1,3-Butadiene danger
1,3-Butadiene ranks 36th in the top 50 most produced chemicals in the USA. Three billion pounds per year are produced in the USA and 12 billion globally. 1,3-Butadiene is produced through the processing of petroleum and is mainly used in the production of synthetic rubber, but is also found in smaller amounts in plastics and fuel. Exposure to 1,3-butadiene mainly occurs in the workplace. Examples of industries with a high potential for exposure include: synthetic elastomer (rubber and latex) production, petroleum refining, secondary lead smelting, water treatment, agricultural fungicides, production of raw material for nylon, and the use of fossil fuels. Exposure can also occur from automobile exhaust, polluted air and water near chemical, plastic or rubber facilities, cigarette smoke, and ingestion of foods that are contaminated from plastic or rubber containers.
Recognition
1,3-Butadiene is often referred to simply as butadiene. However, the general term butadiene includes both the common industrial chemical 1,3-butadiene and 1,2-butadiene, a contaminant in some industrial processes. Physical characteristics of 1,3-butadiene are shown below.
| Physical Characteristics of 1,3 Butadiene |
| Physical Description |
Colorless gas that has a mild gasoline odor. |
| Molecular Weight |
54.1 |
| Boiling/Melting Point |
24ºF / -164ºF |
| Vapor Pressure |
@69.8ºF: 1,840 mm Hg |
| Specific Gravity |
@68ºF: 0.62 |
| Solubility |
Soluble in alcohol, ether, acetone, and benzene, not soluble in water. |
| Flammable |
Extreme fire danger. |
Evaluation of Health dangers because of Butadiene
The health effects caused by exposure to 1,3-butadiene can be split into two categories: acute and chronic. acute contacts can further be split into low and high doses. Acute low exposures may cause irritation to the eyes, throat, nose, and lungs. Frostbite may also occur with skin exposure. Acute high exposures may cause damage to the central nervous system or cause symptoms such as distorted blurred vision, vertigo, general tiredness, decreased blood pressure, headache, nausea, decreased pulse rate, and fainting. Chronic effects caused by exposure to 1,3-butadiene are controversial. Several human epidemiological studies have shown an increase in cardiovascular diseases and cancer. However, because of the small numbers of cancers and confounding factors such as smoking, and simultaneous exposure to benzene and styrene, a true causal relationship can not be established. Experiments involving chronic exposures to mice and rats have shown a strong causal relationship between 1,3-butadiene exposure and cancer. Animal studies have also shown reproductive and developmental problems. Based on human and animal studies, the EPA has classified 1,3-butadiene as a known human carcinogen. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) has given 1,3-butadiene a rating of A2, suspected human carcinogen. |
