PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 Acrolein CAS#: 107-02-8 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine August 2007

__________________________________________________________________________________________

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for Acrolein. 

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 1-800-232-4636. 

__________________________________________ 

This public health statement tells you about acrolein 

and the effects of exposure to it. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

identifies the most serious hazardous waste sites in 

the nation. These sites are then placed on the 

National Priorities List (NPL) and are targeted for 

long-term federal clean-up activities. Acrolein has 

been found in at least 32 of the 1,684 current or 

former NPL sites. Although the total number of 

NPL sites evaluated for this substance is not known, 

the possibility exists that the number of sites at 

which acrolein is found may increase in the future 

as more sites are evaluated. This information is 

important because these sites may be sources of 

exposure and exposure to this substance may harm 

you. 

When a substance is released either from a large 

area, such as an industrial plant, or from a container, 

such as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment. 

Such a 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 the substance, or by 

skin contact. 

If you are exposed to acrolein, many factors will 

determine whether you will be harmed. These 

factors include the dose (how much), the duration 

(how long), and how you come in contact with it. 

You must also consider any other chemicals you are 

exposed to and your age, sex, diet, family traits, 

lifestyle, and state of health. 

1.1 WHAT IS ACROLEIN? 

Acrolein is a clear or yellow liquid with a burnt, 

sweet, pungent odor. Most people begin to smell 

acrolein in air at concentrations of 0.25 parts 

acrolein per million parts of air (ppm). It ignites 

and burns easily in air. Acrolein changes into a 

vapor much faster than water does at normal 

temperatures. The change of acrolein from a liquid 

to a vapor becomes faster as temperature increases. 

Acrolein might be found in the air, water, or soil 

near hazardous waste sites if it was not properly 

stored. Although acrolein may be found in surface 

water and soil, it can quickly evaporate or can be 

rapidly inactivated by binding to materials in soil; 

as such, it is not likely to last a long time in the 

environment. 

Acrolein is primarily used to make other chemicals 

and may also be found in some livestock feed. 

Acrolein is itself a pesticide and is added to 

irrigation canals and the water supplies of some 

industrial plants to control underwater plant, algae, 

and slime growth. At much higher concentrations, 

it is used to make chemical weapons. 
 PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 Acrolein CAS#: 107-02-8 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine August 2007

__________________________________________________________________________________________

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 

Small amounts of acrolein can be formed and can 

enter the air when organic matter such as trees and 

other plants (including tobacco) are burned and also 

when fuels such as gasoline and oil are burned. 

Acrolein is also formed in building fires at 

concentrations that can be deadly for occupants. 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO ACROLEIN 

WHEN IT ENTERS THE ENVIRONMENT? 

Acrolein can enter the environment as a result of 

burning wood, tobacco, vehicle fuels; overheating 

of cooking oils; and accidental release from 

chemical plants or release from a hazardous waste 

site. Acrolein that enters the air as a vapor changes 

into other chemicals within days. When acrolein is 

introduced into water, it dissolves easily. Some of 

the acrolein in water changes into a vapor and 

enters the air. The acrolein left in the water is 

changed into other chemicals, which are rapidly 

broken down, or it may be removed by binding to 

substances in water. 

Acrolein that enters the soil can change into vapor 

and enter the air, be washed out with water, or may 

bind to soils in such a way as to make it non-toxic. 

Please refer to Chapter 6 for more information. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 

ACROLEIN? 

If you live near a hazardous waste site in which 

acrolein is not stored properly, you could be 

exposed to acrolein from breathing air or drinking 

water that contains acrolein. Because acrolein 

easily changes into a vapor, you are more likely to 

be exposed to it from breathing air than from 

drinking water. A child playing in this hazardous 

waste site could be exposed to acrolein by drinking 

surface water, eating soil, or having skin contact 

with soil that contains acrolein. However, unless a 

large amount of acrolein was released at the site, it 

is unlikely that children would be exposed to 

acrolein in soil given that the acrolein vaporizes 

from the surface of the soil or is changed by binding 

with soil. 

Acrolein is formed by the breakdown of many 

pollutants found in outdoor air. Burning tobacco 

and other plants forms acrolein. You breathe in 

acrolein when you smoke tobacco or when you are 

near someone who is smoking (secondhand smoke). 

