TETRAETHYL LEAD (TEL)
TETRAETHYL LEAD
CASRN: 78-00-2
Human Health Effects:
Evidence for Carcinogenicity:
Classification of carcinogenicity: 1)
evidence in humans: inadequate; 2) evidence in animals: inadequate.
Overall summary evaluation of carcinogenic risk to humans is group 3: The
agent is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans. /From
table, organolead compounds/
Human Toxicity Excerpts:
MAJOR SYMPTOMS OF INTOXICATION WITH TETRAETHYLLEAD
ARE REFERABLE TO THE CNS. THE VICTIM SUFFERS FROM INSOMNIA, NIGHTMARES,
ANOREXIA, NAUSEA & VOMITING, DIARRHEA, HEADACHE, MUSCULAR WEAKNESS,
& EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY. SUBJECTIVE CNS SYMPTOMS SUCH AS IRRITABILITY,
RESTLESSNESS, & ANXIETY ARE NEXT EVIDENT. AT THIS TIME THERE IS
USUALLY HYPOTHERMIA, BRADYCARDIA, & HYPOTENSION. WITH CONTINUED
EXPOSURE, OR IN THE CASE OF INTENSE SHORT-TERM EXPOSURE, CNS
MANIFESTATIONS PROGRESS TO DELUSIONS, ATAXIA, EXAGGERATED MUSCULAR
MOVEMENTS, &, FINALLY, A MANIACAL STATE. ... IN THE CASE OF SEVERE
EXPOSURE, DEATH MAY OCCUR WITHIN A FEW HOURS OR MAY BE DELAYED FOR SEVERAL
WEEKS.
SYMPTOMS ARE REFERABLE CHIEFLY TO NERVOUS SYSTEM ... & IN SEVERE CASES
ACUTE ENCEPHALOPATHY WITH MANIA. OTHER SYMPTOMS ARE VISUAL DIFFICULTIES
... WEAKNESS, TREMORS, MUSCLE PAINS, & EASY FATIGABILITY.
IN ONE HUMAN CASE OF MASSIVE INGESTION OF PURE TETRAETHYL
LEAD, PT SURVIVED 36 HR. INITIAL SIGNS & SYMPTOMS WERE
REFERABLE TO GREATLY INCREASED INTRACRANIAL PRESSURE, BUT TERMINAL EVENT
WAS PULMONARY EDEMA.
THE MOST SERIOUS COMPLICATION RESULTING FROM SNIFFING GASOLINE IS LEAD
ENCEPHALOPATHY, WHICH CAN BE FATAL. MOST OF THE TOXIC EFFECTS ARE THOUGHT
TO BE DUE TO TETRAETHYLLEAD & ITS
METABOLITES.
A CASE OF POLYNEUROPATHY IN A 14 YR OLD BOY, A CHRONIC GASOLINE SNIFFER,
IS REPORTED. CLINICAL EXAM SHOWED SYMMETRICAL MOTOR INVOLVEMENT, MAINLY
DISTALLY, & IN LOWER LIMBS.
DURING A 6 YR PERIOD, 23 NAVAJO ADOLESCENTS WERE HOSPITALIZED 47 TIMES FOR
PRESUMED LEAD INTOXICATION SECONDARY TO GASOLINE SNIFFING. 67% OF THE
PATIENTS PRESENTED WITH TOXIC ENCEPHALOPATHY. OF THE TOTAL EPISODES, 31%
INVOLVED TREMOR, ATAXIA, & OTHER NEUROLOGIC SIGNS; 38% INVOLVED
ENCEPHALOPATHY WITH DISORIENTATION & HALLUCINATIONS. FREE ERYTHROCYTE
PROTOPORPHYRIN LEVELS WERE NOT CONSISTENTLY HIGH, ALTHOUGH BLOOD LEAD
LEVELS WERE ALL ELEVATED. ONE DEATH OCCURRED. THREE HAD ELEVATED ZINC
PROTOPORPHYRIN LEVELS & ALL 3 WERE ANEMIC.
... INFORMATION /COMPARED/ ON HEALTH VARIABLES FOR 153 WHITE MALE 'WAGE
ROLL' EMPLOYEES WHO HAD HAD OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO TETRAETHYLLEAD
FOR 20 OR MORE YEARS WITH THOSE FOR A SIMILAR GROUP OF WORKERS MATCHED
INDIVIDUALLY FOR AGE & YEARS OF SERVICE WHO HAD NO RECOGNIZED
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO TETRAETHYLLEAD OR TO ANY
OTHER LEAD COMPOUNDS. ... INFORMATION ON HEALTH WAS OBTAINED
RETROSPECTIVELY, FROM RESULTS OF PERIODIC PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS &
LABORATORY STUDIES, MEDICAL RECORDS OF ABSENCE FROM WORK DUE TO ILLNESS,
& LONG TERM MEDICAL HISTORIES IN FORM OF CUMULATIVE DIAGNOSES. THE
PREVALENCE OF SKIN CANCER AMONG EXPOSED WORKERS WAS 7/139 (5%), NOT
SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF NON-EXPOSED WORKERS (4/139, 2.9%).
THERE WERE NO CASES OF CANCER OTHER THAN OF THE SKIN IN EITHER GROUP. (THE
WORKING GROUP NOTED THAT WORKERS WHO LEFT EMPLOYMENT FOR REASON, INCL
ILLNESS OR RETIREMENT, WERE NOT INCLUDED; THIS STUDY WAS THEREFORE
CONSIDERED INADEQUATE TO DETERMINE THE CARCINOGENIC RISK OF EXPOSURE TO TETRAETHYLLEAD.)
A study of workers manufacturing tetraethyllead
/in an East TX chemical plant/ revealed excesses
of respiratory cancer (15 observed, 11.2 expected) & brain cancer (3
observed, 1.6 expected).
/IN MANUFACTURING/ INTOXICATION BY ... TETRAETHYL LEAD IS
NOW RARE; OWING TO VIGOROUS INDUSTRIAL HEALTH MEASURES, ... LEAD POISONING
OCCURS AMONG "GASOLINE SNIFFERS." CONTINUED ABSORPTION OF SMALL
AMT ... CAN RESULT IN CLASSICAL SYNDROME OF CHRONIC LEAD POISONING.
EXTREMELY POISONOUS. ... CAUTION: POTENTIAL SYMPTOMS OF OVEREXPOSURE ARE
INSOMNIA, LASSITUDE AND ANXIETY; TREMOR, HYPER-REFLEXIA AND SPASTICITY;
BRADYCARDIA, HYPOTENSION, HYPOTHERMIA, PALLOR, NAUSEA, ANOREXIA AND WEIGHT
LOSS; DISORIENTATION, HALLUCINATIONS, PSYCHOSIS, MANIA, CONVULSIONS AND
COMA; EYE IRRITATION.
When the interval between the termination of (either brief or prolonged)
exposure and the onset of symptoms is delayed (up to 8 days) the prognosis
is guardedly hopeful, but when the interval is short (few hours), an early
fatal outcome may result. Recovered patients show no residual damage to
the nervous system, although recovery may be prolonged.
A MORTALITY STUDY WITH 100% 20 YR FOLLOW UP SHOWED A DEATH RATE 26% LOWER
FOR TETRAETHYL LEAD (TEL) WORKERS THAN THE
GENERAL POPULATIONS, WITH NO UNUSUAL CAUSES OF DEATH.
Liquid alkyl lead may penetrate the skin without producing appreciable
local injury. However, the decomposition products of tetraethyl
lead (TEL) (ie, mono- ,di-, tri-ethyllead compounds) in dust form
may be inhaled and result in irritation of the upper respiratory tract and
possibly paroxysmal sneezing. This dust, when in contact with moist skin
or ocular membranes, may cause itching, burning, and transient redness.
TEL itself may be irritating to eyes.
Gasoline is a readily obtainable intoxicant that lends itself to habitual
abuse by sniffing, a practice found particularly among children and
adolescents. The concerted effects of the multiple hydrocarbon and other
constituents of gasoline result in a predictable acute toxic syndrome.
Organoleads, primarly tetraethyl lead (TEL),
cause a separate toxicologic symptom sign complex that overlaps with the
initial acute toxic syndrome. The different clinical symptomatology,
effects on hemoglobin synthesis, and response to chelation therapy are all
in keeping with the view that organolead poisoning is a separate and
distinct toxicologic entity from that of classical elemental lead
poisoning.
A 25 year old man with a five year history of petrol sniffing developed an
acute encephalopathy with abnormal body movements and died of aspiration
pneumonia. Neuropathological findings included chromatolysis of neurons in
the reticular formation and cerebral cortex and loss of neurons.
Toxicological studies suggest that the encephalopathy is caused by the tetraethyl
lead additive in the petrol.
... Sixteen cases of oral acute tetraethyl lead poisoning
/were described/. The paper contains clinical data, treatment, and chemical
and toxicological analyses of the patients before and after death as well
as pathomorphological data of dissected cases. Twelve of sixteen patients
died during this poisoning. Clinical symptoms were typical of severe tetraethyl
lead poisoning and all attempts of treatment were unsuccessful. The
minimal tetraethyl lead dose, which for acute
symptoms has been estimated at 6 ml, ie 0.14 g/kg body weight, and minimal
lethal dose at 15 ml tetraethyl lead, ie 0.35
g/kg body weight.
Intentional use of gasoline as an intoxicant has been frequently reported
in diverse clinical literature. Recent investigations have described a
high prevalence of this behavior in certain ethnic groups such as American
and Canadian Indians living in isolated areas. Encephalopathy due to tetraethyl
lead has become a well accepted complication of gasoline sniffing
within the last decade.
Exposure to tetraethyllead, resulting in blood
lead levels in 4 men of 600-925 ug/l, resulted in inhibited delta-aminolevulinic
acid dehydratase in blood but did not enhance excretion of delta-aminolevulinic
acid or coproporphyrin.
SEVEN VICTIMS OF ACCIDENTAL TETRAALKYLLEAD POISONING DIED 5-19 DAYS AFTER
POISONING. HISTOLOGICAL EXAM REVEALED DEGENERATIVE ALTERATIONS OF HEART
MUSCLE, SWELLING & LIPOFUSCIN DEPOSITS IN MUSCLE FIBER &
MYOCARDIAL FRAGMENTATION.
... IN MAN, TETRAETHYL LEAD IS APPROX 3 TIMES
MORE TOXIC THAN IS TETRAMETHYL LEAD.
In humans, a tetraethyl lead concentration of 100
mg/cu m, as Pb, for 1 hour may produce frank intoxication.
The longer the exposure time is, the lower is the dangerous concentration.
Food and Environmental Agents: Effect on Breast-Feeding: Reported Sign or
Symptom in Infant or Effect on Lactation: Lead: Possible neurotoxicity.
/From Table 7/
Acute exposure to tetraethyllead produced renal
and hepatic damage in half /of/ adolescents with blood lead levels of
1200-1400 ug/l.
Skin, Eye and Respiratory Irritations:
Irritating to eyes.
Medical Surveillance:
Diagnosis depends on developing a
history of exposure to organic lead compounds, followed by the onset of
encephalopathy. Biochemical measurements are helpful but not diagnostic.
Blood lead is usually not elevated in proportion to the degree of
intoxication. Urine aminolevulinic acid and coproporphyrin excretion will
show values close to normal with no correlation with the severity of
intoxication. Erythrocyte protoporphyrin also remain within normal range.
In a group of 26 workers exposed to tetraethyl lead a
correlation was found between the concentration of tetraethyl
lead in the air and the concentration of diethyl lead (r= 0.70) and
total lead (r= 0.84) in the urine and also between the excretion of
diethyl lead and total lead (r= 0.68). The results obtained indicate that
diethyl lead may be used as a specific indicator of occupational exposure
to tetraethyl lead.
Populations at Special Risk:
Persons with a history of mental
disorders or hypertension would be expected to be at increased risk from
exposure.
