Document ID: EPA-HQ-OPP-2004-0301-0002
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2004-09-10T04:00Z

INCIDENT
REPORTS
ASSOCIATED
WITH
PHENOL
(
PC
CODE:
64001
and
64002)

July
27,
2004
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
Office
of
Pesticide
Programs
Antimicrobials
Division
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
0.0
INTRODUCTION
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1
1.0
INCIDENT
REPORT
DATA
ASSOCIATED
WITH
HEALTH
EFFECTS
OF
PHENOL
EXPOSURE
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1
1.1
OPP's
Incident
Data
System
(
IDS)
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2
1.2
Poison
Control
Center
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2
1.3
California
Data
­
1982
through
2002
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3
1.4
National
Pesticide
Telecommunications
Network
(
NPTN)
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3
1.5
Incident
Reports
Associated
with
Toxic
Effects
of
phenols
Published
in
Scientific
Literature.
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4
1.5.1
Neonatal
Hyperbilirubinemia
Associated
with
the
use
of
a
Phenolic
Disinfectant
Detergent
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4
1.5.2
Cardiac
Arrhythmia
Associated
with
Dermal
exposure
to
Phenole
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6
1.5.3
Chemical
burn
Associated
with
Dermal
exposure
to
Phenole
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7
1.5.4
Neurologic
Effects
Associated
with
Phenol
exposure
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7
1.5.5
Other
Major
Effects
Associated
with
Exposure
to
Phenol
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8
2
0
EPIDEMIOLOGIC
STUDIES
ASSOCIATED
WITH
HEALTH
EFFECTS
OF
PHENOL
IN
HUMAN
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9
3.0
SUMMARY
AND
CONCLUSION
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9
4.0
REFERENCE
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11
1
0.0
INTRODUCTION
Phenol
(
hydroxybenzene
carbolic
acid)
is
found
in
coal
tar
from
which
it
is
separated
for
use
by
fractional
distillation.
It
is
used
in
the
production
of
several
aromatic
compounds
and
in
other
manufacturing
industries
(
Deichmann
and
Keplinger,
1977).
Phenol
is
registered
with
the
Office
of
Pesticides
Programs
(
OPP)
as
an
active
ingredient
and
used
as
an
intermediate
in
the
production
of
epoxy
resins
and
various
other
products,
as
a
general
disinfectant,
and
in
medicinal
preparations.
Formulated
as
a
pressurized
and
ready­
to­
use
liquid,
phenol
is
registered
for
use
as
a
sanitizer,
bacteriostat,
fungicide/
fungistat,
tuberculocide,
disinfectant,
and
virucide
(
EPA
Reg.
No.
707­
159).
Phenol
is
a
general
protoplasmic
poison
and
is
readily
absorbed
through
the
skin
causing
both
local
and
systemic
toxicity
(
Bentur
et
al,
1998).
It
was
introduced
by
Lister
in
1867
as
an
antibiotic
spray,
and
became
a
popular
medicinal
treatment.
Today,
it's
medicinal
uses
are
limited
to
an
anti­
itching
treatment,
a
disinfectant
for
septic
wounds,
a
cauterizing
agent,
and
for
the
treatment
of
severe
symptoms
related
to
multiple
sclerosis
(
Deichmann
and
Keplinger,
1977).

This
reports
summarized
the
potential
health
effects
of
phenol
in
humans,
reported
as
incident
reports
from
different
sources.
Two
active
ingredient
are
covered
in
this
report:
phenol
(
PC
code:
64001)
and
sodium
phenate
(
PC
code:
64002)..

Two
approaches
are
used
in
this
section:

°
The
potential
health
effects
of
phenol
in
humans,
reported
as
incident
reports
from
different
sources,
are
summarized.

°
A
literature
search
of
chronic
health
effects
associated
with
phenol
exposure,
including
results
of
epidemiological
studies,
are
summarized.