You also breathe in acrolein when you are near 

automobiles, because burning gasoline forms 

acrolein which enters the air. However, the amount 

of acrolein in automobile exhaust tends to be very 

low. Your own body can produce very small 

amounts of acrolein when certain fatty molecules or 

amino acids are broken down. If you live near an 

oil or coal power plant, you breathe in small 

amounts of acrolein. You could breathe in acrolein 

if you work in an industry that uses acrolein to 

make other chemicals. 

Acrolein is formed when fats are overheated. Small 

amounts of acrolein may also be found in foods 

such as fried foods, cooking oils, and roasted 

coffee. Although we know acrolein is in certain 

foods, the amount that is in the foods that you eat is 

not known. 

The levels of acrolein are usually low in outside air, 

averaging around 0.20 parts acrolein in one billion 

parts air (0.2 ppb) in urban air and 0.12 ppb in rural 

air. However, in several large cities acrolein has 
 PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 Acrolein CAS#: 107-02-8 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine August 2007

__________________________________________________________________________________________

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 

been measured at levels of 5.6 ppb. The levels of 

acrolein within the air of a typical home range 

between less than 0.02 and 12 ppb but can be higher 

if you smoke tobacco in your home. 

Acrolein has not been found in drinking water, and 

it is not commonly found in surface waters such as 

lakes and streams. The background levels of 

acrolein in these waters or in soil are not known. 

1.4 HOW CAN ACROLEIN ENTER AND 

LEAVE MY BODY? 

If you breathed in acrolein, most of it would enter 

your body’s tissues within seconds. If you 

swallowed acrolein or spilled it on your skin, some 

of it would rapidly enter your body’s tissues, but we 

do not know how much. Once in your body tissues, 

acrolein changes into other chemicals called 

metabolites. This probably occurs within minutes 

or hours. Some of these metabolites leave your 

body in your urine. It is not known how long this 

takes. For further information on how acrolein can 

enter and leave your body, see Chapter 3. 

1.5 HOW CAN ACROLEIN AFFECT MY 

HEALTH? 

Scientists use many tests to protect the public from 

harmful effects of toxic chemicals and to find ways 

for treating persons who have been harmed. 

One way to learn whether a chemical will harm 

people is to determine how the body absorbs, uses, 

and releases the chemical. For some chemicals, 

animal testing may be necessary. Animal testing 

may also help identify health effects such as cancer 

or birth defects. Without laboratory animals, 

scientists would lose a basic method for getting 

information needed to make wise decisions that 

protect public health. Scientists have the 

responsibility to treat research animals with care 

and compassion. Scientists must comply with strict 

animal care guidelines because laws today protect 

the welfare of research animals. 

How a chemical affects your health depends on the 

amount and length of time of exposure. As you are 

exposed to more acrolein, and for a longer period of 

time, the effects that you experience are likely to 

become worse. If you breathed in low levels of 

acrolein for a short time, your eyes might water and 

your nose and throat might become sore. These 

effects disappear within minutes after the exposure 

stops. However, if you were exposed to higher 

levels, your lungs might be affected more severely 

and for a longer time. Breathing in very high levels 

of acrolein might affect your lungs so severely that 

you might die. 

We do not know if eating food or drinking water 

containing acrolein affects your health. However, 

animals that swallowed acrolein had stomach 

irritation, vomiting, stomach ulcers, and bleeding. 

No one knows if breathing or eating acrolein or 

spilling it on your skin causes birth defects, affects 

your ability to have children, or causes cancer. The 

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) 

has not classified acrolein as to its carcinogenicity. 

The International Agency for Resarch on Cancer 

(IARC) has determined that acrolein is not 

classifiable as to carcinogenicity in humans. The 

EPA has stated that the potential carcinogenicity of 

acrolein cannot be determined based on an 

inadequate database. 
 PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 Acrolein CAS#: 107-02-8 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine August 2007

__________________________________________________________________________________________

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 

1.6 HOW CAN ACROLEIN AFFECT 

CHILDREN? 

This section discusses potential health effects in 

humans from exposures during the period from 

conception to maturity at 18 years of age. 

Acrolein is very irritating to the eyes, nose, throat, 

lungs, stomach, and skin. In general, children are 

not likely to be affected by acrolein more than 

adults. However, children who are sensitive to 

irritants in the air (such as children with asthma) 

may be more sensitive to lung irritation from 

acrolein. 

In animal studies, ingestion of very large amounts 

of acrolein during pregnancy caused reduced birth 

weights and skeletal deformities in newborns. 

However, the levels causing these effects were often 

fatal to the mother. These effects were not seen at 

levels that were also not toxic to the mother. 