Probable Routes of Human Exposure:
POTENTIAL EXPOSURE TO TETRAMETHYL & TETRAETHYL
LEAD, USED AS PETROL INGREDIENTS, MAY OCCUR DURING SYNTHESIS,
HANDLING, TRANSPORT OR MIXING WITH PETROL /GASOLINE/; PETROL ADDITIVE
WORKERS & STORAGE TANK CLEANERS MAY BE EXPOSED.
NIOSH (NOES Survey 1981-1983) statistically estimated that 35,151 workers
(1,101 of these are female) were potentially exposed to tetraethyl
lead in the US(1). Today, tetraethyl lead is
no longer produced within the United States(2). However, tetraethyl
lead is still manufactured in Canada and Europe and imported by a
few companies in the United States to produce leaded gasoline(3). Of the
different aviation fuels currently in use, only aviation gasoline contains
lead as an anti-knock compound. Aviation gasoline is used in reciprocating
piston-engine aircraft and is therefore more prevalent in civil aviation
and general commercial aviation(4). Occupational exposure to tetraethyl
lead may occur through inhalation and dermal contact with this
compound at workplaces where tetraethyl lead is
produced or used(SRC). The general population may be exposed to tetraethyl
lead via inhalation of ambient air(5), ingestion of food(6,7) and
drinking water(8), and dermal contact with this compound and leaded
gasoline containing tetraethyl lead(9).
Body Burden:
Body burden of lead, as assessed by lead
excretion 24 hr after Ca-EDTA administration, was increased in 37% of the
workers with a mean value of 607 + or - 425 ug. Mean blood Pb was 32 + or
- 14 ug/dl. Creatinine clearance was normal in all workers. Maximal
urinary concentrating ability was abnormal in a significant fraction (52%)
of the men.
In Ankara, Turkey where the use of leaded gasoline is still legal, tetraethyl
lead was detected in urine samples taken from various individuals.
From 277 gasoline workers, the mean concn of tetraethyl
lead in urine was 78.6 ug/l while in 342 control subjects the mean
concn was 18 ug/l(1). In another study of the same region, 26 refinery
workers had a mean concn of tetraethyl lead in
urine samples at 73.8 ug/l while a control group of 26 had a mean concn of
24.9 ug/l(1).
Non-Human Toxicity Values:
LD50 Rat oral 12,300 ug/kg
LC50 Rat ihl 850 mg/cu m/60 mos
LD50 Rat ip 15 mg/kg
LD50 Rat iv 14,400 ug/kg
LD50 Rat parenteral 15 mg/kg
Ecotoxicity Values:
TLm Lepomis macrochirus (bluegill) 0.20
mg/l/96 hr. /Conditions of bioassay not specified/
LD50 Anas platyrhynchos (mallard duck),
male, 3 to 4 months, oral 107 mg/kg (95% confidence limit, 44.5 to 258
mg/kg) /Commercially pure/
LD50 Coturnix japonica (japanese quail),
male, 3 to 4 months (may have been in breeding condition), oral 24.6 mg/kg
(95% confidence limit, 14.7 to 41.3 mg/kg) /Commercially pure/
TSCA Test Submissions:
Tetraethyl lead (CAS
# 78-00-2) was evaluated for acute inhalation toxicity in male Charles
River CD rats (2/exposure level) administered single whole-body exposures
at graduated concentrations of 4.8, 7.3, 10.9, 16.3, and 24.5 mg/l for 1
hour. The undiluted test material infused into a glass bubbler was
vaporized and supplied as a dried metered airstream at 2 L/min into the
bell jars containing 2 rats each. An approximate lethal dose was 10.9
mg/l. Rats of both lethal and sublethal levels exhibited clinical signs
during the exposure including irregular, labored breathing, lumbering
gait, and red ears and feet. At lethal concentrations, rats looked ill,
had rapid, shallow breathing, puffiness, lethargy and irritability (3/4).
Both rats of a 10.9 mg/l exposure showed weight loss, growing
irritability, weakness, shaking, screaming and convulsions. One of these
rats succumbed at 7 days post-exposure after also displaying flaccid
paralysis of both hindlegs. Sublethal concentrations were characterized by
dose-related weight loss and nervousness. Upon necropsy, pulmonary edema
and congestion were revealed in the decedent rats, while survivors
exhibited no gross pathology.
Tetraethyl lead (CAS
# 78-00-2) was evaluated for inhalation toxicity in 4 male Charles River
CD rats administered repeated whole-body exposures to 1.1 mg/l tetraethyl
lead vapor (0.7 mg/L Pb), 1 hour/day for 5 days. The undiluted test
material infused into a glass bubbler was vaporized and supplied as a
dried metered airstream at 2.1 L/min into the bell jar containing the
rats. Slight weight loss was continuous from the initial treatment and a
slight nervousness was noted in 2/4 rats prior to the 5th and last
exposure. All rats appeared otherwise normal. On the day following the 5th
treatment and for 2 days after, increasing and unanimous shaking,
screaming and convulsions culminated in 1 death and sacrifice of the
remaining 3 rats. Necropsy revealed pulmonary edema and congestion in the
decedent rat and congestion of the brain in all.
Tetraethyl lead (CAS
# 78-00-2) was evaluated for inhalation toxicity and tissue affinity in 4
male Charles River CD rats administered repeated whole-body exposures to
1.1 mg/l tetraethyl lead vapor (0.7 mg/l Pb), 1
hour/day for 5 days. The undiluted test material infused into a glass
bubbler was vaporized and supplied as a dried metered airstream at 2.1
L/min into the bell jar containing the rats. Necropsy 3 days following the
5th and final exposure revealed pulmonary edema and congestion in the 1
decedent rat and congestion of the brain in all. Select harvested tissues
were dried in a hot air oven at 100 degrees C to a constant weight, ashed
and burned with nitric acid, and then heated to burn off the nitrates. The
residue in hydrochloric acid was then analyzed for Pb content according to
a method of W.W. Woessner and J. Cholak. A group average for 4 rats
revealed that lead constituted 0.44, 1.0, 0.82, 7.4, 8.6, 5.14, and 13.0
mg respectively of 100 g bone, brain, fat, kidney, liver, lung, and spleen
tissue.
Metabolism/Pharmacokinetics:
Metabolism/Metabolites:
AFTER IV INJECTION INTO RATS, TETRAETHYL
LEAD (TEL) IS CONVERTED INTO TRIETHYL LEAD, WHICH IS CONSIDERED TO
BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TOXIC EFFECTS SEEN. ... AFTER IV INJECTIONS OF 25 MG/KG
BODY WT OF TEL INTO RABBITS, MAIN METABOLITE WAS TRIETHYL LEAD ...
DEALKYLATION OF TETRAETHYL
LEAD OCCURS IN MICROSOMES & REQUIRES OXYGEN & NADPH, &
HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN HOMOGENATES OF LIVER, KIDNEY, & BRAIN OF RAT
& RABBIT.
BIOLOGICAL DEGRADATION OF TETRAETHYLLEAD
TO THE TRIETHYLLEAD CATION BY RAT LIVER MICROSOMES FROM UNTREATED,
PHENOBARBITAL PRETREATED & METHYLCHOLANTHRENE PRETREATED RATS WAS
STUDIED; NICOTINAMIDE-ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE PHOSPHATE & OXYGEN ARE
ESSENTIAL.
NICOTINAMIDE-ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE
PHOSPHATE & OXYGEN DEPENDENT MICROSOMAL METABOLISM OF
TETRAETHYL-SUBSTITUTED DERIVATIVES OF LEAD GAVE RISE TO ETHYLENE AS A
MAJOR PRODUCT & ETHANE AS MINOR PRODUCT IN RATS. REACTIONS WERE
CATALYZED BY LIVER MICROSOMAL CYTOCHROME P450 DEPENDENT MONOOXYGENASE.
SINCE FORMATION OF ETHANE & ETHYLENE WAS DIFFERENTIALLY INHIBITED BY
ANAEROBIOSIS, RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT A LARGE PORTION OF THE ETHANE
PRODUCED WAS DERIVED BY A REDUCTIVE MECHANISM.
THE TOTAL LEAD EXCRETED INTO BILE DURING
THE FIRST 24 HR AFTER INJECTION OF 12 MG/KG TETRAETHYLLEAD
AMOUNTED TO APPROX 8% OF THE INJECTED LEAD. ABOUT 97% OF THE EXCRETED LEAD
WAS MADE UP OF DIETHYLLEAD. THE LARGE AMOUNT OF INORGANIC LEAD IN THE
FECES WAS DERIVED FROM THE DIETHYLLEAD EXCRETED INTO THE BILE.
Tetramethyl lead (TML) is metabolized more slowly than tetraethyl
lead (TEL) to the trialkyl derivative, and hence is considered
somewhat less toxic than TEL; however, it is more volatile than TEL, and
thus probably is more available for respiratory absorption.
The dynamics of diethyl lead urinary excretion in rabbits exposed to
various amounts of tetraethyl lead by several
different routes of administration was compared to those measured in
workers who had sustained occupational exposure to tetraethyl
lead. Seventeen male Danish rabbits were administered tetraethyl
lead either intravenously or intragastrically at 12 or 3 mg/kg.
Animals were also exposed to tetraethyl lead by
inhalation at a chamber concentration of 200 micrograms per cu m for 5 hr.
Three petroleum company workers whose job involved the addition of tetraethyl
lead to gasoline were also studied. Intragastric administration of tetraethyl
lead to rabbits at 12 mg/kg produced a time dependent excretion of
diethyl lead. Approximately 70 to 90 percent of the total lead excreted
was in the form of diethyl lead for the first 7 days following exposure to
tetraethyl lead, with maximum diethyl lead
excretion occurring on the first day following such exposure. Intravenous
administration of tetraethyl lead resulted in
lesser amounts of diethyl lead being excreted in the urine, with about 50
percent of the total lead excreted as diethyl lead for the first 7 days
following treatment. After administration of 3 mg/kg tetraethyl
lead, only small differences in the amount of diethyl lead excreted
were observed between intravenously and intragastrically treated animals.
Inhalation of tetraethyl lead resulted in maximum
diethyl lead excretion on the second day after exposure, with levels of
this metabolite constituting about 20 percent of total excreted lead.
Exposure to high air levels of tetraethyl lead in
petroleum workers resulted in concentration dependent and prolonged
urinary excretion of diethyl lead.
Oxidative dealkylation of tetraethyl
lead in animals and humans catalyzed by hepatic mixed function
oxidase enzymes yields trialkyl metabolites; the triethyl derivatives are
further metabolized to diethyl lead and to inorganic lead. At 90 days
after continuous oral tetraethyl lead treatment,
rat liver contained 10.7, 2.6, and 0.42 ug triethyl, diethyl, and
inorganic lead/g, respectively, and the kidney contained 3.7, 1.6, and 1.3
ug triethyl, diethyl, and inorganic lead/g, respectively, but blood
contained nearly equivalent quantities of the three metabolites.
Absorption, Distribution & Excretion:
SEVEN VICTIMS OF ACCIDENTAL
TETRAALKYLLEAD POISONING DIED 5-19 DAYS AFTER POISONING. THE HIGHEST LEAD
CONCN WAS DETECTED IN SPLEEN, LIVER & KIDNEY TISSUE.
TETRAETHYL LEAD (TEL)
IS READILY ABSORBED FROM DIGESTIVE & RESPIRATORY TRACTS & THROUGH
THE SKIN, OWING TO THE SOLUBILITY OF TEL IN LIPIDS & TO ITS
DIFFUSIBILITY. ... ALTHOUGH PART OF TEL IS METABOLIZED & THE RELEASED
INORGANIC LEAD (PB) IS DISTRIBUTED IN OTHER SOFT TISSUES, THE MAJOR
PORTION ACCUMULATES IN THE BRAIN OWING TO A SPECIAL AFFINITY BETWEEN THE
ORGANIC PB & THE LIPIDS OF NERVE TISSUES.
