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Coal tar pitch volatiles																				Related Pages
										May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
**CAS number:** 65996–93–2
**NIOSH REL:** 0.1 mg/m3 (cyclohexane-extractable fraction) TWA; NIOSH considers coal tar pitch volatiles to be potential occupational carcinogens as defined by the OSHA carcinogen policy [29 CFR 1990].
**Current OSHA PEL:** 0.2 mg/m3 (benzene-soluble fraction) TWA
**1989 OSHA PEL:** Same as current PEL
**1993-1994 ACGIH TLV:** 0.2 mg/m3 (benzene-soluble fraction) TWA, A1
**Description of Substance:** Black or dark-brown amorphous residue.
**LEL:** . . Unknown
**Original (SCP) IDLH:** 700 mg/m3 [*Note: “Effective” IDLH = 400 mg/m3 — see discussion below.]
**Basis for original (SCP) IDLH:** Redmond et al. [1972] have shown that the major health effects resulting from long-term repeated exposure to coal tar pitch volatiles (CTPV) are cancer of the lung, kidney, and skin; however, no studies have been made on carcinogenic effects by any route from single short-term exposure to CTPV that could relate to a 30-minute IDLH. Therefore, reliance must be placed on comparative data of single versus repeated carcinogenic doses of benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P], a known component of CTPV. Bingham [1971] reported that B(a)P applied in a single dose of 2 mg to the skin of mice yielded tumors in 10% to 20% of the animals whereas 0.01 mg B(a)P applied in a noncarcinogenic solvent applied to the skin 3 times/week for 50 weeks yielded tumors in 50% of the animals. Thus, a single dose producing about 1/3 the number of tumors was 200 times the repeated 3 times/week dose. Using this factor and the value of 0.6 mg/m3 CTPV reported by Mazumdar et al. [1975] as safe for coke oven workers, a total dose IDLH of 120 mg CTPV (as benzene solubles) is calculated; by using 7.5 liters as the minute volume of coke oven workers and a 75% lung retention of CTPV a 30-minute IDLH is calculated to be about 700 mg/m3 (as benzene solubles). However, because of the assigned protection factor afforded by each device, 400 mg/m3 (i.e., 2,000 × the PEL) is the concentration above which only the “most protective” respirators are permitted.
**Short-term exposure guidelines:** None developed
**ACUTE TOXICITY DATA**
**Lethal concentration data:**

**Species**
    **Reference**
    **LC50** **(ppm)**
    **LCLo** **(ppm)**
    **Time**
    **Adjusted 0.5-hr** **LC (CF)**
    **Derived** **value**PyreneRat
    Potapova et al. 1971
    170 mg/m3
    -----
    ?
    ?
    ?
 **Lethal dose data:**
 
 **Species**
    **Reference**
    **Route**
    **LD50** **(mg/kg)**
    **LDLo** **(mg/kg)**
    **Adjusted LD**
    **Derived value**PyreneRatMouse
    Potapova et al. 1971Potapova et al. 1971
    oraloral
    2,700800
    ----------
    18,900 mg/m35,600 mg/m3
    1,890 mg/m3560 mg/m3AnthraceneMouse
    Nogochy 1969
    oral
    -----
    >17,000
    >119,000 mg/m3
    >11,900 mg/m3PhenanthreneMouse
    Rakhmanina 1964
    oral
    700
    -----
    4,900 mg/m3
    490 mg/m3
 **Other animal data:** The major health effects resulting from long-term repeated exposure to coal tar pitch volatiles (CTPV) are cancer of the lung, kidney, and skin [Redmond et al. 1972]; however, no studies have been made on carcinogenic effects by any route from single short-term exposure to CTPV that could relate to a 30-minute IDLH. Therefore, reliance must be placed on comparative data of single versus repeated carcinogenic doses of benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P], a known component of CTPV. It has been reported that B(a)P applied in a single dose of 2 mg to the skin of mice yielded tumors in 10% to 20% of the animals whereas 0.01 mg B(a)P applied in a noncarcinogenic solvent applied to the skin 3 times/week for 50 weeks yielded tumors in 50% of the animals [Bingham 1971]. Thus, a single dose producing about 1/3 the number of tumors was 200 times the repeated 3 times/week dose. Using this factor and the value of 0.6 mg/m3 CTPV reported as safe for coke oven workers [Mazumdar et al. 1975], a total dose IDLH of 120 mg CTPV (as benzene solubles) is calculated; by using 50 liters as the minute volume of workers and 100% lung retention of CTPV, a 30-minute IDLH is calculated to be about 80 mg/m3 (as benzene solubles).
 **Human data:** None relevant for use in determining the revised IDLH.
 
 **Revised IDLH:** 80 mg/m3 (as the benzene-soluble fraction) **Basis for revised IDLH:** The revised IDLH for coal tar pitch volatiles is 80 mg/m3 (as the benzene-soluble fraction) based on toxicity data in animals [Bingham 1971; Mazumdar et al. 1975; Redmond et al. 1972] (see discussion above). [Note: NIOSH recommends as part of its carcinogen policy that the "most protective" respirators be worn for coal tar pitch volatiles at concentrations above 0.1 mg/m3 (cyclohexane-extractable fraction).]
**REFERENCES:**
1. Bingham E [1971]. Thresholds in cancer inductions. If they do exist, do they shift? Arch Environ Health *22*:692-695.
2. Mazumdar S, Redmond C, Sollecito W, Sussman N [1975]. An epidemiological study of exposure to coal tar pitch volatiles among coke oven workers. J Air Pollut Control Assoc *25*(4):382-389.
3. Nagochy PA [1969]. Comparative study of the toxicity of pure and technical anthracene. Gig Tr Prof Zabol *13*(5):59 (in Russian).
4. Potapova AN, Kapitulsky VB, et al. [1971]. Toxicological evaluation of pyrene. Gig Tr Prof Zabol *15*(2):59 (in Russian).
5. Rakhmanina NL [1964]. Establishing standards for the phenanthrene and pyrene contents in water bodies. Gig Sanit *29*(6):19-23 (translated).
6. Redmond CK, Ciocco A, Lloyd JW, Rush HW [1972]. Long-term mortality study of steel workers. VI. Mortality from malignant neoplasms among coke oven workers. J Occup Med *14*(8):621-629.

			
							
								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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