### NMP Exposure Summary

The primary use of N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) is as a solvent for a variety of industrial purposes. Occupational exposure can be divided into t hree major categories: (1) open system vapor/aerosol exposures; (2) open system vapor expo sures; and (3) closed system vapor exposures. A number of studies have reported workplace expos ure levels as high as 280 mg/m 3


### for both paint-strippers and in the microelectronics indu stry, but the majority of the values are

much lower. 1 

### Tables 1 through 3 present reported exposure levels found in the literature for the three major categories of exposure. It should be noted that the sampling periods (when available) differ in the different studies with the higher air concentrations seen during short sampling periods ( e.g. , 5 minutes or 15 minutes). The values in these tables illust rate that typical time weighted average (TWA) exposures in open-vapor/aeros ol systems are < 10 ppm, openvapor systems are about 1 ppm, while similar exposures in cl osed-vapor systems are < 1 ppm. These values would be compared to the proposed permissible exposure limit (PEL) in contrast to a peak exposure value of 280 mg/m 3 

### or 69.06 ppm.

Table 1

-- Open System Vapor/Aerosol Occupation Exposure Value

(sampling period) Com ments Reference

Graffiti removal 9.9 mg/m 3 or 2.4

ppm (15 min) NMP detected in

one of 12 samples;

Sweden Anundi 1993 at

248

Graffiti removal 0.03

- 4.52 mg/m 3

or 0.007-1.1 ppm (8 hr time weighted average [TWA]) Sweden Anundi 2000 at
564

Graffiti removal 0 .01

- 24.61 mg/m 3

or 0.002-6.07 ppm (15 min) Sweden Anundi 2000 at
565

Graffiti removal 0.01

- 30 mg/m 3 or

0.002-7.3 ppm UK; time period

for sampling not presented Cocker 2004

Table 2

-- Open System Vapor Occupation Exposure Value

(sampling period) Commen ts Reference

Dipping for paint stripping and degreasing 0.01

- 6 mg/m 3 or

0.002-1.5 ppm UK; time period

for sampling not presented Cocker 2004

Paint stripping 64 mg/m 3 or 15.6

ppm Sweden; specific

study data not presented in

SCOEL 2007 Åkesson and

Jönsson, 2000a as reported in SCOEL

2007 at 2 Paint stripping 280 mg/m 3 or

69.06 ppm (peak exposure) Sweden; specific

study data not presented in Åkesson and

Jönsson, 2000a as reported in SCOEL

1 

### SCOEL (2007) at 2.

### DRAFT

NMP Exposure Information Page 2

Table 2

-- Open System Vapor

Occupation Exposure Value

(sampling period) Commen ts Reference

SCOEL 2007 2007 at 2 Paint stripping

company 1.0

- 3.8 mg/m 3 or

0.24-0.93 ppm Germany; time

period of sampling

not stated Will 2004

Adhesive bonding compound and glue manufacturing 0.9

- 15.5 mg/m 3

0.22-3.8 ppm (8 hr TWA) Germany Bader 2006 at 362

Adhesive bonding compound and glue manufacturing 85 mg/m 3 or 20.7

ppm (max 5 min) Germany Bader 2006 at 363

Table 3

-- Closed System Vapor Occupation Exposure Value

(sampling period) Comments Reference

Washing lenses

and wires 0.04

- 0.69 ppm (12

hr TWA) Two different

factories in Japan Xiaofei 2000 at

321

Microelectronics industry 6 mg/m 3 or 1.5

ppm U.S.; specific

study details not presented in

SCOEL 2007 Beaulieu and

Schmerber, 1991 as reported in

SCOEL 2007 at 2{0602.002 / 111 / 00095994.DOC} 

### 1 REFERENCES

Åkesson, B. and Jönsson, B. (2000). Occupational Study in Pa int Stripping Workers. Lund, University Hospital, Department of Occupational & Environme ntal Health. Unpublished report, cited in IRCS (2001).

Anundi, H., Lind, M-L., Friis, L., Itkes, N., Langwort h, S., Edling, C. (1993). High Exposures to Organic Solvents Among Graffiti Removers. Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health 65:247-251.

Anundi, H., Langworth, S., Johanson, G., Lind, M-L., Å kesson, B., Friis, L., Itkes, N., Söderman, E., Jonsson, B.A., Edling, C. (2000). Air and B iological Monitoring of Solvent Exposure During Graffiti Removal. Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health 73:561-569.

Bader, M. et al. (2006). Ambient Monitoring and Biomonitoring of Workers Expos ures to NMethyl-2-Pyrrolidone in an Industrial Facility. Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health 79:357-364.

Beaulieu, H.J., Schmerber, K.R. (1991). M-pyrol (NMP) Use in the Microelectronics Industry. Appliedd Occupational and Environmental Hygiene . 6:874-880.

Cocker, J. et al. (2004). Biological Monitoring of Exposure to N-Methyl-2-Pyrr olidone During

Graffiti and Paint Removal.

SCOEL (2007). Recommendations from the Scientific Commi ttee on Occupational Exposure Limits for N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone. SCOEL/SUM/119 (Aug. 2007).

Will, W. et al. (2004). Dermal and Inhalative Update of N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolido ne (NMP) During Paint Stripping of Furniture. Sixth International Symposiu m of Biological Markers in Occupational & Environmental Health (Sept. 6-8, 2004).

Xiaofei, E. et al. (2000). A Linear Pharmacokinetic Model Predicts Usefulness o f N-Methyl-2- Pyrrolidone (NMP) in Plasma or Urine as a Biomarker f or Biological Monitoring for NMP Exposure. J. Occup. Heath 42:321-217.