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION STUDIES OF LEAD IN
RATS & DOGS EXPOSED TO LETHAL INHALATION DOSES OF TETRAETHYL
LEAD (TEL) OR TETRAMETHYL LEAD (TML) & IN MEN FATALLY POISONED
BY TEL REVEALED LEAD (PB) LEVELS OF 0.7-13.0 MG/100 G TISSUE IN LUNG,
BRAIN, LIVER & KIDNEY IN THREE SPECIES. HUMAN PB LEVELS IN BRAIN,
LIVER & KIDNEY RESEMBLED THOSE SEEN IN CORRESPONDING RAT & DOG
TISSUES.
IN CASES OF ACCIDENTAL POISONING WITH TETRAETHYL
LEAD (TEL), LIVER, KIDNEY, PANCREAS, BRAIN & HEART ACCUMULATE
TRIETHYLLEAD, & TOTAL TISSUE LEAD (PB) CONCN CORRELATE WITH
TRIETHYLLEAD CONCN IN CORRESPONDING TISSUES.
RATS GIVEN DERMAL APPLICATIONS OF 0.1 ML
TETRAETHYL LEAD (TEL) (106 MG LEAD)/RAT SHOWED
HIGHEST LEAD LEVELS IN BLOOD, KIDNEY, LIVER, LUNG & BRAIN IN THAT
ORDER; ABOUT 6.5% OF DOSE APPLIED WAS ACCOUNTED FOR BY TISSUES, CARCASS
& TREATED SKIN. THUS, SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF THE DOSE APPLIED
APPEARED TO BE LOST BY EVAPORATION FROM THE SKIN. WHEN RABBITS RECEIVED
DERMAL APPLICATION OF 0.75 MG TEL FOR 4 HR & WERE KILLED FROM 6 HR TO
205 DAYS LATER, TISSUE LEAD LEVELS REACHED PEAK AFTER 18 HR EXCEPT IN
SPLEEN & BONE, WHERE HIGHEST LEVELS WERE ATTAINED AFTER 7 & 30
DAYS, RESPECTIVELY.
WITHIN 24 HR OF IV ADMIN OF TETRAETHYL
LEAD (TEL) TO RATS 50% OF TOTAL LEAD IN SOFT ORGANS WAS IN THE FORM
OF TRIETHYLLEAD, & 70% OF MUSCLE LEAD APPEARED AS TRIETHYLLEAD;
HIGHEST LEVELS WERE FOUND IN LIVER, BLOOD, KIDNEY & BRAIN. AFTER 1 WK
90-100% OF TOTAL LEAD IN ORGANS WAS IN FORM OF TRIETHYLLEAD.
REPEATED ORAL DOSES OF 0.0017-0.17 MG/KG
BODY WT OF TETRAETHYL LEAD (TEL) & 0.001-1.08
MG/KG BODY WT TETRAMETHYLLEAD TO RATS 5 TIMES/WK FOR 20 WK RESULTED IN
DEPOSITION OF LEAD IN LIVER, KIDNEY, BRAIN, TESTES & OTHER ORGANS.
DISTRIBUTION OF LEAD IN TISSUES DIFFERED BETWEEN TEL & TETRAMETHYLLEAD
& VARIED WITH DOSE, DOSE SCHEDULE & SEX OF EXPOSED ANIMALS.
... AFTER IV INJECTION OF TETRAETHYL
LEAD (TEL) INTO RATS 18% OF ADMINISTERED LEAD IS CONVERTED INTO
INORG FORM. EXCRETION, PRINCIPALLY AS TRIETHYLLEAD, OCCURS VIA URINE &
FECES. AFTER IV INJECTIONS OF 25 MG/KG BODY WT ... INTO RABBITS ... LITTLE
OF ... METABOLITE WAS EXCRETED IN URINE.
... CAN ENTER THROUGH SKIN BOTH IN
LIQUID & VAPOR FORM.
IN CASES OF TETRAETHYL
LEAD (TEL) INTOXICATION IN MAN URINARY LEAD LEVELS ARE HIGH BUT
BLOOD LEVELS MAY BE NORMAL OR ONLY SLIGHTLY RAISED. IN PLANT MANUFACTURING
TEL NEARLY LINEAR RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN ATMOSPHERIC LEVEL OF TEL
& URINARY LEAD EXCRETION IN EXPOSED WORKERS. /ANOTHER STUDY REPORTED/
... RAISED BLOOD LEAD LEVELS & RAISED URINARY EXCRETION OF DELTA-AMINOLEVULINIC
ACID IN URBAN STREET SWEEPERS & GARBAGE LOADERS WHO ... /WERE/ HEAVILY
EXPOSED TO VEHICLE EXHAUST FUMES.
TETRAETHYL LEAD (12
MG/KG) WAS ADMIN IP TO RABBITS TO DETERMINE CLEARANCE RATES. 24 HR AFTER
ADMIN, HIGHEST TOTAL LEAD & TRIETHYLLEAD LEVELS WERE FOUND IN LIVER,
FOLLOWED BY KIDNEY, BRAIN, SKELETAL MUSCLE, CARDIAC MUSCLE, SPINAL CORD
& BLOOD. APPROX 58% OF THE TETRAETHYLLEAD
ADMIN WAS EXCRETED WITHIN 4 DAYS AFTER TREATMENT.
ONE DAY AFTER THE IV ADMIN OF 12 MG/KG
OF TETRAETHYLLEAD INTO RABBITS, TOTAL LEAD IN THE
URINE CONSISTED OF 69% DIETHYLLEAD, 27% INORGANIC LEAD, & 4%
TRIETHYLLEAD. TOTAL LEAD IN THE FECES CONSISTED OF 85% INORGANIC LEAD, 9%
DIETHYLLEAD, & 6% TRIETHYLLEAD 2 DAYS AFTER DOSING, & THE RATIO
CHANGED, AFTER 7 DAYS, TO 95, 1, & 4%, RESPECTIVELY. AFTER 24 HR,
TRIETHYLLEAD ACCOUNTED FOR 84% OF THE TOTAL LEAD IN THE LIVER, 68% IN
KIDNEY, & 59% IN BLOOD, WHEREAS DIETHYLEAD ACCOUNTED FOR 93% OF TOTAL
LEAD IN THE BILE, & INORG LEAD MADE UP 90% IN THE CECAL, THE COLONIC,
& THE RECTAL CONTENTS.
HUMANS EXPOSED TO (203)PB-TETRAETHYLLEAD
SHOWED AN INITIAL DEPOSITION IN LUNG OF 51% TETRAETHYLLEAD.
THE CONCENTRATION IN BLOOD FELL BY 2 ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE IN THE FIRST 10
HR AFTER INHALATION OF TETRAETHYLLEAD. DURING
THIS TIME APPROX 0.66% OF THE BLOOD ACTIVITY WAS IN PLASMA.
CHEMICAL
SPECIES OF LEAD IN THE URINE OF PATIENTS POISONED BY TETRAETHYLLEAD
WERE IDENTIFIED BY MEANS OF HYDRIDE GENERATION-FLAMELESS ATOMIC ABSORPTION
SPECTROMETRY. 21 DAYS AFTER EXPOSURE, THE URINE CONTAINED APPROX 50%
DIETHYLLEAD, APPROX 48% INORGANIC LEAD & APPROX 2% TRIETHYLLEAD.
... Lipid soluble tetraethyl
lead (TEL) is not retained in the blood. After TEL exposure,
organic lead (Pb) appears in urine of humans for many weeks.
IN ACCIDENTAL HUMAN EXPOSURE TO HIGH
LEVEL OF TETRAMETHYL LEAD (TML) PATIENT HAD HIGH LEVELS OF LEAD IN URINE,
4-75 UMOL (933 UG) FOR FIRST 4 DAYS AFTER EXPOSURE & RAISED LEVELS FOR
6 MO, BUT NO SYMPTOMS OR SIGN OF LEAD POISONING. TML IS LESS TOXIC THAN TETRAETHYL
LEAD.
Organic lead accumulates in the human
brain. After acute tetraethyl lead poisoning,
however, the lead concentrations are highest in the human liver (24 to 41
ug/g), followed by those in the kidney (8 to 19 ug/g) > pancreas (13 ug/g)
> brain (7 to 11 ug/g) > cardiac and skeletal muscle (8 to 9 ug/g)
> spleen and adrenal (3 to 6 ug/g).
Mechanism of Action:
INTRAGASTRIC ADMIN OF ACUTE DOSES OF TETRAETHYLLEAD
(TEL) TO ADULT MALE WISTAR RATS INCREASED DOPAMINE UPTAKE INTO STRIATAL
SYNAPTOSOMES. TEL DECREASED 5-HYDROXYTRYPTAMINE UPTAKE INTO HYPOTHALAMIC
SYNAPTOSOMES, WHILE NORADRENALINE UPTAKE INTO CORTICAL SYNAPTOSOMES
INCREASED. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT DOPAMINERGIC & SEROTONERGIC NEURONES
DIFFER IN THEIR RESPONSE TO ALKYL LEAD IN VIVO.
Interactions:
THE INCORPORATION OF LABEL FROM
U(14)C-LABELED GLUCOSE IN GLUTAMIC ACID & GABA WAS AFFECTED BY TETRAETHYLLEAD
IN A CHARACTERISTIC MANNER IN DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE BRAIN. GLUCOSE
UPTAKE, HOWEVER, WAS NOT INFLUENCED. PYRIDOXAL PHOSPHATE REVERSED THE
EFFECT OF TETRAETHYLLEAD ON THE INCORPORATION,
ESPECIALLY IN THE CEREBELLUM & BRAINSTEM, BUT WITH LITTLE EFFECT IN
THE CEREBRAL CORTEX.
Ethyl alcohol is known to affect the
functional integrity of the limbic system, particularly the hippocampus,
and to alter behaviors which are thought to be mediated through limbic
function. Organometals also compromise the limbic system and result in
deficits in learning and memory. Since both alcohol and organoleads are
present in the environment and seem to influence limbic integration, the
interaction of these two compounds was assessed in the present experiment.
Thirty male rats of the Fischer-344 strain were divided into three equal
groups and were given injections of trimethyl lead (8.0 or 17.0 mg/kg/ml
sc) or the saline vehicle. Fourteen days later, all animals were
challenged with a single hypnotic dose of ethanol (3.5 g/kg ip). The 20%
v/v solution of alcohol was prepared in water from a stock solution of 95%
ethanol. The latency to loss of the righting reflex and duration of sleep
time were recorded while the rats were kept in sound attenuating chambers.
The rats treated with the highest dose of trimethyl lead manifested
significantly longer latencies to lose the righting reflex and shorter
durations of sleep than did controls. These results suggest that exposure
to environmental lead may alter the biological and behavioral
responsiveness of an animal to alcohol.
Pharmacology:
Interactions:
THE INCORPORATION OF LABEL FROM
U(14)C-LABELED GLUCOSE IN GLUTAMIC ACID & GABA WAS AFFECTED BY TETRAETHYLLEAD
IN A CHARACTERISTIC MANNER IN DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE BRAIN. GLUCOSE
UPTAKE, HOWEVER, WAS NOT INFLUENCED. PYRIDOXAL PHOSPHATE REVERSED THE
EFFECT OF TETRAETHYLLEAD ON THE INCORPORATION,
ESPECIALLY IN THE CEREBELLUM & BRAINSTEM, BUT WITH LITTLE EFFECT IN
THE CEREBRAL CORTEX.
Ethyl alcohol is known to affect the functional integrity of the limbic
system, particularly the hippocampus, and to alter behaviors which are
thought to be mediated through limbic function. Organometals also
compromise the limbic system and result in deficits in learning and
memory. Since both alcohol and organoleads are present in the environment
and seem to influence limbic integration, the interaction of these two
compounds was assessed in the present experiment. Thirty male rats of the
Fischer-344 strain were divided into three equal groups and were given
injections of trimethyl lead (8.0 or 17.0 mg/kg/ml sc) or the saline
vehicle. Fourteen days later, all animals were challenged with a single
hypnotic dose of ethanol (3.5 g/kg ip). The 20% v/v solution of alcohol
was prepared in water from a stock solution of 95% ethanol. The latency to
loss of the righting reflex and duration of sleep time were recorded while
the rats were kept in sound attenuating chambers. The rats treated with
the highest dose of trimethyl lead manifested significantly longer
latencies to lose the righting reflex and shorter durations of sleep than
did controls. These results suggest that exposure to environmental lead
may alter the biological and behavioral responsiveness of an animal to
alcohol.