1.0
INCIDENT
REPORT
DATA
ASSOCIATED
WITH
HEALTH
EFFECTS
OF
PHENOL
EXPOSURE
The
following
databases
have
been
consulted
for
the
poisoning
incident
data
a.
OPP
Incident
Data
System
(
IDS)
­
The
Incident
Data
System
of
The
Office
of
Pesticide
Programs
(
OPP)
of
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(
EPA)
contains
reports
of
incidents
from
various
sources,
including
registrants,
other
federal
and
state
health
and
environmental
agencies
and
individual
consumers,
submitted
to
OPP
since
1992.
Reports
submitted
to
the
Incident
Data
System
represent
anecdotal
reports
or
allegations
only,
unless
otherwise
stated.
Typically
no
conclusions
can
be
drawn
implicating
the
pesticide
as
a
cause
of
any
of
the
reported
health
effects.
Nevertheless,
sometimes
with
enough
cases
and/
or
enough
documentation
risk
mitigation
measures
may
be
suggested.
b.
Poison
Control
Centers
­
as
the
result
of
a
data
purchase
by
EPA,
OPP
received
Poison
Control
Center
data
covering
the
years
1993
through
1998
for
all
2
pesticides.
Most
of
the
national
Poison
Control
Centers
(
PCCs)
participate
in
a
national
data
collection
system,
the
Toxic
Exposure
Surveillance
System,
which
obtains
data
from
about
65­
70
centers
at
hospitals
and
universities.
PCCs
provide
telephone
consultation
for
individuals
and
health
care
providers
on
suspected
poisonings,
involving
drugs,
household
products,
pesticides,
etc.

c.
California
Department
of
Pesticide
Regulation
­
California
has
collected
uniform
data
on
suspected
pesticide
poisonings
since
1982.
Physicians
are
required,
by
statute,
to
report
to
their
local
health
officer
all
occurrences
of
illness
suspected
of
being
related
to
exposure
to
pesticides.
The
majority
of
the
incidents
involve
workers.
Information
on
exposure
(
worker
activity),
type
of
illness
(
systemic,
eye,
skin,
eye/
skin
and
respiratory),
likelihood
of
a
causal
relationship,
and
number
of
days
off
work
and
in
the
hospital
are
provided.

d.
National
Pesticide
Telecommunications
Network
(
NPTN)
­
NPTN
is
a
toll­
free
information
service
supported
by
OPP.
A
ranking
of
the
top
200
active
ingredients
for
which
telephone
calls
were
received
during
calendar
years
1984­
1991,
inclusive,
has
been
prepared.
The
total
number
of
calls
was
tabulated
for
the
categories
human
incidents,
animal
incidents,
calls
for
information,
and
others.

e.
Published
Incident
Reports
­
Some
incident
reports
associated
with
hydantoins
related
human
health
hazard
are
published
in
the
scientific
literature.

1.1
OPP's
Incident
Data
System
(
IDS)

A
total
of
10
individual
human
incident
cases
submitted
to
the
EPA
Office
of
Pesticide
Programs
are
associated
with
exposed
to
phenol
and/
or
sodium
phenate
containing
products.
Dermal
and
inhalation
are
the
two
primary
route
of
exposure.

The
most
common
symptoms
reported
for
cases
of
dermal
exposure
were
skin
irritation/
burning
,
rash
,
itching
,
skin
discoloration/
redness.

The
most
common
symptoms
reported
for
cases
of
inhalation
exposure
were
respiratory
irritation/
burning,
asthma/
difficult
breathing,
throat
/
chest
congestion
and
sore
throat.
Headache,
dissiness,
night
sweats
and
and
heart
palpitation
have
also
been
reported
when
expose
to
the
chemical
through
both
dermal
and
inhalation
exposure
routes.

