Two Toxicological Profiles Published for Industrial, Manufactured Chemicals

New final toxicological profiles for the industrial chemical 1,2,3-trichloropropane and dinitrophenols, a class of manufactured chemicals, are available from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. ATSDR describes 1,2,3-trichloropropane as a colorless liquid that has a sweet, strong smell and is used to make other chemicals. The agency’s toxicological profile for dinitrophenols explains that the class of chemicals includes six different dinitrophenols. 2,4-dinitrophenol, which is used in making dyes, wood preservatives, and explosives, is the most commercially important one, according to ATSDR. 2,4-dinitrophenol is also used as a photographic developer.

ATSDR urges workers involved in the production or use of 1,2,3-trichloropropane to take measures to protect themselves from inhalation and dermal exposure. According to the agency, most people are not likely to be exposed to dinitrophenols unless they live near a hazardous waste site. A brief information sheet accompanying the new toxicological profile for dinitrophenols describes historical exposures among factory workers in the 1940s and earlier.

“Workers who breathed or came in contact with high amounts of dinitrophenols for a short and long period of time experienced fever, sweating, restlessness, decreases in white blood cells, and sometimes death,” ATSDR explains.

ATSDR’s toxicological profiles characterize the toxicological and adverse health effects information for hazardous substances. Each peer-reviewed profile identifies and reviews the key literature that describes a substance's toxicological properties. Information on the potential for human exposure; chemical and physical properties; regulations and guidelines; and production, import, use, and disposal can also be found in ATSDR’s toxicological profiles. A full list of toxic substances with published profiles is available on the agency’s website.