Acetaldehyde

Synonyms

Acetaldehyd [German]; Acetaldehyde; Acetaldehyde (natural); Acetic aldehyde; Acetic ethanol; Acetylaldehyde; Aldehyde acetique [French]; Aldeide acetica [Italian]; Ethanal; Ethyl aldehyde; Octowy aldehyd [Polish]; [ChemIDplus] UN 1089

Category

Aldehydes

Description

Colorless liquid or gas (above 69 degrees F) with a pungent, fruity odor; [NIOSH]

Sources/Uses

Used in synthesis of organic chemicals, resins, dyes, pesticides, disinfectants, cosmetics, gelatin, glue, lacquers, varnishes, casein products, explosives, and pharmaceuticals; also used as a hardener in photography, a flavoring agent, and a leather preservative; [NIOSH OSH Guideline] Also used in leather tanning, in glue products, and in the paper industry; A metabolite of ethanol after drinking alcohol; [ACGIH]

Comments

Repeated or prolonged skin contact can cause dermatitis or burns. [NIOSH Guidelines for Chemical Hazards] May cause pulmonary edema after acute, heavy inhalation exposure; [ICSC] Allergic contact dermatitis reported in a textile worker; [Kanerva, p. 1737] If left on clothes, can cause reddening of skin; [CHRIS] Acetaldehyde is a skin irritant. [Quick CPC] Causes eye irritation in volunteers at 25 ppm (lowest) to 50 ppm (majority). In animal studies, causes nasal and laryngeal carcinomas at >750 ppm in rats and at 1650 ppm in hamsters; Alcoholics have an order of magnitude higher average levels of DNA adducts of acetaldehyde in their white blood cells. [ACGIH] Acetaldehyde (UN1089) has warning of explosive polymerization. [ERG 2016]

Reference Link #1

Biomedical References

Insufficient data

25 ppm

200 ppm

50 ppm

2000 ppm

Excerpts from Documentation for IDLHs

Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: The chosen IDLH is based on the statements by Patty [1963] and ACGIH [1971] that all rats survived a 4-hour exposure to 8,000 ppm, but all rats died from a 16,000 ppm exposure [Smyth 1956]. Human data: None relevant for use in determining the revised IDLH.

902 mm Hg

0.0028 ppm

Odor Threshold High

1000 ppm

4946 ppm

LC50 (rat) = 13,300 ppm/4H

Yes

Explanatory Notes

Detection odor threshold from AIHA (mean = 0.067 ppm); Odor threshold = 0.21 ppm; [ACGIH]; VP from HSDB;

No reports found; [TDR, p. 11]

Reference Link #2

burn readily

10 ppm

200 ppm

1,000 ppm

Yes

Yes

Skin burns

Possible (2b)

Anticipated human carcinogen

Suspected Human

Diseases

Occupational diseases associated with exposure to this agent:

• Contact dermatitis, allergic

Processes

Industrial Processes with risk of exposure:

• Leather Tanning and Processing
• Photographic Processing
• Pulp and Paper Processing
• Working with Glues and Adhesives

Activities

Activities with risk of exposure:

• Smoking cigarettes