1.2
Poison
Control
Center
A
tot
al
of
22,318
incident
cases
are
been
reported
associated
with
phenolic
disinfectants
exposure
been
reported
in
the
American
Association
of
Poison
Control
Centers
(
PCC)
Toxic
Exposure
Surveillance
System
(
TESS)
in
the
years
between
1993
­
1998
(
Summarized
in
table
2)..
Most
of
the
incidences
(
more
than
93%
of
the
cases)
were
associated
with
no
effects
or
only
minor
effects.
Around
3
percent
of
the
cases
are
judged
to
be
not
related
to
the
chemical
3
exposure.
There
are
11
cases
are
consider
are
associated
with
major
clinical
effects
and
death
was
involved
in
one
of
the
cases.
The
primary
symptoms
involved
in
these
major
incidences
were
GI
tract
effect,
neuro­
toxic
signs,
cardiovascular
effects,
and
respiratory
effects.

Table
1.
Medical
Outcome
of
Phenolic
Disinfectant
Related
Cases
in
American
Association
of
Poison
Control
Centers,
Toxic
Exposure
Surveillance
System
(
TESS)

YEAR
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Grand
Total
1993
848
734
53
1
576
696
108
62
3078
1994
1034
976
74
1
1
711
1007
102
112
4018
1995
1127
1185
83
3
727
1067
94
132
4418
1996
975
990
64
1
614
1024
73
99
3840
1997
919
841
55
2
516
887
44
74
3338
1998
992
916
69
2
461
1031
51
104
3626
Total
5895
5642
398
10
1
3605
5712
472
583
22318
Note:
0
­
No
Effect
1
­
Minor
Effect
2
­
Moderate
Effect
3
­
Major
Effect
4
­
Death
5
­
Not
Followed,
judged
as
nontoxic
exposure
(
clinical
effects
not
expected)
6
­
Not
followed,
minimal
clinical
effects
possible
(
no
more
than
minor
effect
possible)
7
­
Unable
to
follow,
judged
as
a
potentially
toxic
exposure
8
­
Unrelated
effect,
the
exposure
was
probably
not
responsible
for
the
effect(
s)

1.3
California
Data
­
1982
through
2002
Detailed
descriptions
of
360
cases
with
a
definite,
probable
or
possible
relationship
cases
submitted
to
the
California
Pesticide
Illness
Surveillance
Program
(
1982­
1998)
were
reviewed.
Table
2
presents
the
types
of
illnesses
reported
by
year.
Table
3
gives
the
total
number
of
workers
that
took
time
off
work
as
a
result
of
their
illness
and
how
many
were
hospitalized
and
for
how
long..

1.4
National
Pesticide
Telecommunications
Network
(
NPTN)

There
are
two
incident
cases
reported
in
year
2002.
Both
cases
are
involved
with
the
product
SPORICIDIN
(
EPA
registration
number
8383­
3)
application
in
home
use.

Once
case
involved
a
49
years
old
female
caller
reporting
that
she
fells
ill
from
a
very
large
application
of
SPORICIDIN
to
her
home.
The
involved
symptoms
include
feeling
nauseous,
headache
and
feeling
light­
headed.
Caller
stated
that
she
had
other
health
condition
affecting
her
health
including
chronic
fatigue
syndrom
and
was
staying
home
on
disability.

The
second
case
involved
a
58­
year­
old
caller
reporting
that
after
her
air
ducts
were
cleaned
with
4
an
unlicenced
person,
her
31­
year­
old
daughter
and
4­
year­
old
granddaughter
began
getting
sore
throat,
hoarseness,
conjunctivitis,
and
coughing.
The
caller
started
having
heart
palpitations
and
developed
similar
symptoms
as
her
family
one
and
a
half
week
after
the
duct
cleaning.
Her
granddaughter
has
rash
on
her
lower
waist,
bottom
and
legs.
The
caller
said
that
she
become
sensitive
to
other
chemicals
after
this
incidence.
The
caller
said
that
the
air
ducts
were
found
to
have
breaks
in
the
line
and
the
air
from
the
duct
smell
horrible
and
dirty
and
she
did
not
get
the
air
tested.