1.7 HOW CAN FAMILIES REDUCE THE 

RISK OF EXPOSURE TO ACROLEIN? 

If your doctor finds that you have been exposed to 

substantial amounts of acrolein, ask whether your 

children might also have been exposed. Your 

doctor might need to ask your state health 

department to investigate. 

Children are expected to be exposed to acrolein in 

the same ways that adults are exposed. Like adults, 

children may be exposed to unknown levels from 

inhaling second-hand tobacco smoke. Children’s 

exposure from eating or touching contaminated soil 

is not likely to differ from that of adults, because 

acrolein evaporates quickly, does not move well in 

soil, and doesn’t last long in the environment. You 

can reduce your family’s exposure to acrolein by 

reducing their exposure to tobacco smoke, smoke 

from burning wood products or cooking oils and 

grease, and exhaust from diesel or gasoline 

vehicles. 

1.8 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO ACROLEIN? 

Tests have been developed that can measure 

acrolein or its breakdown products in blood or 

urine. These tests require specialized laboratory 

equipment and cannot be performed in a physician’s 

office. These tests also cannot be used to determine 

whether or not you have been exposed to acrolein in 

the environment, because acrolein can be produced 

by the breakdown of other chemicals in the body. 

1.9 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The federal government develops regulations and 

recommendations to protect public health. 

Regulations can be enforced by law. The EPA, the 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

(OSHA), and the Food and Drug Administration 

(FDA) are some federal agencies that develop 

regulations for toxic substances. Recommendations 

provide valuable guidelines to protect public health, 

but cannot be enforced by law. The Agency for 
 PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 Acrolein CAS#: 107-02-8 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine August 2007

__________________________________________________________________________________________

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 

Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) 

and the National Institute for Occupational Safety 

and Health (NIOSH) are two federal organizations 

that develop recommendations for toxic substances. 

Regulations and recommendations can be expressed 

as “not-to-exceed” levels, that is, levels of a toxic 

substance in air, water, soil, or food that do not 

exceed a critical value that is usually based on 

levels that affect animals; they are then adjusted to 

levels that will help protect humans. Sometimes 

these not-to-exceed levels differ among federal 

organizations because they used different exposure 

times (an 8-hour workday or a 24-hour day), 

different animal studies, or other factors. 

Recommendations and regulations are also updated 

periodically as more information becomes available. 

For the most current information, check with the 

federal agency or organization that provides it. 

Some regulations and recommendations for acrolein 

include the following: 

The EPA: 

• has restricted the use of all pesticides 

containing acrolein and has also identified 

acrolein as a toxic waste; 

• requires that companies that make, transport, 

treat, store, or dispose of acrolein comply 

with the regulations of a federal hazardous 

waste management program; 

• has also proposed standards that limit the 

amount of acrolein put into publicly owned 

waste water treatment plants; and 

• requires that releases or spills of one pound 

or more be reported to the National 

Response Center. 

The FDA has determined that levels of acrolein 

used to prepare modified food starch must not be 

more than 0.6%. 

OSHA has set a limit of 0.1 ppm acrolein in 

workroom air to protect workers during an 8-hour 

shift over a 40-hour workweek. NIOSH 

recommends that the concentration in workroom air 

be limited to 0.1 ppm averaged over a 10-hour shift. 

1.10 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 contact 

ATSDR at the address and phone number below. 

ATSDR can also tell you the location of 

occupational and environmental health clinics. 

These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, 

and treating illnesses that result from exposure to 

hazardous substances. 

Toxicological profiles are also available on-line at 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov and on CD-ROM. You may 

request a copy of the ATSDR ToxProfilesTM 

CD-ROM by calling the toll-free information and 

technical assistance number at 1-800-CDCINFO 

(1-800-232-4636), by e-mail at cdcinfo@cdc.gov, 

or by writing to: 
 PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

 Acrolein CAS#: 107-02-8 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine August 2007

__________________________________________________________________________________________

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-800-232-4636 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

Division of Toxicology and Environmental 

Medicine 

1600 Clifton Road NE 

Mailstop F-32 

Atlanta, GA 30333 

Fax: 1-770-488-4178 

Organizations for-profit may request copies of final 

Toxicological Profiles from the following: 

National Technical Information Service (NTIS) 

5285 Port Royal Road 

Springfield, VA 22161 

Phone: 1-800-553-6847 or 1-703-605-6000 

Web site: http://www.ntis.gov/