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.
Acrylic acid is a colorless, corrosive liquid.
It occurs naturally, being produced by several species of marine algae and in the stomach of sheep. US demand for acrylic acid is increasing at a rate of 4 to 5 percent per year. The largest users of acrylic acid are companies that make acrylic esters and resins, chemicals added to protective surface coatings and adhesives. The fastest growing use of acrylic acid is in the production of superabsorbent polyacrylic acid polymers. Companies also use acrylic acid to make oil treatment chemicals, detergent intermediates, and water treatment chemicals.