1.5
Incident
Reports
Associated
with
Toxic
Effects
of
phenols
Published
in
Scientific
Literature.

Several
papers
have
been
published
outlining
the
problems
associated
with
the
the
toxic
effects
associated
with
phenol
exposure.
They
can
be
placed
into
groups
based
on
the
type
of
symptoms
that
occur
in
the
subject.

1.5.1
Neonatal
Hyperbilirubinemia
Associated
with
the
use
of
a
Phenolic
Disinfectant
Detergent
There
are
two
outbreaks
of
neonatal
hyperbilirubinemia
(
yellow
jaundice)
associated
with
the
use
of
a
phenolic
disinfectant
detergent
(
used
at
higher
than
recommended
concentrations)
(
CDC
report).
The
incidents
were
examined
in
detail
by
CDC
staff.
They
determined
that
the
cluster
of
exchange
transfusions
that
occurred
in
a
New
Jersey
hospital
as
a
result
of
idiopathic
hyperbilirubinemia
coincided
with
the
nursing
staff
increasing
the
concentrations
of
a
phenolic
disinfectant
detergent
used
for
cleaning
basinets
and
mattresses.
After
use
of
the
phenolic
disinfectant
was
stopped,
the
epidemic
of
hyperbilitubinemia
ceased
(
Wysowski
et
al,
1978).
As
a
follow­
up
of
these
incidences,
scientists
investigated
the
use
of
recommended
concentrations
of
a
phenolic
disinfectant
(
Superphen).
These
results
also
indicated
an
association
with
an
increase
in
the
micro
bilirubin
levels
of
infants
with
the
use
of
a
phenolic
disinfectant.
The
most
likely
route
of
exposure
was
through
the
inhalation
of
phenol
vapors
(
Doan
et
al,
1979).
5
Table
2:
Cases
Due
to
Phenolic
Exposure
in
California
Reported
by
Type
of
Illness
and
Year,
1982­
2002
Year
Illness
Type
Systemic
Mouth
Eye
Skin
Respiratory
Combination
Total
1983
­
­
­
1
­
­
1
1984
­
­
­
­
­
­
0
1985
­
­
1
1
­
­
2
1986
­
­
1
­
­
­
1
1987
­
­
7
4
­
­
11
1988
2
34
7
­
1
41
1989
3
1
28
14
1
6
42
1990
8
4
23
16
2
6
43
1991
2
1
32
13
2
2
47
1992
10
3
17
8
3
6
38
1993
1
­
20
3
2
1
26
1994
5
­
7
4
­
1
15
1995
2
1
8
7
1
1
18
1996
1
1
7
7
­
1
15
1997
9
2
5
6
1
4
19
1998
1
7
3
2
1
12
1999
2
1
3
4
­
1
9
2000
4
1
4
3
­
2
10
2001
1
1
2
2
­
1
5
2002
­
­
5
­
­
­
5
Total
51
16
211
103
14
34
360
a
Category
includes
combined
effects
to
eye,
skin,
mouth
and
respiratory
systems.
6
Table
3:
Number
of
Persons
Disabled
(
taking
time
off
work)
or
Hospitalized
for
Indicated
Number
of
Days
After
Pine
Oil
Exposure
in
California,
1982­
2002.

