Regulations Introduction Phenol is a colorless or white solid when it is pure. It is usually sold and used, however, as a liquid. It has a strong odor that is sickeningly sweet and irritating. It evaporates more slowly than water and dissolves fairly well in water.
Phenol can catch on fire.
Phenol is mainly a man-made chemical, although it is found in nature in animal wastes and organic material. Phenol will stay in the air, soil, and water for much longer times if a large amount of it is released at one time, or if a steady amount is released over a long time. More phenol than is usually found in the environment has been found in surface waters and surrounding air that were contaminated when phenol was released from industries and commercial products that contain phenol. Phenol has been found in materials released from landfills and hazardous waste sites, and it has been found in the groundwater near these sites. One ppb or less of phenol has been found in relatively unpolluted surface and ground waters.