Environmental Fate & Exposure:
Environmental Fate/Exposure Summary:
Tetraethyl lead's production
and use as an anti-knock agent in fuels may result in its release to the
environment through gasoline evaporation, auto exhausts, and gasoline
spills. Today, tetraethyl lead is no longer
produced within the U.S., or used in automotive fuel in the U.S. but is
still used in aviation fuel. Environmental alkylation of lead may occur;
however, it appears that it is a highly variable and inefficient process.
If released to air, a vapor pressure of 0.26 mm Hg at 25 deg C indicates tetraethyl
lead will exist solely as a vapor in the ambient atmosphere.
Vapor-phase tetraethyl lead will be degraded in
the atmosphere by reaction with photochemically-produced hydroxyl
radicals; the half-life for this reaction in air is estimated to be 6.3
hrs. Tetraethyl lead has been observed to undergo
photolysis in the ambient atmosphere. If released to soil, tetraethyl
lead is expected to have slight mobility in soils based upon an
estimated Koc of 4310. However, during spills of leaded gasoline onto
soils, the nonpolar nature of gasoline serves as a mobile solvent capable
of transporting lead alkyl compounds through the soil. Volatilization from
moist soil surfaces is expected to be an important fate process based upon
a Henry's Law constant of 0.681 atm-cu m/mole. Tetraethyl
lead is not expected to volatilize rapidly from dry soil based on
its vapor pressure. At an initial concn of 2 g/kg dry weight of tetraethyl
lead in soil and incubated for 10 days, only 13.6% of tetraethyl
lead still remained in the soil. If released into water, tetraethyl
lead is expected to adsorb to suspended solids and sediment in the
water column based upon the estimated Koc. Volatilization from water
surfaces is expected to be an important fate process based upon this
compound's Henry's Law constant. Estimated volatilization half-lives for a
model river and model lake are 1.8 hrs and 7.1
days, respectively. However, volatilization from water surfaces is
expected to be attenuated by adsorption to suspended solids and sediment
in the water column. Exposure of shrimp, mussel, and plaice to LC50 concns
of tetraethyl lead for 96 hours resulted in BCF
values of 650, 120, and 130, respectively. This suggests the potential for
bioconcentration in aquatic organisms is high. However, a study of a large
spill of tetraethyl lead in the Adriatic Sea in
1974 revealed that tetraethyl lead showed a
relatively low level of accumulation by aquatic fauna. The rate constant
for chemical hydrolysis of tetraethyl
lead in seawater is reported to be 1.33X10-5/sec; this corresponds
to a half-life of 14.4 hrs. In fresh water of pH 7 at 40 deg C, tetraethyl
lead has a hydrolysis half-life of about 8 days. In the dark, all
tetraalkyl lead compounds decomposed completely within 5 days in natural
water. The concentration of tetraethyl lead decreases
rapidly in the environment to the more stable triethyl lead. Occupational
exposure to tetraethyl lead may occur through
inhalation and dermal contact with this compound at workplaces where tetraethyl
lead is produced or used. The general population may be exposed to tetraethyl
lead via inhalation of ambient air, ingestion of food and drinking
water, and dermal contact with this compound and leaded gasoline
containing tetraethyl lead. (SRC)
Probable Routes of Human Exposure:
POTENTIAL EXPOSURE TO TETRAMETHYL & TETRAETHYL
LEAD, USED AS PETROL INGREDIENTS, MAY OCCUR DURING SYNTHESIS,
HANDLING, TRANSPORT OR MIXING WITH PETROL /GASOLINE/; PETROL ADDITIVE
WORKERS & STORAGE TANK CLEANERS MAY BE EXPOSED.
NIOSH (NOES Survey 1981-1983)
statistically estimated that 35,151 workers (1,101 of these are female)
were potentially exposed to tetraethyl lead in
the US(1). Today, tetraethyl lead is no longer
produced within the United States(2). However, tetraethyl
lead is still manufactured in Canada and Europe and imported by a
few companies in the United States to produce leaded gasoline(3). Of the
different aviation fuels currently in use, only aviation gasoline contains
lead as an anti-knock compound. Aviation gasoline is used in reciprocating
piston-engine aircraft and is therefore more prevalent in civil aviation
and general commercial aviation(4). Occupational exposure to tetraethyl
lead may occur through inhalation and dermal contact with this
compound at workplaces where tetraethyl lead is
produced or used(SRC). The general population may be exposed to tetraethyl
lead via inhalation of ambient air(5), ingestion of food(6,7) and
drinking water(8), and dermal contact with this compound and leaded
gasoline containing tetraethyl lead(9).
Body Burden:
Body burden of lead, as assessed by lead
excretion 24 hr after Ca-EDTA administration, was increased in 37% of the
workers with a mean value of 607 + or - 425 ug. Mean blood Pb was 32 + or
- 14 ug/dl. Creatinine clearance was normal in all workers. Maximal
urinary concentrating ability was abnormal in a significant fraction (52%)
of the men.
In Ankara, Turkey where the use of
leaded gasoline is still legal, tetraethyl lead was
detected in urine samples taken from various individuals. From 277
gasoline workers, the mean concn of tetraethyl lead in
urine was 78.6 ug/l while in 342 control subjects the mean concn was 18 ug/l(1).
In another study of the same region, 26 refinery workers had a mean concn
of tetraethyl lead in urine samples at 73.8 ug/l
while a control group of 26 had a mean concn of 24.9 ug/l(1).
Natural Pollution Sources:
Release of tetraethyl
lead by sediment samples possibly due to biological activity was
observed but no indication of a large-scale natural source for tetraalkyl
lead compounds was found(1).
Artificial Pollution Sources:
SOME UNCHANGED TETRAETHYL
LEAD (TEL) DOES ENTER URBAN ATMOSPHERE AS PART OF GASOLINE VAPORS
THAT ESCAPE FROM GAS TANKS DURING FILLING & AS A RESULT OF EVAPORATION
OF SPILLS.
The combustion products of fuels
containing antiknock lead compounds (tetraethyl lead (TEL)
or tetramethyl lead) are the largest source of atmospheric lead pollution.
The organometallic TEL and TML decompose during combustion and the lead is
scavenged from the engine by halogenated fuel additives. Lead is emitted
in the exhaust as particulate matter primarily in the form of lead
halides.
The main source of tetraalkyl lead (tetraethyl
lead and tetramethyl lead) release to the environment is through
automotive exhausts from engines using leaded gasolines(1,2). In the case
of starting engines or the subsequent short period of driving
"fat" fuel-air mixtures, the dissociation of the lead alkyls is
incomplete, and as a result considerable quantities of gaseous lead alkyls
are emitted into the atmosphere(3). However with warm engines, the gaseous
lead emissions are negligible compared with the amount of emitted lead
particles(3). As automotive emissions are the main source for both organic
and inorganic atmospheric lead, lead levels rise with increasing traffic
density(2). Emissions to the atmosphere also occur through evaporative
losses during the filling of gasoline tanks, accidental spillages, and
releases during production(1,4). Release to water may occur through
wastewater effluents and manufacturing operations(4).
Atmospheric emissions result from leaded
gasoline combustion, waste oil combustion, solid waste incineration, coal
and oil combustion, gray iron production, iron and steel production,
secondary lead smelting, primary lead smelting, primary copper smelting,
ore crushing and grinding, lead alkyl manufacture, type metal production,
portland cement production, pigments production, storage battery
manufacture, and manufacture of lead glass(1). Lead emissions from
automobile exhaust is estimated to constitute 88% of the total atmospheric
emissions(1).
Tetraethyl lead's production
and use as an antiknock agent(1) may result in its release to the
environment through various waste streams. Although tetraalkyl lead
compounds are no longer produced in the United States, tetraethyl
lead is still imported from Canada and Europe to various companies
in the United States(2). Aviation fuel is then produced by these companies
and used by commercial airlines(2). Sludge accumulating in the bottom of
gasoline storage tanks is an important source of tetraalkyl lead compounds
in the environment(1).
Environmental Fate:
WHEN GASOLINE CONTAINING TETRAETHYL
LEAD (TEL) IS BURNED, ALL OF TEL IS CONVERTED TO EITHER LEAD
HALIDES OR LEAD PHOSPHATE (IF ORGANOPHOSPHORUS CMPD ... ALSO ADDED TO
GASOLINE). ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE ADDED LEAD IS RETAINED WITHIN THE
EXHAUST SYSTEMS & ENGINE OIL OF MOTOR CARS. THE REMAINDER IS
DISCHARGED VIA THE EXHAUST MAINLY IN FORM OF FINE PARTICLES OF LEAD
COMPOUNDS. HALF OF THE LEAD PARTICULATE MATTER FALLS TO THE GROUND ...
& IS DISPERSED IN SOIL & DRAINS. FINER PARTICLES ARE DISPERSED IN
ATMOSPHERE & MAY BE CARRIED CONSIDERABLE DISTANCES BY AIR MOVEMENTS
BEFORE THEY ARE EVENTUALLY DEPOSITED.
IN SOIL TETRAETHYLLEAD
& TETRAMETHYLLEAD WERE CONVERTED INTO WATER SOLUBLE LEAD COMPOUNDS
WHICH SHOWED A HIGH TOXICITY & AVAILABILITY TO WHEAT OVER 3 MO,
TETRAALKYLLEAD COMPOUNDS WERE SLOWLY DECOMPOSED TO LEAD & LEAD
FIXATION WAS CORRESPONDINGLY SLOW. THE SOLUBLE LEAD COMPOUNDS RESULTING
FROM TETRAALKYLLEAD COMPOUNDS COULD BE LEACHED OUT EASILY FROM SOIL BY
WATER.
TERRESTRIAL FATE: Based on a
classification scheme(1), an estimated Koc value of 4310(SRC), from a log
Kow of 4.4(2) and a regression-derived equation(3), indicates that tetraethyl
lead is expected to have slight mobility in soil(SRC). However,
during spills of leaded gasoline onto soils, the nonpolar nature of
gasoline serves as a mobile solvent capable of transporting lead alkyl
compounds through the soil(4). Organic matter in the soil will influence
tetramethyl lead's mobility because possibilities exist for inhibited
mobility by sorption to soil organic matter and for enhanced mobility by
the formation of soluble chelate complexes with soluble organic anions(4).
Sieved agricultural soil samples were treated with tetraethyl
lead and the resulting effects were analyzed by microcalorimetry
and speciation analysis(5). At an initial concentration of 2 g/kg dry
weight in soil, the biodegradation rate was about 780 umol/day kg dry
weight(5). Volatilization of tetraethyl lead from
moist soil surfaces is expected to be an important fate process(SRC) given
a Henry's Law constant of 0.681 atm-cu m/mole(2). Tetraethyl
lead is not expected to volatilize from dry soil surfaces(SRC)
based upon a vapor pressure of 0.26 mm Hg(2).
