IARC Releases Monograph on 2-Bromopropane, High-Production-Volume Chemicals
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified the solvent 2-bromopropane as a Group 2A carcinogen, the agency’s designation for substances that are probably carcinogenic to humans. According to IARC, there is sufficient evidence for cancer in experimental animals exposed to 2-bromopropane, including “an unusually high degree of carcinogenic activity with regard to incidence, site, and types of [tumors]” observed in one study. In addition to its use as a solvent in dry cleaning, 2-bromopropane is used as an intermediate in the manufacture of organic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, dyes, and adhesives. It also occurs as an impurity of 1-bromopropane, a solvent that EPA recently proposed to partially ban in the U.S. Inhalation and dermal exposures to 2-bromopropane are of concern during its production and use. IARC’s findings appear in a new volume of the agency’s monographs series.
The recently published Volume 133 also outlines IARC’s evaluations of the carcinogenicity of three other chemicals: anthracene, butyl methacrylate, and dimethyl hydrogen phosphite. IARC describes these three agents as chemicals with high production volume. Uses of anthracene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, include as an intermediate in the manufacture of dyes and pigments, wood preservatives, and organic chemicals. According to IARC, a few examples of butyl methacrylate’s uses are in coatings, polyvinyl chloride plastics, and healthcare materials, and dimethyl hydrogen phosphite is used as a stabilizer in oil and plaster and as a flame retardant, among other uses. Occupational exposure to anthracene may occur in firefighting, while workers may be exposed to butyl methacrylate and dimethyl hydrogen phosphite via the respiratory route during production and use of those chemicals. Exposures to butyl methacrylate are of increased concern in paint and adhesive manufacturing, IARC notes. Anthracene, butyl methacrylate, and dimethyl hydrogen phosphite fall into Group 2B and are possibly carcinogenic to humans, according to the agency’s monograph.
The new volume of the IARC monographs series is freely available on the agency’s website. Additional details can be found in an agency news article.
