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Isopropyl alcohol																				Related Pages
										May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
**CAS number:** 67–63–0
**NIOSH REL:** 400 ppm (980 mg/m3) TWA, 500 ppm (1,225 mg/m3) STEL
**Current OSHA PEL:** 400 ppm (980 mg/m3) TWA
**1989 OSHA PEL:** 400 ppm (980 mg/m3) TWA, 500 ppm (1,225 mg/m3) STEL
**1993-1994 ACGIH TLV:** 400 ppm (983 mg/m3) TWA, 500 ppm (1,230 mg/m3) STEL
**Description of substance:** Colorless liquid with the odor of rubbing alcohol.
**LEL:** . 2.0% (10% LEL, 2,000 ppm)
**Original (SCP) IDLH:** 12,000 ppm
**Basis for original (SCP) IDLH:** The chosen IDLH is based on the statement by Patty [1963] that rats survived when exposed for 4 hours to 12,000 ppm but exposure for 8 hours to 12,000 ppm resulted in death among one half of the group [Smyth 1956].
**Existing short-term exposure guidelines:** National Research Council [NRC 1984] Emergency Exposure Guidance Levels (EEGLs):
1-hour EEGL: 400 ppm
24-hour EEGL: 200 ppm
**ACUTE TOXICITY DATA:**
**Lethal concentration data:**

**Species**
    **Reference**
    **LC50** **(ppm)**
    **LCLo** **(ppm)**
    **Time**
    **Adjusted 0.5-hr** **LC (CF)**
    **Derived value**Rat MouseRat
    Carpenter et al. 1949 NCI 1974Smyth 1956
    ----- -----12,000
    16,000 12,800-----
    4 hr 3 hr8 hr
    32,000 ppm (2.0) 23,040 ppm (1.8)24,000 ppm (2.0)
    3,200 ppm 2,304 ppm2,400 ppm**Lethal dose data:**
 
 **Species**
    **Reference**
    **Route**
    **LD50** **(mg/kg)**
    **LDLo** **(mg/kg)**
    **Adjusted LD**
    **Derived value**Rat MouseRabbit
    Antonova & Salmina 1978 Antonova & Salmina 1978WHO 1970
    oral oraloral
    5,045 3,6006,410
    ----- ----------
    14,126 ppm 10,080 ppm17,948 ppm
    1,413 ppm 1,008 ppm1,795 ppm**Other animal data:** RD50 (mouse), 17,693 ppm [Alarie 1981]. It has been reported that rats survived when exposed to 12,000 ppm for 4 hours [Smyth 1956].
 **Human data:** Ten volunteers exposed for 3 to 5 minutes to 200, 400, or 800 ppm reported mild to moderate irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat at the two higher concentrations [Nelson et al. 1943]. The probable lethal oral dose has been reported to be 190 grams [Gosselin et al. 1984]. [Note: An oral dose of 190 grams is equivalent to a worker being exposed to about 50,700 ppm for 30 minutes, assuming a breathing rate of 50 liters per minute and 100% absorption.]
 
 **Revised IDLH:** 2,000 ppm [LEL] **Basis for revised IDLH:** Based on health considerations and acute toxicity data in humans [Gosselin et al. 1984; Nelson et al. 1943] and animals [NCI 1974; Smyth 1956], a value of about 2,400 ppm would have been appropriate for isopropyl alcohol. However, the revised IDLH for isopropyl alcohol is 2,000 ppm based strictly on safety considerations (i.e., being 10% of the lower explosive limit of 2%).**REFERENCES:**
1. Alarie Y [1981]. Dose-response analysis in animal studies: prediction of human responses. Environ Health Perspect *42*:9-13.
2. Antonova VI, Salmina ZA [1978]. The maximal permissible concentration of isopropyl alcohol in water bodies with due regard for its action on the gonads and the progeny. Gig Sanit *43*(1):8-11 (in Russian).
3. Carpenter CP, Smyth HF Jr, Pozzani UC [1949]. The assay of acute vapor toxicity, and the grading. J Ind Hyg Toxicol *31*:343-346.
4. Gosselin RE, Smith RP, Hodge HC [1984]. Clinical toxicology of commercial products. 5th ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins Company, pp. III-217 to II-219.
5. NCI [1974]. Interagency Collaborative Group on Environmental Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute Memorandum, June 17, 1974.
6. Nelson KW, Ege JF Jr, Ross M, Woodman LE, Silverman L [1943]. Sensory response to certain industrial solvent vapors. J Ind Hyg Toxicol *25*(7):282-285.
7. NRC [1984]. Emergency and continuous exposure limits for selected airborne contaminants. Vol. 2. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, Committee on Toxicology, Board on Toxicology and Environmental Health Hazards, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council, pp. 56-68.
8. Patty FA, ed. [1963]. Industrial hygiene and toxicology. 2nd rev. ed. Vol. II. Toxicology. New York, NY: Interscience Publishers, Inc., p. 1438.
9. Smyth HF Jr [1956]. Improved communication: hygienic standards for daily inhalation. Am Ind Hyg Assoc Q *17*:129-185.
10. WHO [1970]. Propan-2-ol: biological data. In: Toxicological evaluation of some extraction solvents and certain other substances. Food and Agriculture Organization Nutrition Meetings Report Series 48A. Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations, World Health Organization, pp. 114-120.

			
							
								Page last reviewed:  December 4, 2014						Content
							source: 	National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH Publications & Products
Immediately Dangerous To Life or Health (IDLH) Values
Table of IDLH Values
Criteria for Determining IDLH Values
Historical Documentation
Original (SCP) Values
Abbreviations for IDLH Documentation
Abbreviations for Journal Titles Follow NIOSH Facebook
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