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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

2,3-BENZOFURAN 

CAS#: 271-89-6 

Division of Toxicology September 1992 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for 2,3-

Benzofuran. 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 2,3-benzofuran 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). 2,3-Benzofuran has 

been found in at least 5 of these sites. However, we 

do not know how many of the 1,177 NPL sites have 

been evaluated for 2,3-benzofuran. As EPA 

evaluates more sites, the number of sites at which 

2,3-benzofuran is found may change. This 

information is important for you to know because 

2,3-benzofuran may cause harmful health effects 

and because these sites are potential or actual 

sources of human exposure to 2,3-benzofuran. 

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 

2,3-benzofuran, 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 2,3-BENZOFURAN? 

2,3-Benzofuran is a colorless, sweet-smelling, oily 

liquid which does not mix with water. 2,3-

Benzofuran is made by processing coal into coal oil. 

2,3-Benzofuran may also be formed during other 

uses of coal or oil. The part of the coal oil that 

contains 2,3-benzofuran is made into a plastic called 

coumarone-indene resin. Coumarone-indene resin 

can then be used to make paint, varnish, glue, and 

floor tiles, and it is allowed on food products and 

packages. We know very little about how 2,3-

benzofuran might get into the environment or what 

happens to it after it gets there. 

1.2 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 2,3-

BENZOFURAN? 

2,3-Benzofuran has been found in a few places in 

the air and water. In most instances, when it was 

found, the amount that was there was not measured. 

We do not know what the levels of 2,3-benzofuran 

are in soil, air, water, or food. The reason that 2,3-

benzofuran has not often been found could be that 

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 

2,3-BENZOFURAN 

CAS#: 271-89-6 

Division of Toxicology September 1992 

2,3-benzofuran usually attaches to particles, and is 

not free in the air or water. We do not know where 

2,3-benzofuran comes from, except when it is found 

near fuel-processing factories. Workers who make 

coal oil or coumarone-indene resin might be 

exposed to 2,3-benzofuran. Cigarette smoke has 

some 2,3-benzofuran in it. Coumarone-indene resin 

is allowed in food packages and as a coating on 

oranges and grapefruit. We do not know how often 

the resin is used or whether any 2,3-benzofuran in it 

gets into the food. 

1.3 HOW CAN 2,3-BENZOFURAN ENTER 

AND LEAVE MY BODY? 

We know very little about how 2,3-benzofuran can 

enter or leave your body. Some 2,3-benzofuran can 

enter your body from the environment if it is in the 

water that you drink, the food that you eat, or the air 

that you breathe. We do not know how much you 

would take in or when and how it would leave your 

body. 

1.4 HOW CAN 2,3-BENZOFURAN AFFECT 

MY HEALTH? 

The effect of 2,3-benzofuran on your health 

depends on how much you take into your body. In 

general, the more you take in, the greater the 

chances that an effect will occur. No studies have 

been done to test the effects of 2,3-benzofuran on 

the health of humans. Studies in animals show that 

2,3-benzofuran can damage the liver and kidneys if 

large amounts are given within a short time, and 

that very large amounts can kill. We do not know 

whether exposure to 2,3-benzofuran can affect your 

ability to have children or can harm an unborn baby. 

Studies in animals show that exposure to 2,3-

benzofuran at moderate levels over a long time can 

damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, and stomach. The 

brain, muscles, and heart do not seem to be 

seriously damaged by long-term exposure. Some 

rats and mice that received 2,3-benzofuran for their 

whole lives developed cancer of the kidney, lung, 

liver, or stomach. However, no cases of cancer in 

humans have been linked to exposure to 2,3-

benzofuran. 

1.5 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO 2,3-BENZOFURAN? 

2,3-Benzofuran can be measured in your blood or in 

your milk if you are a nursing mother. The test is 

specific for 2,3-benzofuran but it requires special 

equipment and is not easily available. The test may 

only be able to detect 2,3-benzofuran for a certain 

period of time because it is not known how long 

2,3-benzofuran remains in the body after you have 

been exposed to it. Also, the test only shows that 

you have been exposed; it cannot predict which 

health effects, if any, you will develop. 

1.6 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

No standards have been set for exposure to 2,3-

benzofuran. The Food and Drug Administration 

specifies the quantity of coumarone-indene resin 

that may be used on food and in food packages. 

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 

2,3-BENZOFURAN 

CAS#: 271-89-6 

Division of Toxicology September 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 2,3-

Benzofuran. 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