AQUATIC FATE: Based on a classification
scheme(1), an estimated Koc value of 4,310(SRC), using a log Kow of 4.4(2)
and a regression-derived equation(3), indicates that tetraethyl
lead is expected to adsorb to suspended solids and sediment in
water(SRC). Volatilization from water surfaces is expected(3) based upon a
Henry's Law constant of 0.681 atm-cu m/mole(2). Using this Henry's Law
constant and an estimation method(3), volatilization half-lives for a
model river and model lake are 1.8 hrs and 7.1
days, respectively(SRC). However, the volatilization half-life does not
take into account the effects of adsorption. This is apparent from the
results of two EXAMS model runs, one in which the effect of adsorption was
considered, yielding an estimated half-life of 40 days in a model pond 2 m
deep, and one in which the effect of adsorption was ignored, yielding an
estimated half-life of 62 hrs in a model pond 2 m deep(4). Exposure of
shrimp, mussel, and plaice to LC50 concns of tetraethyl
lead for 96 hours resulted in BCF values of 650, 120, and 130,
respectively(5). According to a classification scheme(6), these BCF values
suggest the potential for bioconcentration in aquatic organisms is
high.However, a study of a large spill of tetraethyl
lead in the Adriatic Sea in 1974 revealed that tetraethyl
lead showed a relatively low level of accumulation by aquatic
fauna(7). Tetraethyl lead was found to degrade at
about 780 umol/day kg dry weight in soil which suggests that
biodegradation may occur in aquatic environments(8). The hydrolysis
half-life of tetraethyl lead in fresh water of pH
7 at 40 deg C is about 8 days(9). The rate constant for chemical
hydrolysis of tetraethyl lead in seawater is
reported to be 1.33X10-5/sec(10); this corresponds to a half-life of 14
hrs(SRC). Triethyllead chloride has been identified as a reaction
product(10,11). Degradation of tetraethyl lead in
water results in the formation of trialkyl and dialkyl lead compounds
which may be much more persistent than the parent compounds(12). Copper
and iron ions have been found to catalyze the decomposition of tetraethyl
lead in water(13). Liquid tetraethyl lead is
relatively insoluble and has high density, thus a spill of tetraethyl
lead into a stream will sink and spread along the stream
bottom(14).
ATMOSPHERIC FATE: According to a model
of gas/particle partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds in the
atmosphere(1), tetraethyl lead, which has a vapor
pressure of 0.26 mm Hg at 25 deg C(2), is expected to exist solely as a
vapor in the ambient atmosphere. Vapor-phase tetraethyl
lead 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 6.3 hrs(SRC), calculated from its rate constant of
6.1X10-11 cu cm/molecule-sec at 25 deg C(3). Reaction of tetraethyl
lead with hydroxyl radicals yields triethyl lead compounds, diethyl
lead compounds and inorganic lead, with the ionic alkyllead compounds
occurring in either the gas-phase or in aerosol form(4). The rate constant
for the gas-phase reaction of tetraethyl lead with
ozone molecules in the atmosphere has been experimentally determined to be
1.09X10-17 cu cm/molecule sec at 22 deg C(5). Assuming an average
atmospheric ozone concn of 7.0X10+11 molecules/cu cm(6), the half-life for
this reaction has been estimated to be 25 hrs(SRC). The rate constants for
direct photolysis of vapor-phase tetraethyl lead exposed
to bright sunlight at solar zenith angles of 40 and 75 deg have been
experimentally determined to be 5.1X10-3/min and 1.29X10-3/min,
respectively(7). These values correspond to respective photolytic
half-lives of 2.3 and 9.0 hours in air(SRC).
Environmental Biodegradation:
Sieved agricultural soil samples were
treated with tetraethyl lead and the resulting
effects were analyzed by microcalorimetry(1). At an initial concentration
of 2 g/kg dry weight in soil, the biodegradation rate was about 780 umol/day
kg dry weight(1). At higher concns, the biodegradation of tetraethyl
lead was less pronounced. At an initial concn of 10 g/kg dry weight
in soil, 75% of tetraethyl lead still remained
after 10 days(1).
Environmental Abiotic Degradation:
In organolead compounds the lead is
tetravalent (eg, tetraethyl lead (TEL)) and the
covalent lead (Pb) carbon bond can dissociate thermally or photolytically
to yield free radicals.
The rate constant for the vapor-phase
reaction of tetraethyl lead with photochemically-produced
hydroxyl radicals is 6.1X10-11 cu cm/molecule-sec at 25 deg C(1). This
corresponds to an atmospheric half-life of about 6.3 hrs at an atmospheric
concn of 5X10+5 hydroxyl radicals per cu cm(2). Reaction of tetraethyl
lead with hydroxyl radicals yields triethyl lead compounds, diethyl
lead compounds and inorganic lead, with the ionic alkyllead compounds
occurring in either the gas-phase or in aerosol form(3). The rate constant
for the gas-phase reaction of tetraethyl lead with
ozone molecules in the atmosphere has been experimentally determined to be
1.09X10-17 cu cm/molecule sec at 22 deg C(4). Assuming an average
atmospheric ozone concn of 7.0X10+11 molecules/cu cm(5), the half-life for
this reaction has been estimated to be 25 hrs(SRC). The rate constant for chemical
hydrolysis of tetraethyl lead in seawater is
reported to be 1.33X10-5/sec(6); this corresponds to a half-life of 14
hrs(SRC). Triethyllead chloride has been identified as a reaction
product(6,7). Degradation of tetraethyl lead in
water results in the formation of trialkyl and dialkyl lead compounds
which may be much more persistent than the parent compounds(8). Copper and
iron ions have been found to catalyze the decomposition of tetraethyl
lead in water(9). The rate constants for direct photolysis of
gas-phase tetraethyl lead exposed to bright
sunlight at solar zenith angles of 40 and 75 deg have been experimentally
determined to be 5.1X10-3/min and 1.29X10-3/min, respectively(10). These
values correspond to respective photolytic half-lives of 2.3 and 9.0 hours
in air(SRC). This data also suggests that tetraethyl
lead may photolyze in water and on soil surfaces(SRC).
Convincing evidence indicates that in
every environmental matrix, tetraalkyl lead compounds are eventually
converted into inorganic lead through trialkyllead salts. Generally,
studies agree that the decomposition of tetraalkyl lead in natural water
is a rapid process, light induced and promoted by various cations. Even in
the dark, all tetraalkyl lead compounds decomposed completely within 5
days in natural water. The concn of tetraethyl lead decreases
rapidly in the environment(1). Most uncombusted tetraalkyl lead compounds
in the atmosphere rapidly undergo photolytic decomposition to ionic
elemental lead, which settles out on the ground and becomes bound to soil
organic matter(2). In distilled water, tetraethyl lead is
fairly stable with only 2% decomposing to triethyl lead in 77 days.
However, the rate of decomposition increases with decreasing water
purity(2).
Environmental Bioconcentration:
Exposure of eastern oysters to tetraethyl
lead concns of 0.1 and 0.8 ug Pb/l resulted in bioconcentration
factors (BCF) of 17,600 and 18,138, respectively(1). Exposure of shrimp,
mussel, and plaice to LC50 concns of tetraethyl lead for
96 hours resulted in BCF values of 650, 120, and 130, respectively(2).
According to a classification scheme(3), these BCF values suggest the
potential for bioconcentration in aquatic organisms is high. However, a
study of a large spill of tetraethyl lead in the
Adriatic Sea in 1974 revealed that tetraethyl lead showed
a relatively low level of accumulation by aquatic fauna(4).
Soil Adsorption/Mobility:
The Koc of tetraethyl
lead is estimated as 4,310(SRC), using a log Kow of 4.4(1) and a
regression-derived equation(2). According to a classification scheme(3),
this estimated Koc value suggests that tetraethyl lead is
expected to have slight mobility in soil. However, during spills of leaded
gasoline onto soils, the nonpolar nature of gasoline serves as a mobile
solvent capable of transporting lead alkyl compounds through the soil(4).
Organic matter in the soil will influence tetramethyl lead's mobility
because possibilities exist for inhibited mobility by sorption to soil
organic matter and for enhanced mobility by the formation of soluble
chelate complexes with soluble organic anions(4). When spilled onto soil, tetraethyl
lead tends to spread on the surface and penetrate into the soil at
a rate dependent on the soil permeability and water content(4). As
rainwater infiltrates into soils, the leachability of tetraethyl
lead will be determined largely by sorption reactions(4). Tetraethyl
lead has been observed to quickly convert into water-soluble lead
compounds in the soil which showed a relatively large lead enrichment in
the vegetative and generative plant parts in spring wheat(5).
Volatilization from Water/Soil:
The Henry's Law constant for tetraethyl
lead is 6.81X10-1 atm-cu m/mole(1). This Henry's Law constant
indicates that tetraethyl lead is expected to
volatilize rapidly from water surfaces(2). Based on this Henry's Law
constant, the volatilization half-life from a model river (1 m deep,
flowing 1 m/sec, wind velocity of 3 m/sec)(2) is estimated as 1.8 hrs(SRC).
The volatilization half-life from a model lake (1
m deep, flowing 0.05 m/sec, wind velocity of 0.5 m/sec)(2) is estimated as
7.1 days(SRC). However, the volatilization half-life does not take into
account the effects of adsorption. This is apparent from the results of
two EXAMS model runs, one in which the effect of adsorption was
considered, yielding an estimated half-life of 40 days in a model pond 2 m
deep, and one in which the effect of adsorption was ignored, yielding an
estimated half-life of 62 hrs in a model pond 2 m deep(5). Tetraethyl
lead's Henry's Law constant(1) indicates that volatilization from
moist soil surfaces may occur(SRC). Tetraethyl lead is
not expected to volatilize rapidly from dry soil surfaces(SRC) based upon
a vapor pressure of 0.26 mm Hg(1).
Environmental Water Concentrations:
SURFACE WATER: Tetraethyl
lead was detected in freshwater samples from the Colchester river
at 0.20 ng/l(1). It was also detected in a freshwater lagoon in England at
0.02 ng/l(1). It was detected in estuarine water at Wivenhoe at 0.10 ng/l(1).
At a fresh water reservoir surrounded by roads in Ardeleigh, England, tetraethyl
lead was detected at 0.05 ng/l(1). Tetraethyl
lead was also detected in sea water in the North Sea near Walton,
Frinton, and Clacton, England at 0.04 ng/l, 0.03 ng/l, and 0.40 ng/l,
respectively(1). Tetraethyl lead levels:
Colchester, England during 1986, road surface water < 0.3-5 ng Pb/l;
Lancaster, England during 1985, road surface runoff < 4-29 ng Pb/l;
Colchester, England during 1986, road surface water, below detection
limits, < 0.3-< 5 ng Pb/l; Colchester, England, seawater, 2 samples,
below detection limit, < 0.3 ng Pb/l(2,3).
GROUNDWATER: Groundwater in Colchester,
England, 2 samples, below detection limit, < 0.3 ng Pb/l(1).
DRINKING WATER: Tetraethyl
lead was not detected (detection limit 0.06 ug Pb/l) in 12 potable
water samples collected in 5 cities in England(1).
RAIN/SNOW: Rainwater samples collected
in England and Ireland during 1985-86 generally contained tetraethyl
lead at levels below detection limits (< 0.06-< 0.3 ng Pb/l),
although a maximum concn of 72 ng Pb/l was found in rainwater samples
collected in Lancaster, England during 1985(1). The tetraethyl
lead level in snow samples collected in Colchester, England during
1986 was below the detection limit, < 0.3 ng Pb/l(1).
Effluent Concentrations:
WASTE GASES CONTAINING 2000 PPM TETRAETHYLLEAD
FROM MANUFACTURE OF TETRAETHYLLEAD WERE MIXED
WITH AIR & PASSED THROUGH A BAG FILTER CONTAINING LEAD DIOXIDE AT 100
DEG C; THE REMAINING TETRAETHYLLEAD WAS 240 PPM.
Tetraethyl lead was
detected in exhaust gas from a Ford Transit 2.0 ranging from <0.02-5.40
ug/cu m and from a Ford Escort 1.1 ranging from <0.01- 8.5 ug/cu m(1).
The highest concns occurred when the vehicle was stationary and choked
while the lowest concns occurred at 70 mph(1). Both cars were run on
leaded gasoline(1). In 1977, the level of tetraethyl
lead in vehicle exhaust gas in USA was 11-140 ng Pb/cu m(2).
Sediment/Soil Concentrations:
In ... soil located 200 m from a factory
manufacturing anti-knock cmpd, tetraethyl lead was
found at /a/ level of 2 mg/kg ... whilst at 800 m, 0 mg/kg in soil ...
/was/ found.
