3-Methyl-2-butanone

Excerpt from ERG Guide 127 [Flammable Liquids (Water-Miscible)]:

Use foam, powder, carbon dioxide. In case of fire: keep drums, etc., cool by spraying with water.

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. Do NOT induce vomiting. Refer for medical attention .

· CALL 911. Then call emergency response telephone number on shipping paper. If shipping paper not available or no answer, refer to appropriate telephone number listed on the inside back cover.

· ELIMINATE all ignition sources (no smoking, flares, sparks or flames) from immediate area.

Excerpt from NIOSH Pocket Guide for Methyl isopropyl ketone:

General First Aid:

(General first aid procedures)

Water may be ineffective.

For small (incipient) fires, use media such as "alcohol" foam, dry chemical, or carbon dioxide. For large fires, apply water from as far as possible. Use very large quantities (flooding) of water applied as a mist or spray; solid streams of water may be ineffective. Cool all affected containers with flooding quantities of water. Wear self contained breathing apparatus for fire fighting if necessary. Use water spray to cool unopened containers.

Personal precautions: Avoid breathing vapors, mist or gas. Ensure adequate ventilation. Remove all sources of ignition. Evacuate personnel to safe areas. Beware of vapors accumulating to form explosive concentrations. Vapors can accumulate in low areas. Environmental precautions: Prevent further leakage or spillage if safe to do so. Do not let product enter drains. Methods and materials for containment and cleaning up: Contain spillage, and then collect with non-combustible absorbent material, (e.g. sand, earth, diatomaceous earth, vermiculite) and place in container for disposal according to local/national regulations.

SRP: The most favorable course of action is to use an alternative chemical product with less inherent propensity for occupational harm/injury/toxicity or environmental contamination. Recycle any unused portion of the material for its approved use or return it to the manufacturer or supplier. Ultimate disposal of the chemical must consider: the material's impact on air quality; potential migration in soil or water; effects on animal and plant life; and conformance with environmental and public health regulations.

SRP: Wastewater from contaminant suppression, cleaning of protective clothing/equipment, or contaminated sites should be contained and evaluated for subject chemical or decomposition product concentrations. Concentrations shall be lower than applicable environmental discharge or disposal criteria. Alternatively, pretreatment and/or discharge to a permitted wastewater treatment facility is acceptable only after review by the governing authority and assurance that "pass through" violations will not occur. Due consideration shall be given to remediation worker exposure (inhalation, dermal and ingestion) as well as fate during treatment, transfer and disposal. If it is not practicable to manage the chemical in this fashion, it must be evaluated in accordance with EPA 40 CFR Part 261, specifically Subpart B, in order to determine the appropriate local, state and federal requirements for disposal.

Burn in a chemical incinerator equipped with an afterburner and scrubber but exert extra care in igniting as this material is highly flammable. Observe all federal, state, and local environmental regulations. Contact a licensed professional waste disposal service to dispose of this material.

Consult an expert! Personal protection: self-contained breathing apparatus. Remove all ignition sources. Collect leaking liquid in covered containers. Absorb remaining liquid in dry sand or inert absorbent. Then store and dispose of according to local regulations. Do NOT wash away into sewer.

Methyl isopropyl ketone was detected in exhaled breath samples collected from a prediabetic population of 14 Chicago, Illinois residents(1). During a study of the occurrence of volatile organic compounds in human milk samples from five industrial US cities, methyl isopropyl ketone was detected in one milk sample collected in Jersey City, NJ and one milk sample collected in Pittsburgh, PA(2,3).

EC50; Species: Pimephales promelas (Fathead minnow, age 30 days, length 20 mm, weight 0.128 g); Conditions: freshwater, flow through, 24.1 (22.4-25.5) °C, pH 7.6, hardness 52.0 mg/L CaCO3, alkalinity 35.0 mg/L CaCO3, dissolved oxygen 86.4% (74.5-92.7%); Concentration: 1110000 ug/L for 24 hr; Effect: behavior, equilibrium

EC50; Species: Pimephales promelas (Fathead minnow, age 30 days, length 20 mm, weight 0.128 g); Conditions: freshwater, flow through, 24.1 (22.4-25.5) °C, pH 7.6, hardness 52.0 mg/L CaCO3, alkalinity 35.0 mg/L CaCO3, dissolved oxygen 86.4% (74.5-92.7%); Concentration: 1120000 ug/L for 48 hr; Effect: behavior, equilibrium

LC50; Species: Pimephales promelas (Fathead minnow, age 30 days, length 20 mm, weight 0.128 g); Conditions: freshwater, flow through, 24.1 (22.4-25.5) °C, pH 7.6, hardness 52.0 mg/L CaCO3, alkalinity 35.0 mg/L CaCO3, dissolved oxygen 86.4% (74.5-92.7%); Concentration: 1290000 ug/L for 24 hr

LC50; Species: Pimephales promelas (Fathead minnow, age 30 days, length 20 mm, weight 0.128 g); Conditions: freshwater, flow through, 24.1 (22.4-25.5) °C, pH 7.6, hardness 52.0 mg/L CaCO3, alkalinity 35.0 mg/L CaCO3, dissolved oxygen 86.4% (74.5-92.7%); Concentration: 1200000 ug/L for 48 hr