Number
of
Persons
Disabled
Number
of
Persons
Hospitalized
One
day
28
Two
days
14
3­
5
days
10
6­
10
days
2
more
than
10
days
4
1
Unknown
14
1
1.5.2
Cardiac
Arrhythmia
Associated
with
Dermal
exposure
to
Phenol
Phenol
has
been
used
in
face
peeling
in
treating
skin
lesions
and
wrinkles.
Truppman
and
Ellenby
(
1979)
found
that
the
cutaneous
application
of
phenol
to
humans
can
lead
to
a
systemic
toxic
effect
on
cardiac
rhythm
(
cardiac
arrhythmia).
The
arrhythmia
symptoms
reverted
to
normal
within
10
to
15
minutes.
Gross
(
1983)
followed
up
on
Truppman
and
Ellenby's
work,
by
treating
patients
with
full
face
and
neck
phenol
chemo­
surgery
using
the
same
formula.
Thirty
nine
percent
of
54
face
peel
patients
that
were
treated
rapidly
developed
some
form
of
cardiac
arrhythmia.
Only
22
percent
of
100
patients
developed
cardiac
arrhythmia
when
the
treatments
were
separated
over
2
days,
and
these
symptoms
were
found
to
be
less
severe.
The
arrhythmia
lasted
2
to
19
minutes
and
then
disappeared.
Both
authors
advised
that
patients
undergoing
phenol
face
peels
should
have
cardiac
monitoring
and
appropriate
cardio­
pulmonary
resuscitative
capabilities
available
(
Truppman
and
Ellenby,
1979
and
Gross,
1983).

Dilute
phenol
(
5%
in
water)
has
been
used
as
a
motor
point
block
for
the
temporary
relief
of
spasticity
in
children.
Morrison
et
al
(
1991)
studied
24
patients
in
order
to
determine
the
incidence
of
cardiac
dysrhythmias
in
children
receiving
phenol
parenterally
while
anesthetized
with
halothane.
Cardiac
dysrhythmias
occurred
in
3
of
16
patients
(
19%).
Three
additional
patients
had
dysrhythmias
but
it
was
not
attributable
to
phenol.
No
correlation
could
be
made
between
the
dosage
or
blood
concentration
of
phenol
and
the
incidence
of
dysrhythmias
in
the
study
population.
Therefore
the
use
of
phenol
at
this
low
concentration
for
motor
point
blocks
in
pediatric
patients
with
cerebral
palsy
and
not
associated
with
an
increased
incidence
of
cardiac
7
dysrhythmias.

1.5.3
Chemical
burn
Associated
with
Dermal
exposure
to
Phenol
Burns
caused
by
the
skin's
exposure
to
phenol
have
been
a
commonly
reported
incident
in
the
scientific
literature.
A
22
year
old
patient
was
injured
by
a
water­
phenol
solution
during
repair
work
on
a
pipeline
valve.
The
individual's
face,
chest,
hand
and
both
arms
were
exposed
to
the
solution
and
caused
immediate
pain
with
a
red
and
swollen
scalded
appearance
of
the
contaminated
areas
(
Horch
et
al,
1994).
In
a
second
incident,
a
23­
year
old
male
was
using
liquid
phenol
to
process
asbestos
for
brake
linings.
The
individual
was
not
in
appropriate
protective
clothing.
He
was
accidently
sprayed
on
his
thighs
(
25%
of
skin
affected)
by
liquid
phenol
while
adjusting
a
faulty
valve.
After
attempting
to
wash
off
the
phenol
with
tap
water,
the
individual
died
within
10
minutes
of
being
exposed
(
Foxall
et
al,
1989).
In
another
example,
a
patient
with
severe
phenol
contamination
(
20.5
%
of
total
skin)
that
caused
partial
skin
thickness
burns,
and
initial
bardycardia
(
Horch
et
al,
1994).
The
phenol
was
naturally
eliminated
from
the
body
fairly
quickly
and
the
individual
recovered
completely.
This
demonstrated
that
the
sooner
the
phenol
can
be
removed
from
contact
with
the
body,
i.
e.
by
immediately
washing
the
skin
with
water,
the
less
damage
is
done
to
the
body.

A
15­
year
old
male
sustained
phenol
burns
following
treatment
for
an
ingrown
toenail.
The
phenol
severely
burned
the
toe
and
it
had
to
be
amputation
of
the
left
great
toe
(
Sugden
et
al,
2001).

