1,1,2,2-Tetrabromoethane

Synonyms

Symmetrical tetrabromoethane; TBE; Tetrabromoacetylene; Tetrabromoethane; Acetylene tetrabromide; [NIOSH] Muthmann's liquid; sym-Tetrabromoethane; [ACGIH] UN2504

Category

Brominated Solvents

Description

Pale-yellow liquid with a pungent odor similar to camphor or iodoform; Note: A solid below 32 degrees F; [NIOSH]

Sources/Uses

Used as a solvent, ore flotation agent, catalyst, and flame-proofing additive; [ACGIH]

Comments

Some animals exposed at 4 ppm for 180 days show mild lung and liver injury. "At an average exposure of 14 ppm for 100 to 106 days, tetrabromoethane produced some degree of pulmonary edema and slight fatty degeneration of the liver." One nearly fatal human case with prominent liver injury was reported. The exposure was estimated at 16 ppm for 10 minutes. Other chemicals may have been involved. Findings in another human case were that of solvent-induced encephalopathy. Direct skin contact can cause second degree burns. [ACGIH] A skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritant; Inhalation of high concentrations may cause CNS effects and liver damage; [ICSC]

Reference Link #1

Biomedical References

Insufficient data

0.1 ppm

1 ppm

8 ppm

Excerpts from Documentation for IDLHs

Van Haaften [1969] reported that a chemist who had been exposed to 1 to 2 ppm for 7.5 hours, with only a single 10-minute exposure at 16 ppm, almost died from liver damage.

0.02 mm Hg

LC50 (rat) = 549 mg/m3/4H

Explanatory Notes

VP from HSDB;

will not burn

Yes

Acute solvent syndrome

Occupational hepatotoxin (principal effect)

Skin burns

Diseases

Occupational diseases associated with exposure to this agent:

• Hepatitis, chemical
• Solvents, acute toxic effect

Processes

Industrial Processes with risk of exposure:

• Metal Extraction and Refining