England during 1985-86, tetraethyl
lead levels: street dust, generally below detection limits (0.06-9
ng Pb/g), max concn detected 6 ng Pb/g; road drainage sediment, generally
below detection limits (0.06 to 0.9 ng Pb/g), max concn detected 0.4 ng Pb/g;
roadside soil, generally below detection limit (< 9 ng Pb/g), max concn
33 ng Pb/g(1,2,3). Sediment collected from the St. Lawrence River near
Maitland, Ontario contained tetraethyl lead at
levels 329-1152 ng Pb/g(2). Tetraethyl lead was
not detected (detection limit 0.5 ng/g) in sediment collected from lakes
in Ontario, Canada(4).
Atmospheric Concentrations:
SOME UNCHANGED TETRAETHYL
LEAD DOES ENTER THE URBAN ATMOSPHERE AS PART OF THE GASOLINE VAPORS
THAT ESCAPE FROM GAS TANKS DURING FILLING AND AS THE RESULT OF EVAPORATION
OF SPILLS. THE AVERAGE CONCN OF GASEOUS, ORGANIC LEAD IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF
THE LOS ANGELES BASIN IN 1965 WAS DETERMINED TO BE 0.077 UG OF LEAD/CU M
OF AIR OVER A TWO MONTH PERIOD.
Baltimore, MD, 1977, 6 samples, mean
concn 0.68 parts per trillion(1). Baltimore, MD during 1977 concn of tetraethyl
lead: tunnel, 11-42 ng Pb/cu m; highway, 4-23 ng Pb/cu m; and
analytical laboratory air, 9 ng Pb/cu m(2). Toronto, Canada, concn of tetraethyl
lead in urban air (near area of high traffic density), 8 ng Pb/cu
m(3). Copenhagen, Denmark during 1981 concn of tetraethyl
lead: urban, 45 ng Pb/cu m (mean); suburban, < 1-36 ng Pb/cu m;
and petrol stations, 60 ng Pb/cu m(4). Antwerp, Beligum, 1980, ambient air
near two gas stations, 0.036-1.73 ug/cu m(5). Antwerp, Belgium during 1980
concn of tetraethyl lead in indoor and outdoor
urban air, < 0.3-4.1 ng Pb/cu m(1). Beijing, China, Aug 1980, tetraethyl
lead concn in air samples collected in urban and rural areas was
below the detection limit, < 0.2 ng Pb/cu m(6). Levels of tetraethyl
lead in air samples collected in England and Ireland during
1985-86: rural < 0.08-1.0 ng Pb/cu m; semirural < 0.8-5.0 ng Pb/cu
m; and urban < 0.8-42.6 ng Pb/cu m(1). Tetraethyl
lead levels in atmospheric aerosols collected in England and
Ireland during 1985-86: rural < 0.03-9 pg Pb/cu m; semirural, < 0.3
ng Pb/cu m; and urban (close to vehicle exhaust), <1.9-172 ng Pb/cu
m(1).
Plant Concentrations:
In plants ... located 200 m from a
factory manufacturing anti-knock cmpd, tetraethyl lead was
found at /a/ level of 38 mg/kg ... /while/ at 800 m, ... 1 mg/kg in plants
were found.
Tetraethyl lead was
not detected (detection limit 0.5 ng/g) in vegetation collected from lakes
in Ontario, Canada(1).
Fish/Seafood Concentrations:
Samples of carp, white sucker, pike, and
small mouth bass taken from the St. Lawrence River near Maitland, Ontario
contained tetraethyl lead levels of 780-7475 ug/g
wet weight basis, and macrophytes contained tetraethyl
lead levels of 68-16515 ug/g wet weight basis(1). Tetraethyl
lead level in samples of several species of fish collected from
various lakes and rivers in Ontario, Canada
ranged between 0.8-9.3 ng/g wet weight(2). Fish samples collected from lakes
in Ontario, Canada typically contained tetraethyl lead levels
of < 0.1-0.2 ng/g(3). In July 1974 the cargo ship Cavtat sank in the
Adriatic Sea with a cargo of approximately 325 tons of tetraethyl
lead and tetramethyl lead in drums; salvaging operation reclaimed
all but 7% of the cargo; analysis of various aquatic organisms at the site
of the accident 3 years after the sinking revealed that tetraethyl
lead levels typically ranging from below detection limits (<
0.002 ug/g Pb wet weight basis) to 0.02 ug/g Pb wet weight basis, max
concn detected 0.37 ug/g Pb wet weight basis in shellfish(4).
Mussels collected from various sites
along the eastern Adriatic seacoast near Sibenik, Croatia from Feb 1992 to
May 1994 contained tetraethyl lead at 2.1 ng/g
(mean concn)(1). Fish analyzed from the North Sea were found to contain
appreciable levels of tetraethyl lead(2). Of 46
Herring fish analyzed, tetraethyl lead was
detected at 0.008 ng/g (mean concn)(2).
Environmental Standards & Regulations:
CERCLA Reportable Quantities:
Releases of CERCLA hazardous substances
are subject to the release reporting requirement of CERCLA section 103,
codified at 40 CFR part 302, in addition to the requirements of 40 CFR
part 355. Tetraethyllead is an extremely
hazardous substance (EHS) subject to reporting requirements when stored in
amounts in excess of its threshold planning quantity (TPQ) of 100 lbs.
Persons in charge of vessels or
facilities are required to notify the National Response Center (NRC)
immediately, when there is a release of this designated hazardous
substance, in an amount equal to or greater than its reportable quantity
of 10 lb or 4.54 kg. The toll free number of the NRC is (800) 424-8802; In
the Washington D.C. metropolitan area (202) 426-2675. The rule for
determining when notification is required is stated in 40 CFR 302.4
(section IV. D.3.b).
RCRA Requirements:
P110; As stipulated in 40 CFR 261.33,
when tetraethyl lead, as a commercial chemical
product or manufacturing chemical intermediate or
an off-specification commercial chemical product
or a manufacturing chemical intermediate, becomes
a waste, it must be managed according to federal and/or state hazardous
waste regulations. Also defined as a hazardous waste is any container or
inner liner used to hold this waste or any residue, contaminated soil,
water, or other debris resulting from the cleanup of a spill, into water
or on dry land, of this waste. Generators of small quantities of this
waste may qualify for partial exclusion from hazardous waste regulations
(40 CFR 261.5(e)).
D008; A solid waste containing lead
(such as tetraethyl lead) may or may not become
characterized as a hazardous waste when subjected to the Toxicity
Characteristic Leaching Procedure listed in 40 CFR 261.24, and if so
characterized, must be managed as a hazardous waste.
Atmospheric Standards:
This action promulgates standards of
performance for equipment leaks of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in the
Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry
(SOCMI). The intended effect of these standards is to require all newly
constructed, modified, and reconstructed SOCMI process units to use the
best demonstrated system of continuous emission reduction for equipment
leaks of VOC, considering costs, non air quality health and environmental
impact and energy requirements. Tetraethyl lead is
produced, as an intermediate or a final product, by process units covered
under this subpart.
Listed as a hazardous air pollutant
(HAP) generally known or suspected to cause serious health problems. The
Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990, directs EPA to set standards requiring
major sources to sharply reduce routine emissions of toxic pollutants. EPA
is required to establish and phase in specific performance based standards
for all air emission sources that emit one or more of the listed
pollutants. Tetraethyl lead is included on this
list.
Clean Water Act Requirements:
Tetraethyl lead is
designated as a hazardous substance under section 311(b)(2)(A) of the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act and further regulated by the Clean
Water Act Amendments of 1977 and 1978. These regulations apply to
discharges of this substance. This designation includes any isomers and
hydrates, as well as any solutions and mixtures containing this substance.
Federal Drinking Water Standards:
EPA 15 ug/l (Action Level) /Lead/
State Drinking Water Guidelines:
(AZ) ARIZONA 20 ug/l /Lead/
(ME) MAINE 20 ug/l /Lead/
(MN) MINNESOTA 20 ug/l /Lead/
Chemical/Physical Properties:
Molecular Formula:
C8-H20-Pb
Molecular Weight:
323.45
Color/Form:
Colorless, oily liquid
Colorless liquid (unless dyed red,
orange, or blue).
Odor:
Pleasant odor
Sweet odor
Musty odor
Pleasant, sweet odor.
Boiling Point:
About 200 deg C, also stated as 227.7
deg C with decomp
Melting Point:
133.59 deg C
Corrosivity:
SOME SOLVENT ACTION ON RUBBER
Critical Temperature & Pressure:
655 K
Density/Specific Gravity:
1.653 @ 20 deg C
Heat of Combustion:
-7,870 BTU/LB= -4,380 CAL/G= -183X10+5
JOULES/KG (EST)
Heat of Vaporization:
6.5581X10+7 J/kmol @ 139.41 K
Octanol/Water Partition Coefficient:
log Kow= 4.15
Solubilities:
INSOL IN WATER; SOL IN BENZENE, ETHANOL,
DIETHYL ETHER
Insoluble in water, soluble in benzene,
petroleum ether, and gasoline.
LIPID SOLUBLE
Soluble in ethanol.
0.29 mg/l in water @ 25 deg C.
Spectral Properties:
Index of refraction: 1.5198 @ 20 deg C/D
Intense mass spectral peaks: 237 m/z
(100%), 295 m/z (73%), 208 m/z (61%), 235 m/z (46%)
Surface Tension:
4.4233X10-2 N/m @ 139.41 K
Vapor Density:
8.6 (AIR= 1)
Vapor Pressure:
0.26 mm Hg @ 25 deg C
Relative Evaporation Rate:
0.032 g/sq m (times) s (@ 20 deg C and a
wind speed of 4.5 m/s)
Viscosity:
2.2899X10-2 @ 225 K.Pa.s
Other Chemical/Physical Properties:
AT 18 DEG C AIR SATURATED WITH ITS VAPOR
CONTAINS ABOUT 5 MG/L
BURNS WITH ORANGE COLORED FLAME WITH
GREEN MARGIN
/Commerical product may be/ dyed red or
other distinctive color
It is mildly endothermic (standard heat
of formation +217.5 kJ/mol, 0.56 kJ/g).
Decomposes in dilute soln in water to
give trimethyl salt, then diethyl salt, and finally inorganic lead.
Hydroxyl radical rate constant=
6.1X10-11 cu cm/molecule-sec @ 25 deg C
Henry's Law constant = 0.681 atm
cu-m/mol @ 24 deg C
Chemical Safety & Handling:
DOT Emergency Guidelines:
Health: Toxic; may be fatal if inhaled,
ingested or absorbed through skin. Inhalation or contact with some of
these materials will irritate or burn skin and eyes. Fire will produce
irritating, corrosive and/or toxic gases. Vapors may cause dizziness or
suffocation. Runoff from fire control or dilution water may cause
pollution. /Tetraethyl lead, liquid/
Fire or explosion: Highly flammable:
Will be easily ignited by heat, sparks or flames. Vapors may form
explosive mixtures with air. Vapors may travel to source of ignition and
flash back. Most vapors are heavier than air. They will spread along
ground and collect in low or confined areas (sewers, basements, tanks).
Vapor explosion and poison hazard indoors, outdoors or in sewers. Some may
polymerize (P) explosively when heated or involved in a fire. Runoff to
sewer may create fire or explosion hazard. Containers may explode when
heated. Many liquids are lighter than water. /Tetraethyl
lead, liquid/
Public safety: Call Emergency Response
Telephone Number ... . Isolate spill or leak area immediately for at least
100 to 200 meters (330 to 660 feet) in all directions. Keep unauthorized
personnel away. Stay upwind. Keep out of low areas. Ventilate closed
spaces before entering. /Tetraethyl lead, liquid/
Protective clothing: Wear positive
pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Wear chemical
protective clothing which is specifically recommended by the manufacturer.