A
79­
year
old
man
was
in
a
clinic
for
a
nasal
outpatient
procedure.
An
89.2
%
phenol
solution
was
accidentally
sprayed
into
his
nares
(
nasal
passages).
Immediate
blanching
of
the
nares
occurred.
He
was
observed
for
3
hours
and
did
not
develop
any
additional
symptoms.
Three
hours
later
he
developed
local
symptoms
erythema
and
superficial
sloughing
of
the
turbinate
(
nasal
mucosa).
The
patient
eventually
recovered
completely
(
Durbeck­
Morris
and
Scherman,
1999).

1.5.4
Neurologic
Effects
Associated
with
Phenol
exposure
Phenol
has
been
used
as
a
neurolytic
agent
or
nerve
blocker.
One
of
the
effects
of
phenol
is
the
destruction
of
nerve
tissue
or
cells.
In
1959,
phenol
was
established
as
a
neurolytic
agent
for
the
relief
of
chronic
pain
(
Wood,
1978).
It's
most
common
use
has
been
in
the
subarachnoid
space
for
pain
relief
in
terminal
cancer
or
for
relief
of
spasticity
in
patients
with
prior
central
nervous
system
damage.
Phenol
is
non­
selectively
destructive
to
nerve
cells,
and
the
degree
of
damage
correlates
directly
with
the
concentrations
and
total
amounts
used
(
Wood,
1978).

Neurologic
effects
like
muscle
pain
and
muscle
weakness
have
been
reported
in
accidental
exposure
cases.
(
Merliss,
1972,
Bentur
et
al,
1998).

1.5.5
Other
Major
Effects
Associated
with
Exposure
to
Phenol
8
There
are
some
other
major
effects
are
associated
with
phenol
exposure.
Renal
function
effects
and
respiratory
distress
are
are
often
been
reported
in
severe
exposure
cases.
A
41­
year
old
male
accidently
fell
into
a
shallow
vat
of
industrial
solvent,
containing
40%
phenol
in
dichloromethane.
He
was
immersed
only
a
few
seconds
and
showered
immediately
after
exiting
the
vat.
He
went
into
a
state
of
collapse
and
was
admitted
to
a
local
hospital.
He
had
cold
extremities
and
burns
on
50%
of
his
body
surface.
He
developed
respiratory
distress
and
subsequently
went
into
acute
renal
failure.
Renal
function
improved
6
weeks
after
the
accident
and
after
one
year
the
patient
was
still
showing
marginal
polyuria
(
Foxall
et
al,
1989).

A
10­
year
old
boy
received
first
and
second
degree
burns
of
the
face
and
upper
torso
when
kerosene
was
thrown
on
a
fire.
After
recovering
from
the
initial
shock,
a
pressure
dressing
was
applied
to
the
burns
which
was
saturated
with
Foille
(
a
solution
containing
phenol).
The
dressing
was
changed
frequently
over
the
next
2
and
a
½
days
in
order
to
keep
the
damaged
skin
moist.
The
patient
died
from
renal
failure
and
necrosis
of
the
liver
(
Cronin
and
Brauer,
1949).

A
21­
year
old
female
drank
about
10­
20
g
of
phenol
in
order
to
commit
suicide.
Twenty­
five
minutes
later
she
was
comatose
with
partial
areflexia,
pallor
of
the
skin,
accelerated
respiration,
a
scarcely
palpable
pulse
(
140/
minute)
and
with
middle
eye
pupils
which
did
not
react
to
light.
One
hour
after
the
poisoning,
the
heart
stopped
and
breathing
became
irregular.
After
further
treatment,
the
patient
died
(
Stajduhar­
Caric,
1968).