For more Ecotoxicity Values (Complete) data for Methyl isopropyl ketone (6 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

TERRESTRIAL FATE: Based on a classification scheme(1), an estimated Koc value of 38(SRC), determined from a log Kow of 0.84(2) and a regression-derived equation(3), indicates that methyl isopropyl ketone is expected to have very high mobility in soil(SRC). Volatilization of methyl isopropyl ketone from moist soil surfaces is expected to be an important fate process(SRC) given an estimated Henry's Law constant of 1.13X10-4 atm-cu m/mole(SRC), derived from its vapor pressure, 52.2 mm Hg at 25 °C(4), and water solubility, 5.237X10+4 mg/L(5). Methyl isopropyl ketone is expected to volatilize from dry soil surfaces(SRC) based upon its vapor pressure(4). Methyl isopropyl ketone reached 99% of its theoretical BOD using an activated sludge inoculum in the Japanese MITI test(6) suggesting that biodegradation is an important environmental fate process for this substance in soil(SRC).

AQUATIC FATE: Based on a classification scheme(1), an estimated Koc value of 38(SRC), determined from a log Kow of 0.84(2) a regression-derived equation(3), indicates that methyl isopropyl ketone is not expected to adsorb to suspended solids and sediment(SRC). Volatilization from water surfaces is expected(4) based upon an estimated Henry's Law constant of 1.13X10-4 atm-cu m/mole(SRC), derived from its vapor pressure, 52.2 mm Hg at 25 °C(5), and water solubility, 5.237X10+4 mg/L at 30 °C(6). Using this Henry's Law constant and an estimation method(4), volatilization half-lives for a model river and model lake are 5.8 hours and 5.9 days, respectively(SRC). According to a classification scheme(7), an estimated BCF of 1.4(SRC), from its log Kow(2) and a regression-derived equation(8), suggests the potential for bioconcentration in aquatic organisms is low(SRC). Methyl isopropyl ketone reached 99% of its theoretical BOD using an activated sludge inoculum in the Japanese MITI test(9) suggesting that biodegradation is an important environmental fate process for this substance in water(SRC).

ATMOSPHERIC FATE: According to a model of gas/particle partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds in the atmosphere(1), methyl isopropyl ketone, which has a vapor pressure of 52.2 mm Hg at 25 °C(2), is expected to exist solely as a vapor in the ambient atmosphere. Vapor-phase methyl isopropyl ketone 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 5.6 days(SRC), calculated from its rate constant of 2.87X10-12 cu cm/molecule-sec at 25 °C(3). Methyl isopropyl ketone's UV absorption spectrum shows maximum absorption near 280 nm with a shoulder extending above 290 nm(4); therefore, this substance may be susceptible to direct photolysis by sunlight(SRC).

Methyl isopropyl ketone has been detected in the meat volatiles of chicken and beef(1). Reported mean concentrations of methyl isopropyl ketone measured in the headspace volatiles of wines from six regions of the Napa Valley, California ranged from 0.001 to 0.225 mg/L(2).

The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation of its vapour.

inhalation, ingestion, skin and/or eye contact

ENVIRONMENTAL: During a study of the occurrence of volatile organic compounds in human milk samples from five industrial US cities, methyl isopropyl ketone was detected in one milk sample collected in Jersey City, NJ and one milk sample collected in Pittsburgh, PA(1,2).

Cough. Dizziness. Headache. Nausea. Drowsiness.

Redness. Dry skin.

Redness. Pain.

Vomiting. Weakness. Further see Inhalation.

irritation eyes, skin, mucous membrane, respiratory system; cough

Methyl isopropyl ketone was listed among approximately 200 gas-phase organic species that have been reported in the literature as emanating from either gasoline or diesel vehicles but were not identified in vehicle emissions collected from the Allegheny Mountain tunnel of the Pennsylvania Turnpike during 1979(1). Methyl isopropyl ketone was detected in headspace sampling of waste building materials consisting of mold-infested fiberboard or wall paper(2,3). It was also detected in the headspace air and liquid exudate of garden waste(2,3).

During a study of organic components in aqueous effluents from energy-related processes, methyl isopropyl ketone was detected at 55 ppb in a product water sample from an in situ coal gasification facility in Hanna, WY, at 89 ppb in process water from an in situ coal gasification facility in Gillette, WY, and at 20 ppb in retort water from an in situ oil shale processing facility in Rock Springs, WY(1). Methyl isopropyl ketone was detected in treated water samples collected following ozonation(2).

During a study exploring potential carbonyl compound by-products of ozone wastewater treatment, methyl isopropyl ketone was detected in samples of final liquor from a sludge-pressing plant following ozonization of the sample in a laboratory(1). Methyl isopropyl ketone was identified as one of the products of the reaction of hydroxyl radicals with 2,3,4-trimethylpentane in the presence of NO. The reported experimental molar yield was approximately 41%(2).

The Koc of methyl isopropyl ketone is estimated as 38(SRC), using a log Kow of 0.84(1) and a regression-derived equation(2). According to a classification scheme(3), this estimated Koc value suggests that methyl isopropyl ketone is expected to have very high mobility in soil.