National Research Council

Division on Earth and Life Studies

Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology

Committee on Toxicology

Committee on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels

Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals, Volume 15 identifies, reviews, and interprets relevant toxicologic and other scientific data for ethyl mercaptan, methyl mercaptan, phenyl mercaptan, tert-octyl mercaptan, lewisite, methyl isothiocyanate, and selected monoisocyanates in order to develop acute exposure guideline levels (AEGLs) for these high-priority, acutely toxic chemicals. AEGLs represent threshold exposure limits (exposure levels below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur) for the general public and are applicable to emergency exposures ranging from 10 minutes (min) to 8 h. Three level-AEGL-1, AEGL-2, and AEGL-3-are developed for each of five exposure periods (10 min, 30 min, 1 h, 4 h, and 8 h) and are distinguished by varying degrees of severity of toxic effects. This report will inform planning, response, and prevention in the community, the workplace, transportation, the military, and the remediation of Superfund sites.

Volume 15

Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals

In 1993, the National Research Council's Committee on Toxicology developed criteria and methods for EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to develop community emergency exposure levels for extremely hazardous substances for the general population. A few years later, the National Advisory Committee for Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Hazardous Substances (NAC)â€"composed of members of EPA, DOD, other federal and state agencies, industry, academia, and other organizationsâ€"was established to identify, review, and interpret toxicologic and other scientific data to develop acute exposure guidelines (AEGLs) for high-priority, acutely toxic chemicals. Three levelsâ€"AEGL-1, AEGL-2, and AEGL-3 are developed for each of five exposure periods (10 min, 30 min, 1 hr, 4 hr, and 8 hr) and are distinguished by varying degrees of severity of toxic effects. This current report reviews the NAC reports for their scientific validity, completeness, and consistency with the NRC guideline reports developed in 1993 and 2001. This report is the fifth volume in the series and covers AEGLs for chlorine dioxide, chlorine trifluoride, cyclohexylamine, ethylenediamine, hydrofluoroether-7100, and tetranitromethane. It concludes that the AEGLs developed by NAC are scientifically valid and consistent with the NRC guideline reports. AEGLs are needed for a wide range of planning, response, and prevention applications. These values provide data critical to evacuation decisions and discussions between community leaders and industries as they seek ways to minimize the health impact should the chemical release occur. Some of the finalized AEGLs have been officially adopted by the Department of the Army, FEMA, and the Department of Transportation as the official levels for use by those agencies.

Volume 5

This book is the sixth volume in the series Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals, and includes AEGLs for chemicals such as ammonia, nickel carbonyl and phosphine, among others. At the request of the Department of Defense, the National Research Council has reviewed the relevant scientific literature compiled by an expert panel and established Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) for 12 new chemicals. AEGLs represent exposure levels below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur and are useful in responding to emergencies such as accidental or intentional chemical releases in the community, the workplace, transportation, the military, and for the remediation of contaminated sites. Three AEGLs are approved for each chemical, representing exposure levels that result in: 1) notable but reversible discomfort; 2) long-lasting health effects; and 3) life-threatening health impacts.

This book is the ninth volume in the series Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals, and reviews AEGLs for bromine, ethylene oxide, furan, hydrogen sulfide, propylene oxide, and xylenes.

Extremely hazardous substances (EHSs) can be released accidentally as a result of result of chemical spills, industrial explosions, fires, or accidents involving railroad cars and trucks transporting EHSs. Workers and residents in communities surrounding industrial facilities where EHSs are manufactured, used, or stored and in communities along the nation's railways and highways are potentially at risk of being exposed to airborne EHSs during accidental releases or intentional releases by terrorists. Pursuant to the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified approximately 400 EHSs on the basis of acute lethality data in rodents. As part of its efforts to develop acute exposure guideline levels for EHSs, EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in 1991 requested that the National Research Council (NRC) develop guidelines for establishing such levels. In response to that request, the NRC published Guidelines for Developing Community Emergency Exposure Levels for Hazardous Substances in 1993. Subsequently, Standard Operating Procedures for Developing Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Hazardous Substances was published in 2001, providing updated procedures, methodologies, and other guidelines used by the National Advisory Committee (NAC) on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Hazardous Substances and the Committee on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) in developing the AEGL values. Using the 1993 and 2001 NRC guidelines reports, the NAC-consisting of members from EPA, the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Transportation (DOT), other federal and state governments, the chemical industry, academia, and other organizations from the private sector-has developed AEGLs for more than 270 EHSs. In 1998, EPA and DOD requested that the NRC independently review the AEGLs developed by NAC. In response to that request, the NRC organized within its Committee on Toxicology (COT) the Committee on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels, which prepared this report. This report is the fourteenth volume in that series. Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals: Volume 14 summarizes the committee's conclusions and recommendations.

Volume 14

This book is the eighth volume in the series Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals, and reviews AEGLs for acrolein, carbon monoxide, 1,2-dichloroethene, ethylenimine, fluorine, hydrazine, peracetic acid, propylenimine, and sulfur dioxide for scientific accuracy, completeness, and consistency with the NRC guideline reports.

Committee on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels

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