A
44
year­
old
patient,
who
worked
in
a
laboratory
that
distilled
phenol,
regularly
breathed
phenol
fumes
and
would
often
spill
phenol
on
his
clothes,
which
would
lead
to
skin
irritation.
Over
time,
the
patient's
health
deteriorated
and
he
noticed
the
following
symptoms:
muscle
pain
in
arms
and
legs;
dark
urine;
and
lessened
appetite.
He
stayed
away
from
work
for
several
months,
but
even
though
his
health
slowly
improved,
he
still
complained
of
weakness,
muscle
aches
and
pain.
After
only
a
45
minute
visit
to
his
laboratory,
he
developed
the
same
symptoms
as
before
and
his
urine
darkened
immediately.
The
patient
became
emaciated
and
his
urine
remained
dark
for
several
weeks.
The
patient
did
begin
to
improve
over
time.
He
gained
weight
and
his
urine
was
no
longer
dark
(
Merliss,
1972).

A
47­
year
old
male
had
90%
phenol
spilled
over
his
left
foot
and
shoe
(
3%
of
body
surface
area).
Four
and
½
hours
after
the
exposure,
the
individual
developed
confusion,
vertigo,
faintness,
hypertension,
ventricular
premature
beats,
atrial
fibrillation,
dark­
green
urine,
tense
swelling,
blueblack
discoloration,
hypalgesia,
and
hypoesthesia
of
the
affected
area.
A
major
absorption
of
phenol
was
detected
in
the
patient
and
it
took
almost
14
hours
to
eliminate
one
half
of
the
phenol
from
the
patient.
The
elimination
half­
life
was
considered
to
be
extremely
long
(
Bentur
et
al,
1998).

2
0
EPIDEMIOLOGIC
STUDIES
ASSOCIATED
WITH
HEALTH
EFFECTS
OF
PHENOL
IN
HUMAN
In
addition
to
the
acute
incidence
report
summarized
in
Section
1.0,
some
health
effects
are
also
reported
after
been
exposure
to
phenol
and
related
in
epidemiologic
studies.
Two
cohort
studies
9
associated
with
phenol
exposure
in
drinking
water
have
been
reported.
An
accidental
spill
of
100%
phenol
into
the
Nakdong
River
in
Korea
contaminated
the
drinking
water
of
about
two
million
consumers
in
Teagu
City.
Kim
et
al
(
1994)
studied
the
effect
the
spill
had
on
the
local
population.
Symptoms
were
observed
in
39.9%
of
test
subjects
in
the
exposed
areas,
compared
to
only
9.4%
of
the
test
subjects
in
unexposed
areas.
The
symptoms
in
the
exposed
areas
included
nausea
(
15.8%),
diarrhea
(
14.9%),
headache
(
11.4%),
abdominal
pain
(
10.0%),
burning
sensation
of
oral
cavity
and
pharynx
(
5.8%),
vomiting
(
4.3%),
dark
urine
(
3.6%),
skin
rash
(
4.0%),
and
malaise
(
1.6%).
Test
subjects
who
lived
in
unexposed
areas
and
reported
symptoms,
may
have
been
exposed
to
phenol
in
the
drinking
water
at
their
workplace
or
could
have
experienced
psychogenic
effects.

A
second
accidental
spill
of
37,900
liters
of
100%
phenol
occurred
in
rural
area
of
southern
Wisconsin
and
contaminated
wells
from
which
residents
obtained
drinking
water.
Seventeen
individuals
developed
symptoms
that
were
associated
with
the
phenol
contamination
(
exposure
of
10
to
240
mg/
person/
day)
.
Symptoms
included
diarrhea,
mouth
sores,
dark
urine,
and
burning
of
the
mouth.
None
of
the
affected
individuals
showed
symptoms
6
months
after
exposure.
Water
testing
indicate
that
contamination
of
the
underground
water
system
could
persist
for
many
years
(
Baker
et
al,
1978).

3.0
SUMMARY
AND
CONCLUSION
There
are
many
incident
reported
associated
with
exposure
to
end­
use
products
containing
phenol.
Dermal,
ocular
and
inhalation
are
the
primary
routes
of
exposure.

