No information is available on the carcinogenic effects of hexane in humans or animals. EPA has classified hexane as a Group D, not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity . Exceedance of the RfC does not imply that an adverse health effect would necessarily occur. As the amount and frequency of exposures exceeding the RfC increase, the probability of adverse health effects also increases. The most probable route of human exposure to hexane is by inhalation.
Individuals are most likely to be exposed to hexane in the workplace.
Monitoring data indicate that hexane is a widely occurring atmospheric pollutant. No information was located regarding the measurement of personal exposure to hexane. CNS effects include dizziness, giddiness, slight nausea, and headache in humans. Mild inflammatory, erosive, and degenerative lesions in the olfactory and respiratory epithelium of the nasal cavity have been observed in mice chronically exposed by inhalation. Pulmonary lesions have also been observed in chronically exposed rabbits.