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Isophorone																				Related Pages
										May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
**CAS number:** 78–59–1
**NIOSH REL:** 4 ppm (23 mg/m3) TWA
**Current OSHA PEL:** 25 ppm (140 mg/m3) TWA
**1989 OSHA PEL:** 4 ppm (23 mg/m3) TWA
**1993-1994 ACGIH TLV:** 5 ppm (28 mg/m3) CEILING
**Description of substance:** Colorless to white liquid with a peppermint-like odor.
**LEL:**. . 0.8% (10% LEL, 800 ppm)
**Original (SCP) IDLH:** 800 ppm
**Basis for original (SCP) IDLH:** The chosen IDLH is based on the UCC [1971] report that exposure of animals for 1 hour to 880 ppm caused serious organ damage; only 1 of 6 animals died from an 8-hour exposure to air saturated with isophorone (approximately 525 ppm at 77°F).
**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**Rat
    ATSDR 1989
    -----
    885
    6 hr
    2,036 ppm (2.3)
    204 ppmG. pig
    Marhold 1986
    4,600
    -----
    8 hr
    11,500 ppm (2.5)
    1,150 ppmRat
    Smyth & Seaton 1940
    -----
    1,840
    4 hr
    3,680 ppm (2.0)
    368 ppmMammal
    UCC 1971
    LC17: 525
    -----
    8 hr
    1,316 ppm (2.5)
    132 ppm**Lethal dose data:**
 
 **Species**
    **Reference**
    **Route**
    **LD50** (mg/kg)
    **LDLo** (mg/kg)
    **Adjusted LD**
    **Derived value**Rat
    Smyth et al. 1970
    oral
    2,330
    -----
    2,841 ppm
    284 ppmMouse
    Smyth et al. 1970
    oral
    2,690
    -----
    3,280 ppm
    328 ppm**Other animal data:** RD50 (mouse), 27.8 ppm [DeCeaurriz et al. 1981]. It has been reported that exposure of animals for 1 hour to 880 ppm caused serious organ damage [UCC 1971].
 **Human data:** A few of the 11 or 12 volunteers exposed for a few minutes to 200 or 400 ppm complained of nausea, headache, dizziness, faintness, inebriation, and a feeling of suffocation [Smyth and Seaton 1940].
 
 **Revised IDLH:** 200 ppm **Basis for revised IDLH:** The revised IDLH for isophorone is 200 ppm based on acute inhalation toxicity data in humans [Smyth and Seaton 1940] and animals [ATSDR 1989].**REFERENCES:**
1. ATSDR [1989]. Toxicological profile for isophorone. Atlanta, GA: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, ATSDR/TP-89/15.
2. DeCeaurriz JC, Micillino JC, Bonnet P, Guenier JP [1981]. Sensory irritation caused by various industrial airborne chemicals. Toxicol Lett *9*:137-147.
3. Marhold J [1986]. Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie, Organicke Latky. Prague, Czechoslovakia: Avicenum, p. 290 (in Czechoslovakian).
4. Smyth HF Jr, Seaton J [1940]. Acute response of guinea pigs and rats to inhalation of the vapors of isophorone. J Ind Hyg Toxicol *22*(10):477-483.
5. Smyth HF Jr, Weil CS, West JS, Carpenter CP [1970]. An exploration of joint toxic action. II. Equitoxic versus equivolume mixtures. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol *17*:498-503.
6. UCC [1971]. Toxicology studies: isophorone. New York, NY: Union Carbide Corporation.

			
							
								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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