Kerosene

Agent Name
Kerosene
CAS Number
8008-20-6
Major Category
Solvents
Synonyms
Fuel Oil No. 1; Range oil; [NIOSH] Deodourized kerosene; Deobase; Deodorized kerosine; Ultrasene; [CHEMINFO] UN1223
Category
Petroleum, Refined
Description
Colorless to yellowish, oily liquid with a strong, characteristic odor; [NIOSH]
Sources/Uses
Used in jet, diesel, and tractor fuels; also used as a heating fuel and solvent; [Hawley]
Comments
TSCA Definition 2008: A mixture of crude oil distillates with carbon numbers of C9 to C16 and boiling points of 180 deg C to 300 deg C; [ChemIDplus] Petroleum distillates, e.g., VM & P naphtha and kerosene, can cause anesthesia, slowing of reflexes, and dermatitis. They may contain n-hexane with the potential to cause peripheral neuropathy. [LaDou, p. 543] Kerosene is a refined petroleum solvent (predominantly C9-C16), which typically is 25% normal paraffins, 11% branched paraffins, 30% monocycloparaffins, 12% dicycloparaffins, 1% tricycloparaffins, 16% mononuclear aromatics, and 5% dinuclear aromatics. [NIOSH] Gasoline (C8-C10) causes trivial liver injury in animal studies; No known injury in human cases; [Haddad, p. 226t] See "Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light," "Naphtha (petroleum), hydrotreated heavy," and "Solvent naphtha (petroleum), heavy aliphatic."
Biomedical References

Exposure Assessment

Skin Designation (ACGIH)
Yes
TLV (ACGIH)
200 mg/m3, total hydrocarbon vapor
Vapor Pressure
0.48 mm Hg
Odor Threshold Low
3 ppm
Lethal Concentration
LC50 > 5,000 mg/m3/4h
Explanatory Notes
Detection odor threshold from CHEMINFO; IARC designation is for jet fuels only; VP from HSDB;
NFPA
high ambient temp required

Adverse Effects

Neurotoxin
Acute solvent syndrome
Hepatotoxin
Hepatoxic (a) from occupational exposure (secondary effect) or (b) in animal studies or in humans after ingestion
IARC Carcinogen
Not classifiable
ACGIH Carcinogen
Confirmed Animal

Diseases, Processes, and Activities Linked to This Agent

Diseases

Occupational diseases associated with exposure to this agent:

Processes

Industrial Processes with risk of exposure:

Activities

Activities with risk of exposure: