EPA has developed information summaries on selected chemicals to describe how you might be exposed to these chemicals, how exposure to them might affect you and the environment, what happens to them in the environment, who regulates them, and whom to contact for additional information. EPA is committed to reducing environmental releases of chemicals through source reduction and other practices that reduce creation of pollutants.
Acrylamide is an odorless solid that exists as flake-like crystals.
US demand for acrylamide is likely to increase during the next several years. The largest users of acrylamide are companies that make polyacrylamide polymers. Products such as clarifying agents, adhesives, printing ink emulsion stabilizers, thickening agents for agricultural sprays, and water retention aids can also contain acrylamide. Exposure to acrylamide can occur in the workplace or in the environment following releases to air, water, land, or groundwater. Acrylamide enters the body when breathed in with contaminated air or when consumed with contaminated food or water.