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N-butyl Alcohol
Description: N-butyl alcohol (C.A.S. 71-36-3) is a colorless liquid with a strong, mildly alcoholic odor. It is used as a solvent for vegetable oils, dyes, fats, waxes, resins, shellac, varnishes, rubbers, and alkaloids; as an intermediate in manufacturing pharmaceuticals, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, butylamines, butyl acrylic, and 2,4-D esters. It is used in veterinary medicine, fabric coating, manufacturing safety glass, hydraulic fluids, and detergent formulations. It is used in alkyd resin coatings, to provide diluent for formulating brake fluids for passenger cars, and as an extractant in manufacturing antibiotics, vitamins, and hormones. It is used in adhesives and as a solvent adhesive in manufacturing garments from polyvinyl butyral-coated fabric, chemicals, herbicides, ore floatation agents, and melamine formaldehyde resins. Chemical properties: N-butyl alcohol is a volatile organic compound and highly refractive liquid; it can corrode some forms of plastics, rubber, and coatings. It is miscible with many organic solvents, and incompatible with strong oxidizers. It burns strongly with a luminous flame. Synonyms for n-butyl alcohol are 1-butanol, n-butanol, 1-hydroxybutane, and n-propyl carbinol. Identification: Health effects: Exposure to n-butyl alcohol can cause death from respiratory failure and cardiac failure. Exposure can occur through inhalation, absorption through the skin, ingestion, and contact with eyes or skin. It also can cause gastrointestinal hemorrhage, renal damage, liver damage, pulmonary edema, headache, muscle weakness, giddiness, ataxia, confusion, delirium, coma, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, dyspnea, irritation of mucous membranes, dermatitis, dizziness, drowsiness, corneal inflammation, blurred vision, and irritation of the skin, eyes, and throat from vapor or liquid. Exposure Values: Economics: U.S. manufacturers of n-butyl alcohol are BASF Corp., Freeport, TX; Eastman Kodak, Longview, TX; Hoechst Celanese Corp., Bay City, TX; Shell Oil Co., Deer Park, TX; Union Carbide Corp., Texas City, TX; Vista Chemical Co., Lake Charles, LA; Chemical Exchange Industries, Houston, TX; and GAF Corp., Linden, NJ. Regulation: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issues permissible exposure levels for n-butyl alcohol. N-butyl alcohol is regulated under the Clean Air Act, as a volatile organic compound; the Clean Water Act; Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; Toxic Substances Control Act; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; and Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. Under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986 releases of more than one pound of n-butyl alcohol into the air, water, and land must be reported annually and entered into the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). National Overview of 1998 Toxics Release Inventory See EPA's Toxic Release Inventory. Notations: The NIOSH recommended exposure limits (RELs) are time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations for up to a 10-hour workday during a 40-hour workweek. A short-term exposure limit (STEL) is designated by "ST" preceding the value; unless noted otherwise, the STEL is a 15-minute TWA exposure that should not be exceeded at any time during a workday. A ceiling REL is designated by "C" preceding the value. Any substance that NIOSH considers to be a potential occupational carcinogen is designated by the notation "Ca." The OSHA permissible exposure limits (PEL) are found in Tables Z-1, Z-2, and Z-3 of the OSHA General Industry Air Contaminants Standard (29 CFR 1910.1000). Unless noted otherwise, PEL are TWA concentrations that must not be exceeded during any 8-hour workshift of a 40-hour workweek. A STEL is designated by "ST" preceding the value and is measured over a 15-minute period unless noted otherwise. OSHA ceiling concentrations (designated by "C" preceding the value) must not be exceeded during any part of the workday; if instantaneous monitoring is not feasible, the ceiling must be assessed as a 15-minute TWA exposure. In addition, there are a number of substances from Table Z-2 (e.g., beryllium, ethylene dibromide, etc.) that have PEL ceiling values that must not be exceeded except for specified excursions. For example, a "5-minute maximum peak in any 2 hours" means that a 5-minute exposure above the ceiling value, but never above the maximum peak, is allowed in any 2 hours during an 8-hour workday. Information Sources:
Originally published in Environment Writer by the National Safety Council. Reprinted with permission. Environment Writer Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography Office of Marine Programs Narragansett, RI 02882 Tel: 401-874-6211; Fax: 401-874-6485 Disclaimer * Copyright 2002-2006 * All rights reserved. * University of Rhode Island |