o-Terphenyl

Fresh air, rest. Refer for medical attention.

Remove contaminated clothes. Rinse and then wash skin with water and soap.

First rinse with plenty of water for several minutes (remove contact lenses if easily possible), then refer for medical attention.

Rinse mouth. Give one or two glasses of water to drink. Refer for medical attention .

Excerpt from NIOSH Pocket Guide for o-Terphenyl:

(General first aid procedures)

1. Remove all ignition sources. 2. Ventilate area of spill or leak. 3. For small quant, sweep onto paper or other suitable material, place in an appropriate container and burn in a safe place (such as a fume hood). Large quant may be reclaimed; however, if this is not practical, use a procedure similar to that for small quant. /Terphenyls/

SRP: At the time of review, criteria for land treatment or burial (sanitary landfill) disposal practices are subject to significant revision. Prior to implementing land disposal of waste residue (including waste sludge), consult with environmental regulatory agencies for guidance on acceptable disposal practices.

1. By making package of terphenyls in paper or other flammable material and burning in a suitable combustion chamber. 2. By dissolving terphenyls in a flammable solvent ... and atomizing in a suitable combustion chamber. /Terphenyls/

Personal protection: particulate filter respirator adapted to the airborne concentration of the substance. Do NOT let this chemical enter the environment. Vacuum spilled material with specialist equipment. If appropriate, moisten first to prevent dusting. Carefully collect remainder. Then store and dispose of according to local regulations.

The worker should immediately wash the skin when it becomes contaminated.

Work clothing that becomes wet or significantly contaminated should be removed and replaced.

Workers whose clothing may have become contaminated should change into uncontaminated clothing before leaving the work premises.

TERRESTRIAL FATE: Based on a recommended classification scheme(1), an estimated Koc value of 3900(SRC), determined from a measured water solubility(2), indicates that o-terphenyl will have slight mobility in soil(SRC). Based on limited data o-terphenyl may be resistant to biodegradation(SRC). o-Terphenyl present in a waste water mixture, inoculated with three bacterial species, was not biodegraded after an incubation period of 130 hours(3). Volatilization of o-terphenyl may be important from moist soil surfaces(SRC) given an estimated Henry's Law constant of 6.2X10-5 atm-cu m/mole(SRC), from experimental values for water solubility(2) and vapor pressure(5), but not significant from dry soil surfaces(SRC) based on a vapor pressure of 2.5X10-4 mm Hg(SRC), determined from experimentally-derived coefficients(5).

AQUATIC FATE: Based on a recommended classification scheme(1), an estimated Koc of 3900(SRC), determined from a measured water solubility(2), indicates that o-terphenyl may adsorb to suspended solids and sediment in the water(SRC). Based on limited data o-terphenyl may be resistant to biodegradation(SRC). o-Terphenyl present in a waste water mixture, inoculated with three bacterial species, was not biodegraded after an incubation period of 130 hours(3). o-Terphenyl should volatilize from water surfaces based on an estimated Henry's Law constant of 6.1X10-5 atm-cu m/mole(SRC) from experimental values for water solubility(2) and vapor pressure(7). Estimated half-lives for a model river and model lake are 26 hours and 13 days, respectively(1,SRC). An experimental BCF value of 590(5), measured in goldfish, suggests that o-terphenyl will bioconcentrate in aquatic organisms(SRC), according to a recommended classification scheme(6).

ATMOSPHERIC FATE: According to a model of gas/particle partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds in the atmosphere(1), o-terphenyl, which has a vapor pressure of 2.5X10-4 mm Hg at 25 °C(2), determined from experimentally-derived coefficients, will exist in both the vapor and particulate phases in the ambient atmosphere. Vapor-phase o-terphenyl is degraded in the atmosphere by reaction with photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals(SRC); the half-life for this reaction in air is estimated to be about 2 days(3,SRC). Particulate-phase o-terphenyl may be physically removed from the air by dry deposition(SRC).

The substance can be absorbed into the body by ingestion and by inhalation.

inhalation, ingestion, skin and/or eye contact

Cough. Sore throat.

Redness. Pain.

Diarrhoea. Nausea. Vomiting.

irritation eyes, skin, mucous membrane; thermal skin burns; headache; sore throat; In Animals: liver, kidney damage

The Koc of o-terphenyl is estimated as approximately 3900(SRC), using an experimental water solubility of 1.24 mg/l(1) and a regression-derived equation(2,SRC). According to a recommended classification scheme(3), this estimated Koc value suggests that o-terphenyl has only slight mobility in soil(SRC).

o-Terphenyl (CAS # 84-15-1) was evaluated for mutagenicity using the bacterium, Salmonella, at a concentration of 900 uM. No significant induced mutation occurred at the solubility limit. No further information was submitted.

m-Terphenyl (CAS # 92-06-8) was evaluated for mutagenicity using the bacterium, Salmonella, at a concentration of 900 uM. No significant induced mutation occurred at the solubility limit. No further information was submitted.

... Concentrations of Santowax R vapor or condensate (a mixture of terphenyls containing 12% o-, 60% m-, and 28% p-terphenyl) in a reactor room under normal operating conditions ranged from 0.1 to 10 mg/cu m when the coolant was heated at 220 to 230 degree C. Concentrations above 10 mg/cu m (concentrations not specified) were associated with ocular and respiratory tract irritation in exposed workers. /Santowax R/

Terphenyl mixtures containing o-terphenyl are produced and used industrially as heat storage and transfer agents, as textile dye carriers, and as intermediates in the production of nonspreading lubricants(1) may result in o-terphenyl's release to the environment through various waste streams(SRC). From 1960-1970, technical grade terphenyls were also used as coolants for nuclear reactors, whereas contemporary use has been in solar-heating systems(1).