Xylenol
Agent Name
Xylenol
Alternative Name
Dimethyl phenol
CAS Number
1300-71-6
Formula
C8-H10-O
Major Category
Other Classes
Synonyms
Dimethyl phenol; Dimethylhydroxybenzene; Dimethylphenol; Hydroxydimethylbenzene; Phenol, dimethyl-; Stericol; Sudol; Xilenole [Spanish]; Xilenoli [Italian]; Xylenolen [Dutch]; Xylenol, pure; Dimethylphenols, liquid or soild; Phenol, dimethyl-; Xylenol (mixed isomers); Xylenols; [ChemIDplus] UN2261
Category
Phenols
Description
White crystals with a sweet, tarry odor; [HSDB] White to yellow liquid or solid; mp = 25-75 deg C; [ICSC]
Sources/Uses
Used to produce chemical products including disinfectants and phenolic resins; [HSDB] Used in disinfectants, solvents, pharmaceuticals, insecticides, fungicides, plasticizers, rubber chemicals, wetting agents, and dyestuffs; Also used as additive to lubricants and gasolines; [Hawley]
Comments
Corrosive to skin; [Quick CPC] There are six isomers with melting points ranging from 25.4 to 75 degrees Celsius; [Merck Index] Corrosive to skin and eyes; A respiratory tract irritant; [ICSC] The commercial product of mixed isomers (WES 297) is an undefined mixture of xylenols (22.5%), phenol, cresols, ethylphenols, and higher boiling alkyl phenols; No commercial product is specifically assigned to CAS# 1300-71-6; [EPA ChAMP] "As the six dimethylphenol isomers and the mixed isomer substance are generally similar in toxicity, a common TLV for these substances is appropriate. . . . In mice, oral exposure to 250 mg/kg/day produced changes in blood parameters including statistically significant decreases in mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (4 and 3% reduction in mean values, respectively. . . . Available data on skin sensitization from exposure to dimethylphenol are mixed but warrant the addition of a DSEN notation. . . . All six dimethylphenol isomers were tested in a mouse local lymph node assay and the results found 2.4, 2,5, and 3,4-dimethylphenol to be positive for skin sensitization." There are no epidemiology studies. In a case report, ingestion of about 250 ml of a mixture of dimethylphenol isomers resulted in CNS depression, hypotension, and death. [ACGIH]
Biomedical References
Exposure Assessment
TLV (ACGIH)
1 ppm, inhalable fraction and vapor
Vapor Pressure
0.096 mm Hg
Adverse Effects
Neurotoxin
Other CNS neurotoxin
Dermatotoxin
Skin burns
ACGIH Carcinogen
Confirmed Animal
Diseases, Processes, and Activities Linked to This Agent
Processes
Industrial Processes with risk of exposure: