Tetrahydrofurfurylalkohol

Excerpt from ERG Guide 128 [Flammable Liquids (Water-Immiscible)]:

Use water in large amounts, powder, alcohol-resistant foam, carbon dioxide.

Fresh air, rest. Refer for medical attention.

Remove contaminated clothes. Rinse skin with plenty of water or shower.

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

Rinse mouth. Give nothing to drink. Do NOT induce vomiting. Refer for medical attention .

If material on fire or involved in fire: Do not extinguish fire unless flow can be stopped. Use water in flooding quantities as fog. Solid streams of water may be ineffective. Cool all affected containers with flooding quantities of water. Apply water from as far a distance as possible. Use "alcohol" foam, dry chemial or carbon dioxide.

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.

Personal protection: filter respirator for organic gases and particulates adapted to the airborne concentration of the substance. Collect leaking liquid in sealable containers. Absorb liquid in sand or inert absorbent. Then store and dispose of according to local regulations. Wash away remainder with plenty of water.

If material not on fire and not involved in fire: Keep sparks, flames, and other sources of ignition away. Keep material out of water sources and sewers. Build dikes to contain flow as necessary. Use water spray to disperse vapors and dilute standing pools of liquid.

Personnel protection: Avoid breathing vapors. Keep upwind. ... Do not handle broken packages unless wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. Wash away any material which may have contacted the body with copious amounts of water or soap and water.

SRP: The scientific literature for the use of contact lenses in industry is conflicting. The benefit or detrimental effects of wearing contact lenses depend not only upon the substance, but also on factors including the form of the substance, characteristics and duration of the exposure, the uses of other eye protection equipment, and the hygiene of the lenses. However, there may be individual substances whose irritating or corrosive properties are such that the wearing of contact lenses would be harmful to the eye. In those specific cases, contact lenses should not be worn. In any event, the usual eye protection equipment should be worn even when contact lenses are in place.

TERRESTRIAL FATE: Based on a classification scheme(1), an estimated Koc value of 1(SRC), determined from a structure estimation method(2), indicates that tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is expected to have very high mobility in soil(SRC). Volatilization of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol from moist soil surfaces is not expected to be an important fate process(SRC) given an estimated Henry's Law constant of 4.1X10-9 atm-cu m/mole(SRC), using a fragment constant estimation method(3). Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is expected to volatilize slowly from dry soil surfaces(SRC) based upon a vapor pressure of 0.80 mm Hg(4).

AQUATIC FATE: Based on a classification scheme(1), an estimated Koc value of 1(SRC), determined from a structure estimation method(2), indicates that tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is not expected to adsorb to suspended solids and sediment(SRC). Volatilization from water surfaces is not expected(3) based upon an estimated Henry's Law constant of 4.1X10-9 atm-cu m/mole(SRC), developed using a fragment constant estimation method(4). According to a classification scheme(5), an estimated BCF of 3(SRC), from an estimated log Kow of -0.11(2) and a regression-derived equation(6), suggests the potential for bioconcentration in aquatic organisms is low(SRC). Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol was considered readily biodegradable from the results of a screening test using an adapted activated sludge inoculum in which 96.1% of initial tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (based upon COD) was degraded in 120 hours of incubation(7).

ATMOSPHERIC FATE: According to a model of gas/particle partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds in the atmosphere(1), tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, which has a vapor pressure of 0.80 mm Hg at 25 °C(2), is expected to exist solely as a vapor in the ambient atmosphere(SRC). Vapor-phase tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol 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 13.4 hrs(SRC), calculated from its estimated rate constant of 2.9X10-11 cu cm/molecule-sec at 25 °C(3).

Sore throat. Cough. Headache. Nausea. Dizziness. Drowsiness. Unconsciousness.

Redness.

Redness. Pain.

See Inhalation.

Using a structure estimation method based on molecular connectivity indices(1), the Koc for tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol can be estimated to be 1(SRC). According to a classification scheme(2), this estimated Koc value suggests that tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is expected to have very high mobility in soil(SRC).

MODERATELY IRRITATING TO SKIN, MUCOUS MEMBRANES.

EFFECTS REPORTED IN ACUTE POISONING WHICH RESULTED IN DEATH WITHIN 2-3 DAYS WERE SWELLING IN THE BRAIN, HEMORRHAGES IN VISCERAL PLEURA & EPICARDIUM, HYPERVOLEMIA OF ORGANS, & EXPANDED LUNG. MUCOSA OF THE UPPER DIGESTIVE TRACT & STOMACH SHOWED SWELLING, HYPERVOLEMIA, HEMORRHAGE, & NECROSIS. IN DEATH OCCURRING AFTER 3 DAYS, LIVER WEIGHT INCREASED & SHOWED YELLOWISH-BROWN CROSS SECTION WITH HEMORRHAGES. HEPATOCYTES WERE NECROTIC & SOME CONTAINED FAT DROPLETS.

... Irritating to human ... eyes.

Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol's production and use as a specialty organic solvent(1); as a cleaner and paint stripper(1); in crop sprays(1), in water-based paints(1), in the dyeing and finishing of textiles and leathers(1), and as an intermediate in pharmaceutical applications(1), may result in its release to the environment through various waste streams(SRC).

Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol was considered readily biodegradable from the results of a screening test using an adapted activated sludge inoculum in which 96.1% of initial tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (based upon COD) was degraded in 120 hours of incubation(1). Using a respirometric dilution method and a sewage inocula, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol had a theoretical BOD of 82.9% over a 5-day incubation period(2).

An estimated BCF of 3 was calculated for tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol(SRC), using an estimated log Kow of -0.11(1) and a regression-derived equation(2). According to a classification scheme(3), this BCF suggests the potential for bioconcentration in aquatic organisms is low(SRC).

The Henry's Law constant for tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is estimated as 4.1X10-9 atm-cu m/mole(SRC) using a fragment constant estimation method(1). This Henry's Law constant indicates that tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is expected to be essentially nonvolatile from moist soil and water surfaces(2). Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is expected to volatilize slowly from dry soil surfaces(SRC) based upon a vapor pressure of 0.80 mm Hg(3).

WHEN TESTED ON THE GUINEA PIG THE MATERIAL WAS FOUND TO BE MODERATELY IRRITATING, NOT TO BE A SENSITIZER, & TO BE ABSORBED THROUGH THE SKIN, THE LD50 BEING LESS THAN 5 ML/KG.

... 2 OF 3 RATS EXPOSED TO CALCULATED CONCN OF 12,650 PPM DIED. SINCE THIS CONCN IS GREATER THAN VAPOR PRESSURE PROVIDES AT ROOM TEMP, THE EXPOSURE ATMOSPHERE MUST HAVE CONTAINED AN APPRECIABLE AMOUNT OF MIST. NONE OF 3 ... EXPOSED TO 655 PPM FOR 6 HR DIED; /SIGNS INCLUDED/ LOSS OF COORDINATION, PROSTRATION & VASODILATION OF EARS & FEET ... .

TESTS USED TO EXAMINE THE PHARMACODYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF TETRAHYDROFURFURYL ALCOHOL (THFA) WERE IP TOXICITY, "SIGN PATTERN", INCLINED SCREEN TEST, BALANCE ROD TEST, POTENTIATION OF HEXOBARBITONE SLEEPING TIME IN MICE, IN VITRO SPASMOLYTIC ACTIVITY IN GUINEA PIG'S ILEUM & IV INDUCED CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS IN ANESTHETIZED RATS, CATS, & DOGS. THFP INDUCED BEHAVIORAL CHANGES & POTENTIATED HEXOBARBITONE SLEEPING TIME. ITS SPASMOLYTIC ACTIVITY WAS CLASSIFIED AS UNSPECIFIC IN ISOLATED ILEUM & CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS WERE OBSERVED IN ANIMALS AT VERY LOW DOSE LEVELS.

In rabbit eyes 24 hours after application of 0.1 ml there was still irritation and increased thickness of the cornea.

Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is a food additive permitted for direct addition to food for human consumption as a synthetic flavoring substance and adjuvant in accordance with the following conditions: a) they are used in the minimum quantity required to produce their intended effect, and otherwise in accordance with all the principles of good manufacturing practice, and 2) they consist of one or more of the following, used alone or in combination with flavoring substances and adjuvants generally recognized as safe in food, prior-sanctioned for such use, or regulated by an appropriate section in this part.

Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is an indirect food additive for use only as a component of adhesives.

Residues of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol are exempted from the requirement of a tolerance when used as a solvent or cosolvent in accordance with good agricultural practices as inert (or occasionally active) ingredients in pesticide formulations applied to growing crops or to raw agricultural commodities after harvest.