. It is mostly man-made, but it may occur 

naturally in the ocean in very small amounts. In the 

1970s and early 1980s, it was used in soil to kill 

insects and worms that get on fruits, vegetables, and 

grain crops. It was also used in soil to protect grass, 

such as on golf courses. Another use was to kill 

fruit flies on citrus fruits, mangoes, and papayas 

after they were picked. EPA stopped most of these 

uses in 1984. 1,2-Dibromoethane is added to leaded 

gasoline to produce better fuel efficiency. Because 

use of leaded gasoline has fallen, less 1,2-

dibromoethane is made for this use. The chemical is 

a colorless liquid with a mild, sweet odor. It 

evaporates easily and can dissolve in water. 1,2-

Dibromoethane stays in groundwater and in soil for 

a long time but breaks down quickly in the air. 

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 

1,2-DIBROMOETHANE 

CAS#: 106-93-4 

Division of Toxicology July 1992 

1.2 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 1,2-

DIBROMOETHANE? 

You can be exposed to low levels of 1,2-

dibromoethane in drinking water (especially well 

water) and in air. Before EPA stopped the use of 

1,2-dibromoethane as a pesticide, the most common 

way you would have been exposed was by eating 

food that had very small amounts of this chemical 

in it. You could still be exposed to low levels of 

1,2-dibromoethane, particularly from groundwater 

(well water), in areas where the chemical was used 

in farming or from hazardous waste sites. Most of 

the 1,2-dibromoethane that enters the soil will get 

into the groundwater or evaporate into the air. Small 

amounts can remain in very tiny particles in soil 

near hazardous waste sites or in areas once used as 

farmland. The compound may be released from 

these particles slowly over time or if the soil is 

crushed or disturbed. You can be exposed to 1,2-

dibromoethane in the air near production plants. 

Background levels in the environment are very low. 

The air most people breathe contains between 0.01-

0.06 parts of 1,2-dibromoethane per billion parts of 

air (ppb). Because 1,2-dibromoethane easily 

evaporates, most surface waters do not contain 

detectable amounts. Groundwater is more likely to 

contain 1,2-dibromoethane with an average 

concentration of about 0.9 ppb. In foods, 1,2-

dibromoethane has recently been found in 2 out of 

549 samples at concentrations of 2 and 11 ppb. 

There is no information on background levels in 

surface water or soil. If you applied 1,2-

dibromoethane on a farm or golf course, if you 

worked to pack fruits gassed with 1,2-

dibromoethane, or if you worked in a factory that 

made 1,2-dibromoethane, you could be exposed to 

much higher than background levels. 

1.3 HOW CAN 1,2-DIBROMOETHANE 

ENTER AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

1,2-Dibromoethane can enter your body after you 

eat or drink contaminated food and water. It can 

also enter your body through your skin when you 

bathe or swim in contaminated water. The 1,2-

dibromoethane inside tiny soil particles may enter 

your body if you crush or eat contaminated soil. The 

chemical can enter your nose and lungs when you 

breathe air that contains 1,2-dibromoethane or when 

you shower with water that is contaminated. Near 

hazardous waste sites or near areas that once were 

farmed, the most likely way that you will be 

exposed is by drinking contaminated groundwater. 

1,2-Dibromoethane will be rapidly taken into your 

bloodstream by any method of exposure. Most of it 

builds up in your liver and kidneys where it is 

rapidly broken down to different substances. These 

substances leave your body quickly in the urine, and 

smaller amounts are passed in liver bile into the 

stool. Small amounts of 1,2-dibromoethane that are 

not broken down can be breathed out of your lungs. 

1.4 HOW CAN 1,2-DIBROMOETHANE 

AFFECT MY HEALTH? 

The effects of breathing high levels of 1,2-

dibromoethane in humans are unknown. Studies in 

animals show that they can die from breathing high 

concentrations of 1,2-dibromoethane for a short 

time while lower concentrations can cause liver and 

kidney damage. You can die if you swallow or have 

skin contact with large quantities of 1,2-

dibromoethane. A woman who drank 40 milliliters 

(mL) of pure liquid 1,2-dibromoethane died within 

a day. Changes in the liver and kidney are reported 

in humans that died of ingestion of 1,2-

dibromoethane. People who tried to commit suicide 

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 

1,2-DIBROMOETHANE 

CAS#: 106-93-4 

Division of Toxicology July 1992 

by swallowing concentrated 1,2-dibromoethane got 

ulcers inside their mouth and stomach. Laboratory 

rats and mice fed less-concentrated 1,2-

dibromoethane for as little as 2 weeks had damage 

to the lining of their stomach. If you spill liquid 1,2-

dibromoethane on your skin, you can get blisters. 

Breathing 1,2-dibromoethane for moderately long 

periods damages the lining of the nose in rats. This 

effect has not been seen in humans. Animals that 

breathed or ate food containing 1,2-dibromoethane 

for short or long periods were less fertile or had 

abnormal sperms. Changes in the brain and 

behavior have occurred in young rats whose male 

parents had breathed 1,2-dibromoethane. 

A worker who breathed 1,2-dibromoethane for 

several years developed bronchitis, headache, and 

depression, but his health improved after he stopped 

breathing air contaminated with 1,2-dibromoethane. 

1,2-Dibromoethane is not known to cause birth 

defects in people. It can impair reproduction in 

males by damaging sperms in testicles. This type of 

damage has been seen in workers exposed to 1,2-

dibromoethane for several years. Pregnant animals 

that are sick from exposure to 1,2-dibromoethane 

have had pups with birth defects. There are no 

reports of cancer in workers or other people 

exposed to 1,2-dibromoethane for several years. 

Rats and mice that repeatedly breathed, swallowed, 

or had skin contact with 1,2-dibromoethane for long 

periods had cancer in many organs. 

1.5 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO 1,2-DIBROMOETHANE? 

There is no known reliable medical test to 

determine whether you have been exposed to 1,2-

dibromoethane. 

1.6 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The federal government has set standards and 

guidelines to protect people from the potential 

health effects of 1,2-dibromoethane in drinking 

water, food, and air. EPA recommends that drinking 

water for children should have no more than 0.008 

ppm of 1,2-dibromoethane. EPA does not allow any 

1,2-dibromoethane to be in food. Companies must 

report to EPA if they spill 1,000 pounds or more of 

1,2-dibromoethane. 

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration 

(OSHA) has limited workers' exposure to 1,2-

dibromoethane in air to an average of 20 ppm for an 

8-hour workday. According to OSHA, short-term 

exposure of 15 minutes to 1,2-dibromoethane 

should not be more than 0.5 ppm. The National 

Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

(NIOSH) has set an average limit for 1,2-

dibromoethane of 0.045 ppm in workroom air 

during an 8-hour day. According to NIOSH, shortterm exposure of 15 minutes to 1,2-dibromoethane 

should not be more than 0.13 ppm. 

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 

1,2-DIBROMOETHANE 

CAS#: 106-93-4 

Division of Toxicology July 1992 

1.7 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). 1992. Toxicological profile for 1,2-

Dibromoethane. 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