It may provide little or no thermal protection. Structural firefighters'
protective clothing is recommended for fire situations only; it is not
effective in spill situations. /Tetraethyl lead, liquid/
Evacuation: Spill: Fire: If tank, rail
car or tank truck is involved in a fire, isolate for 800 meters (1/2 mile)
in all directions; also, consider initial evacuation for 800 meters (1/2
mile) in all directions. /Tetraethyl lead, liquid/
Fire: CAUTION: All these products have a
very low flash point. Use of water spray when fighting fire may be
inefficient. Small fires: Dry chemical, CO2,
water spray or alcohol-resistant foam. Large fires: Water spray, fog or
alcohol-resistant foam. Move containers from fire area if you can do it
without risk. Dike fire control water for later disposal; do not scatter
the material. Do not use straight streams. Fire involving tanks or
car/trailer loads: Fight fire from maximum distance or use unmanned hose
holders or monitor nozzles. Cool containers with flooding quantities of
water until well after fire is out. Withdraw immediately in case of rising
sound from venting safety devices or discoloration of tank. ALWAYS stay
away from the ends of tanks. For massive fire use unmanned hose holders or
monitor nozzles; if this is impossible, withdraw from area and let fire
burn. /Tetraethyl lead, liquid/
Spill or leak: Fully encapsulating,
vapor protective clothing should be worn for spills and leaks with no
fire. ELIMINATE all ignition sources (no smoking, flares, sparks or flames
in immediate area). All equipment used when handling the product must be
grounded. Do not touch or walk through spilled material. Stop leak if you
can do it without risk. Prevent entry into waterways, sewers, basements or
confined areas. A vapor suppressing foam may be used to reduce vapors.
Small spills: Absorb with earth, sand or other non-combustible material
and transfer to containers for later disposal. Use clean non-sparking
tools to collect absorbed material. Large spills: Dike far ahead of liquid
spill for later disposal. Water spray may reduce vapor; but may not
prevent ignition in closed spaces. /Tetraethyl lead, liquid/
First aid: Move victim to fresh air.
Call emergency medical care. Apply artificial respiration if victim is not
breathing. Do not use mouth-to-mouth method if victim ingested or inhaled
the substance; induce artificial respiration with the aid of a pocket mask
equipped with a one-way valve or other proper respiratory medical device.
Administer oxygen if breathing is difficult. Remove and isolate
contaminated clothing and shoes. In case of contact with substance,
immediately flush skin or eyes with running water for at least 20 minutes.
Wash skin with soap and water. Keep victim warm and quiet. Effects of
exposure (inhalation, ingestion or skin contact) to substance may be
delayed. Ensure that medical personnel are aware of the material(s)
involved, and take precautions to protect themselves. /Tetraethyl
lead, liquid/
Skin, Eye and Respiratory Irritations:
Irritating to eyes.
Fire Potential:
Flammable when exposed to heat, flame,
or oxidizers.
NFPA Hazard Classification:
Health: 3. 3= Materials that, on short
exposure, could cause serious temporary or residual injury, including
those requiring protection from all bodily contact. Fire fighters may
enter the area only if they are protected from all contact with the
material. Full protective clothing, including self-contained breathing
apparatus, coat, pants, gloves, boots, and bands around legs, arms, and
waist, should be provided. No skin surface should be exposed.
Flammability: 2. 2= This degree includes
materials that must be moderately heated before ignition will occur and
includes Class II and IIIA combustible liquids and solids and semi-solids
that readily give off ignitible vapors. Water spray may be used to
extinguish fires in these materials because the materials can be cooled
below their flash points.
Reactivity: 3. 3= This degree includes
materials that, in themselves, are capable of detonation, explosive
decomposition, or explosive reaction, but require a strong initiating
source or heating under confinement. This includes materials that are
sensitive to thermal and mechanical shock at elevated temperatures and
pressures and materials that react explosively with water. Fires involving
these materials should be fought from a protected location.
Flammable Limits:
LOWER 1.8% BY VOL.
Flash Point:
200 deg F (closed cup); 185 deg F (open
cup)
Fire Fighting Procedures:
If fire becomes uncontrollable or
container is exposed to direct flame--consider evacuation of one third
(1/3) mile radius.
Toxic Combustion Products:
Combustion products are carbon dioxide,
water, and lead.
Explosive Limits & Potential:
Prolonged exposure to fire or heat may
cause the material to explode and the cylinders to violently rupture and
rocket.
Tetraethyl lead (TEL)
can violently explode @ temperatures > 80 deg C.
Exposure to air for several days may
cause explosive decomposition.
Hazardous Reactivities & Incompatibilities:
Rust and some metals cause
decomposition.
Strong oxidizers, sulfuryl chloride,
rust, potassium permanganate [Note: Decomposes slowly at room temperature
and more rapidly at higher temperatures].
Hazardous Decomposition:
Failure to cover the residue with water
after emptying a tank of the compound caused explosive decomposition after
several days.
Tetraethyl lead (TEL)
can decompose with explosive violence, if temperature is >80 deg C.
Rust and some metals cause
decomposition.
Decomposes when exposed to sunlight or
allowed to evaporate; forms triethyl lead, which is also a poisonous
compound, as one of its decomposition products. ... When heated to
decomposition it emits toxic fumes of lead.
Prior History of Accidents:
The wreck of the MV Ariadne, a
Panamanian flag container ship, is examined as a case study of a hazardous
substance emergency response in a third world country. /The ship/,
carrying a cargo of heavy fuel oil, tetraethyl lead, xylene,
toluene, methyl isobutyl ketone, butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and acetone
was grounded while departing the harbor of Mogadishu, Somalia. The
Somalian government requested a team of technical advisors to help respond
appropriately to the emergency. The major issues addressed by the advisory
team were the need for additional salvage equipment and expertise, the
danger of toxic fumes from the fire and explosions aboard the ship, the
presence and possible release of tetraethyl lead, possible
port blockage by the wreck, recovery of the chemical
drums, and the extent of environmental damage caused by the release of
oil, pesticides, and tetraethyl lead into the
harbor. ...
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health:
40 mg/cu m /Tetraethyl
lead (as lead)/
Protective Equipment & Clothing:
ORGANIC VAPOR TYPE CANISTER FACE MASK
FOR SHORT PERIODS; AIR LINE TYPE FOR LONGER PERIODS; NEOPRENE COATED,
LIQUID PROOF GLOVES; PROTECTIVE GOGGLES OR FACE SHIELD; WHITE OR LIGHT
COLORED CLOTHING; AND RUBBER SHOES OR BOOTS.
Wear appropriate clothing ... /and eye
protection/ to prevent any possibility of contact with liquids of >
0.1% content.
Wear appropriate personal protective
clothing to prevent skin contact. />0.1%/
Wear appropriate eye protection to
prevent eye contact.
Facilities for quickly drenching the
body should be provided within the immediate work area for emergency use
where there is a possibility of exposure. (Note: It is intended that these
facilities provide a sufficient quantity or flow of water to quickly
remove the substance from any body areas likely to be exposed. The actual
determination of what constitutes an adequate quick drench facility
depends on the specific circumstances. In certain instances, a deluge
shower should be readily available, whereas in others, the availability of
water from a sink or hose could be considered adequate.) />0.1%/
Recommendations for respirator
selection. Max concn for use: 0.75 mg/cu m. Respirator Class(es): Any
supplied-air respirator.
Recommendations for respirator
selection. Max concn for use: 1.875 mg/cu m. Respirator Class(es): Any
supplied-air respirator operated in a continuous flow mode.
Recommendations for respirator
selection. Max concn for use: 3.75 mg/cu m. Respirator Class(es): Any
supplied-air respirator that has a tight-fitting facepiece and is operated
in a continuous-flow mode. Any self-contained breathing apparatus with a
full facepiece. Any supplied-air respirator with a full facepiece.
Recommendations for respirator
selection. Max concn for use: 40 mg/cu m. Respirator Class(es): Any
supplied-air respirator operated in a pressure-demand or other
positive-pressure mode.
Recommendations for respirator
selection. Condition: Emergency or planned entry into unknown concn or
IDLH conditions: Respirator Class(es): Any self-contained breathing
apparatus that has a full facepiece and is operated in a pressure-demand
or other positive-pressure mode. Any supplied-air respirator that has a
full facepiece and is operated in a pressure-demand or other
positive-pressure mode in combination with an auxiliary self-contained
breathing apparatus operated in pressure-demand or other positive-pressure
mode.
Recommendations for respirator
selection. Condition: Escape from suddenly occurring respiratory hazards:
Respirator Class(es): Any air-purifying, full-facepiece respirator (gas
mask) with a chin-style, front- or back-mounted organic vapor canister.
Any appropriate escape-type, self-contained breathing apparatus.
Preventive Measures:
Keep sparks, flames, and other sources
of ignition away. Keep material out of water sources and sewers.
Avoid bodily contact with the material.
... 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.
Work clothing should be changed daily if
it is possible that clothing is contaminated with liquids of > 0.1%
content. Remove nonimpervious clothing immediately if wet or contaminated
with liquids containing > 0.1%. Provide emergency showers and eyewash
if liquids containing > 0.1% are involved.
Personnel should not be allowed to eat,
smoke or keep unsealed food or beverages in the work area.
Continous sampling and analysis of the
air in all areas of the plant ... should be carried out as a dependable
indication of the quality of maintenance of such equipment.
Contact lenses should not be worn when
working with this chemical.
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.
If material not on fire and not involved
in fire: Build dikes to contain flow as necessary. Use water spray to
knock down vapors.
OSHA has recommended engineering
controls over administrative controls and protective equipment to reduce
exposures to chemicals in the workplace. The
application of employee training and motivation programs (such as job
safety analysis) to reduce exposures to chemicals
has not been emphasized. To determine the effectiveness of such programs,
a pilot project in an alkyl lead production facility was conducted with 35
employees in an effort to reduce exposures to organic and inorganic lead (Pb).
Results after 12 mo showed a 40% reduction in Pb in urine and a 24%
reduction in Pb in blood, both indicators of total exposure to organic and
inorganic Pb. /Alkyl and inorganic lead compounds/
SRP: Local exhaust ventilation should be
applied wherever there is an incidence of point source emissions or
dispersion of regulated contaminants in the work area. Ventilation control
of the contaminant as close to its point of generation is both the most
economical and safest method to minimize personnel exposure to airborne
contaminants.
Exhaust ventilation should be installed
at vapor emission points and general ventilation should dilute uncaptured
vapors to negligible proportions and remove them from operating areas. In
providing for operating routines and emergencies, a system for
distributing fresh, clean air under positive pressure to appropriate sites
from the immediate use of hose masks must be installed.
SRP: Contaminated protective clothing
should be segregated in such a manner so that there is no direct personal
contact by personnel who handle, dispose, or clean the clothing. Quality
assurance to ascertain the completeness of the cleaning procedures should
be implemented before the decontaminated protective clothing is returned
for reuse by the workers. All contaminated clothing should not be taken
home at end of shift, but should remain at employee's place of work for
cleaning.
For control of general room air,
biologic monitoring is essential for personnel control.
The worker should immediately wash the
skin when it becomes contaminated. />0.1%/
Work clothing that becomes wet or
significantly contaminated should be removed and replaced. />0.1%/
Stability/Shelf Life:
DECOMP SLOWLY @ ROOM TEMP & MORE
RAPIDLY @ ELEVATED TEMP
Stable below 230 deg F. At higher
temperatures, may detonate or explode when confined.
Decomposes slowly in air, rapidly in
bright sunlight.
Shipment Methods and Regulations:
No person may /transport,/ offer or
accept a hazardous material for transportation in commerce unless that
person is registered in conformance ... and the hazardous material is
properly classed, described, packaged, marked, labeled, and in condition
for shipment as required or authorized by ... /the hazardous materials
regulations (49 CFR 171-177)./
The International Maritime Dangerous
Goods Code lays down basic principles for transporting hazardous chemicals.
Detailed recommendations for individual substances and a number of
recommendations for good practice are included in the classes dealing with
such substances. A general index of technical names has also been
compiled. This index should always be consulted when attempting to locate
the appropriate procedures to be used when shipping any substance or
article.