Dermal
exposure
is
considered
as
an
very
important
route
of
exposure.
Most
of
the
incidences
are
related
to
irritation
and/
or
allergic
type
reaction.
The
most
common
symptoms
reported
for
cases
of
dermal
exposure
were
skin
irritation/
burning,
rash,
itching,
skin
discoloration/
redness
and
blistering..
Allergic
type
reaction
has
also
been
reported.

Eye
pain,
burning
of
eyes,
conjunctivitis,
blurring
vision,
and
acute
inflammation
have
been
reported
in
ocular
exposure
incidents.

The
most
common
symptoms
reported
for
cases
of
inhalation
exposure
were
respiratory
irritation/
burning,
irritation
to
mouth/
throat/
nose,
coughing/
choking,
shortness
of
breath,
dizziness,
flu­
like
symptoms,
and
headache.

Other
systemic
effects
associated
with
phenol
exposure
can
happen
through
all
routes
of
exposure
(
oral,
dermal
and
inhalation).
Neurologic
effects,
cardiac
effects,
nephrologic
and
death
has
been
reported.
10
4.0
REFERENCE
Bentur
Y,
Shoshani
O,
Arek,
T,
Bin­
Nun
A,
Ramon
Y,
Yehuda
U,
Berger
Y,
Nachlieli,
T,
and
Peled
Y
J.
1998.
Prolonged
Elimination
of
Half­
Life
of
Phenol
After
Dermal
Exposure.
Clinical
Toxicology
36(
7):
707­
711.

Baker
E
L.,
Landrigan
P
J.,
Bertozzi,
P
E.,
Field
P
H.,
Basteyns
B
J.,
and
Skinner
H.
G.
1978.
Phenol
Poisoning
Due
to
Contaminated
Drinking
Water.
Archives
of
Environmental
Health.
March/
April:
89­
94.

Bruce
R
M.,
Santodonato
J,
and
Neal
M
W.
1987.
Summary
Review
of
the
Health
Effects
Associated
with
Phenol.
Toxicology
and
Industrial
Health.
Vol.
3,
No.
4:
535­
668.

Cronin
T
and
Brauer
R.
1949.
Death
Due
to
Phenol
Contained
in
Foille.
JAMA
139(
12):
777­
779.

Deichmann
W
B.
and
Keplinger
M..
1977.
Phenols
and
Phenolic
Compounds.
Chapter
36:
2567­
2627.

Doan
H,
Keith
L,
and
Shennan
A.
1979.
Phenol
and
Neonatal
Jaundice.
Pediatrics
64(
3):
324­
325.

Durback­
Morris
L
and
Scharman
E.
1999.
Accidental
Intranasal
Administration
of
Phenol.
Vet.
Human
Toxicol.
41(
3):
157.

Foxall
F,
Bending
M,
Gartland
K
and
Nicholson
J.
1989.
Acute
Renal
Failure
Following
Accidental
Cutaneous
Absorption
of
Phenol:
Application
of
NMR
Urinalysis
of
to
Monitor
the
Disease
Process.
Human
Toxicol.
9:
401­
406.

Gross
B.
1983.
Cardiac
Arrhythmias
During
Penol
Face
Peeling.
Plastic
and
Reconstructive
Surgery.
73
(
4):
590­
594.

Horch
R,
Spiker
G,
and
Stark
G.
1994.
Phenol
Burns
and
Intoxications.
Burns
20(
1):
43­
50.

Kim
Doo­
Hie,
Lee
Sung­
Kook,
Chum
Byung­
Yeoi,
Lee
Kuk­
Hee,
Hong
Sung­
Chui,
and
Jang
Bong­
Ki.
1994.
Illness
associated
with
Contamination
of
Drinking
Water
Supplies
with
Phenol.
Journal
of
Korean
Medical
Science.
9:
218­
223.

Merliss
R.
R.
1972.
Phenol
Marasmus.
JOM
14:
55­
56.

Morrison,
Jr.
J
E.,
Matthews
D,
Washington
R,
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