Evaluation of carbon tetrachloride replacement agents for use in testing nonpowered organic vapor cartridges

Details

• Personal Author:
  Calvert C ; Moyer, Ernest S. ; Peterson JA
• Description:
  The results of an evaluation of substitute organic vapor cartridge test agents to replace the possibly carcinogenic carbon- tetrachloride (56235) were reported. Based on physical characteristics, toxicity, and reported charcoal absorption characteristics, four possible replacement agents, ethyl-acetate (141786), pentane (109660), n-hexane (110543), and heptane (142825), were evaluated. These agents were tested on respirator cartridges and compared with results obtained using carbon-tetrachloride. Breakthrough data for 1,000 parts per million (ppm) ethyl-acetate were similar to the baseline 1,000ppm carbon-tetrachloride data; however, its water solubility precluded its usefulness. The pentane breakthrough time at 500ppm was the closest to the carbon- tetrachloride baseline curve, while 1,250ppm heptane were needed to give breakthrough times of the same order as those seen with 1,000ppm carbon-tetrachloride. n-Hexane gave 1,000ppm data comparable to the 1,000ppm carbon-tetrachloride data without interference from other variables. Side by side testing of the two best replacement candidates, pentane and n-hexane, with carbon- tetrachloride indicated that 550ppm pentane and 1,000ppm n-hexane would be suitable replacement agents for 1,000ppm carbon- tetrachloride in evaluations of respirator breakthrough times. The authors conclude that due to the lower toxicity of pentane compared with n-hexane, pentane appears to be the test agent of choice to replace carbon-tetrachloride. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Chemistry Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Solvents
• Keywords:
  Air-purifying-respirators Chemical-cartridge-respirators Chemical-properties Equipment-reliability Materials-testing NIOSH-Author Organic-solvents Organic-vapors
• ISSN:
  1047-322X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  10
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00229098
• Citation:
  Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1995 Sep; 10(9):761-768
• Contact Point Address:
  Ernest S. Moyer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Safety Research, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505-2888
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon tetrachloride (CAS RN 56-23-5) ; Ethyl acetate (CAS RN 141-78-6) ; Heptane (CAS RN 142-82-5) ; Hexane (CAS RN 110-54-3) ; Pentane (CAS RN 109-66-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:97c37ff181248050ae7af91553fd2ab3927dd824e4e4d41c18dd890f4e5b7546dc398b093bcd5604636f6dbe02ac49a9316cc6cc452142d15d964565ef99cac6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204673/cdc_204673_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 867.63 KB ]