Cleanup Methods:
REMOVAL OF TETRAETHYLLEAD
FROM WASTEWATER WITH CELLULOSE ACETATE SEMIPERMEABLE MEMBRANE FILTRATION
IS DISCUSSED.
Environmental considerations: Land
spill: Dig a pit, pond, lagoon, /or/ holding area to contain liquid or
solid material. /SRP: If time permits, pits, ponds, lagoons, soak holes,
or holding areas should be contained with a flexible impermeable membrane
liner./ Dike surface flow using soil, sand bags, foamed polyurethane, or
foamed concrete. Absorb bulk liquid with fly ash, cement powder, or
commercial sorbents.
Environmental considerations: Water
spill: Use natural deep water pockets, excavated lagoons, or sand bag
barriers to trap material at bottom. If dissolved, in region of 10 ppm or
greater concn, apply activated carbon @ ten times the spilled amount.
Neutralize with agricultural lime, crushed limestone, or sodium
bicarbonate. Adjust pH to neutral (pH 7). Remove trapped material with
suction hoses. Use mechanical dredges or lifts to remove immobilized
masses of pollutants and precipitates.
Disposal Methods:
Generators of waste (equal to or greater
than 100 kg/mo) containing this contaminant, EPA hazardous waste number
P110 or D008, must conform with USEPA regulations in storage,
transportation, treatment and disposal of waste.
Controlled incineration with scrubbing
for collection of lead oxides, which may be recycled. It is also possible
to recover alkyl lead compounds from wastewaters as an alternative to
disposal.
Chemical
Treatability of Lead; Concentration Process: Biological Treatment; Chemical
Classification: Metal; Scale of Study: Respirometer Study; Results of
Study: Oxygen uptake inhibited.
Occupational Exposure Standards:
OSHA Standards:
Permissible Exposure Limit: Table Z-1
8-hr Time-Weighted Avg: 0.075 mg/cu m, as Pb. Skin Designation.
Threshold Limit Values:
8 hr Time Weighted Avg (TWA) 0.1 mg/cu
m, as Pb, skin
Excursion Limit Recommendation:
Excursions in worker exposure levels may exceed three times the TLV-TWA
for no more than a total of 30 min during a work day, and under no
circumstances should they exceed five times the TLV-TWA, provided that the
TLV-TWA is not exceeded.
A4. A4= Not classifiable as a human
carcinogen.
NIOSH Recommendations:
Recommended Exposure Limit: 10 Hr
Time-Weighted Avg: 0.075 mg/cu m [skin].
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health:
40 mg/cu m /Tetraethyl
lead (as lead)/
Other Occupational Permissible Levels:
MAC USSR 0.005 mg/cu m, skin
Australia: 0.1 mg/cu m, as Pb, skin
(substance under review) (1990); Federal Republic of Germany: 0.075 mg/cu
m, as Pb, short-term level 0.15 mg/cu m, as Pb, 30 min, 4 times per shift,
skin (1992); Sweden: 0.05 mg/cu m, as Pb, short-term value 0.2 mg/cu m, as
Pb, 15 min, skin (1990); United Kingdom: 0.10 mg/cu m, as Pb (1991).
Manufacturing/Use Information:
Major Uses:
Antiknock agent in leaded gas (has been
largely replaced by methyl-tert-butyl ether)
USED TO MAKE OTHER METAL ALKYLS, SUCH AS
ETHYLMERCURY COMPOUNDS
CHEM INTERMED FOR MIXED ALKYL LEADS FOR
GASOLINE ADDITIVES
CHEM INTERMED FOR ORGANOMERCURY
FUNGICIDES (FORMER USE)
Manufacturers:
E I du Pont de Nemours & Company,
Inc, Hq, 1007 Market Street, Wilmington, DE 19898, (302) 774-1000; Chemicals
and Pigments Department; Specialty Chemicals
Division; Production site: Deepwater, NJ 08023
Methods of Manufacturing:
... By action of lead chloride (PbCl2)
on zinc ethyl or on Grignard Reagent; by heating ethyl chloride &
sodium-lead alloy in autoclave. Prodn from lead, ethylene, & hydrogen
using triethylaluminum as intermediate ... . Alternate synth using
nonhalide compounds.
Alkylation of lead-sodium alloy with
excess ethyl chloride in a nitrogen atmosphere.
Electrolysis of ethylmagnesium chloride
in an ether solvent (eg, tetrahydrofuran) with excess ethyl chloride,
& lead; separation by distillation & solvent extraction
General Manufacturing Information:
Tetraalkyl lead compounds are no longer
produced within the United States.
Formulations/Preparations:
Composition: Tetraethyl
lead (TEL): 61.49 wt %; Ethylene dibromide: 17.86% by wt; Ethylene
dichloride: 18.81% by wt; Dye, stabilizer, kerosene, and inerts: 1.84% by
wt.
Grade: One grade only. Approx 98% pure.
Motor fuels contain no more than 0.15%
(3 cc/gal) and aviation fuels no more than 0.22% (4.5 cc/gal)
A typical motor mix for automotive
gasolines consists of about 62% tetraethyl lead (TEL),
18% ethylene dibromide, 18% ethylene dichloride, and 2% of other
ingredients, such as dye, petroleum solvent, and stability improver. For
overall best performance of aviation piston engines, the scavenger
consists entirely of ethylene dibromide, and a typical aviation mix
includes about 61-62% TEL, 35-36% ethylene dibromide, and 3% of dye,
solvent, inhibitor, etc.
Three grades: Aviation, motor and dilute
(mixture of 70% xylene and 30% n-heptane) /from DuPont/.
Tetramix /from DuPont/: Redistribution
mixtures with different molar percentages of the different lead alkyls;
dilute solution in 70% xylene and 30% n-heptane.
SOME TETRAETHYL LEAD (TEL)
IS MIXED DIRECTLY WITH LEAD SCAVENGERS (USUALLY ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE &
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE) TO MAKE ONE TYPE OF ADDITIVE CONTAINING ABOUT 65% TEL.
ANOTHER TYPE OF ADDITIVE IS MADE BY MIXING TEL WITH TETRAMETHYL LEAD TO
PRODUCE PHYSICAL MIXTURES CONTAINING 10-75% TETRAMETHYL LEAD (TML).
Impurities:
Tetraethyl lead used
as an anti-knock compound in gasoline ... contains ethylene dibromide,
ethylene dichloride, dye, stabilizer, kerosene, and inerts as impurities.
Consumption Patterns:
ESSENTIALLY 100% FOR GASOLINE ADDITIVES
CONTAINING TETRAETHYL LEAD UNCHANGED, AND/OR
MIXED ALKYL LEADS SYNTHESIZED FROM IT.
BETWEEN 1974 & 1978, CONSUMPTION /OF
TETRAALKYL LEAD COMPOUNDS IN MOTOR PETROL/ DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER
THE USEPA ISSUED REGULATIONS REQUIRING A GRADUAL REDUCTION IN THE LEAD
CONTENT OF PETROL /GASOLINE/. IN 1978, USA CONSUMPTION OF 100% PURE TETRAETHYLLEAD
IN ANTIKNOCK MIXES IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN 157 MILLION KG.
U. S. Production:
(1978) 1.49X10+11 G
(1982) 1.02X10+11 G
(1984) 5.81X10+10 g (sales)
(1985) 2.71X10+7 LB (combined tetraethyl
and tetramethyl lead)
Tetraethyl lead is
no longer produced in the U.S. due to environmental concerns.
U. S. Imports:
(1978) 1.73X10+7 G
(1982) 1.65X10+7 G
(1984) 2.92X10+7 g
(1986) 6.07X10+6 LB
U. S. Exports:
(1984) 4.32X10+10 g /Tetraethyl
lead preparations/
Laboratory Methods:
Clinical Laboratory Methods:
DIFFERENT METHODS HAVE BEEN EXAMINED FOR
ANALYZING TRIETHYLLEAD IN BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL. QUANTITATIVE RECOVERY OF
TRIETHYLLEAD, & LIMIT OF DETECTION OF LESS THAN 10-8 MOLE, WERE
OBTAINED WITH SELECTIVE CHROMATOGRAPHY ON KIESELGUHR (EXTRELUT) IN
COMBINATION WITH ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY.
CHEMICAL
SPECIES OF LEAD IN THE URINE OF PATIENTS POISONED BY TETRAETHYLLEAD
WERE IDENTIFIED BY MEANS OF HYDRIDE GENERATION FLAMELESS ATOMIC ABSORPTION
SPECTROMETRY. 21 DAYS AFTER EXPOSURE, THE URINE CONTAINED APPROX 50%
DIETHYLLEAD, APPROX 48% INORGANIC LEAD & APPROX 2% TRIETHYLLEAD.
Analytic Laboratory Methods:
REVERSED PHASE HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID
CHROMATOGRAPHY COUPLED TO A SENSITIVE CHEMICAL
REACTION DETECTOR WAS DEVELOPED FOR SEPARATION & DETECTION OF AIRBORNE
INORGANIC & ORGANOLEAD COMPOUNDS.
SAMPLES OF TETRAALKYLLEAD SPECIES IN AIR
WERE COLLECTED ON GLASS BEADS CONTAINED IN A CRYOGENIC TRAP AT -130 DEG C,
DESORBED ONTO A TUBE PACKED WITH OV-101 ON GASCHROM Q & DETERMINED BY
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY. DETECTION LIMITS OF 0.2
NG/CU M PER INDIVIDUAL SPECIES FOR A 1 HR SAMPLING AT 6 L/MIN WERE
REPORTED.
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-ATOMIC ABSORPTION
& GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY SYSTEMS HOLD THE POTENTIAL OF
STUDYING THE SPECIATION OF LEAD ALKYLS IN THE ENVIRONMENT. THIS PAPER
DESCRIBES A GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY SYSTEM FOR
DETERMINING BOTH TETRAETHYL LEAD &
TRIETHYLCHLOROLEAD DIRECTLY WITH NO SAMPLING PREPARATION OF ANY KIND IN
SEA WATER.
AIRBORNE TETRAALKYLLEAD COMPOUNDS WERE
COLLECTED & DETERMINED COLORIMETRICALLY AS LEAD DITHIZONATE. AN
ALTERNATIVE METHOD IS BY ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROPHOTOMETRY WITH
ELECTROTHERMAL ATOMIZATION.
A PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING
TETRAALKYLLEAD COMPOUNDS IN WATER, SEDIMENT, & FISH SAMPLES BY GAS
CHROMATOGRAPHIC-ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY SYSTEM IS DESCRIBED.
Method 2533. Analyte: Tetraethyl
lead; Matrix: air; Procedure: gas chromatography, photoionization
detector; Desorption: 1 ml pentane, stand 30 min; Range: 2 to 30 ug (as Pb)/samp;
Est LOD: 0.1 ug (as Pb)/samp; Precision: 0.067 @ 4.3 to 17 ug (as Pb)/samp;
Interferences: None identified. The chromatographic column or separation
conditions may be changed to circumvent interference problems.
Sampling Procedures:
MATRIX: AIR; PROCEDURE: ADSORPTION ON
XAD-2, DESORPTION WITH PENTANE, GC/PHOTOIONIZATION DETECTION; RANGE:
0.045-0.20 MG/CU M (AS PB).
SAMPLES OF TETRAALKYLLEAD SPECIES IN AIR
WERE COLLECTED ON GLASS BEADS CONTAINED IN A CRYOGENIC TRAP AT -130 DEG C,
DESORBED ONTO A TUBE PACKED WITH OV-101 ON GASCHROM Q.
Analyte: Tetraethyl
lead; Matrix: air; Sampler: Solid sorbent tube (XAD-2 resin, 100
mg/50 mg); Flow rate: 0.01 to 1.0 l/min; Vol: min: 30 l, max: 200 l;
Stability: 100% recovery after 1 week @ 25 deg C
Special References:
Special Reports:
Nat'l Research Council Canada; Effects
of Lead in the Canadian Environment (1978) NRCC No. 16736
NIOSH; Criteria Document: Inorganic Lead
(1978) DHEW Pub. NIOSH 78-158
USEPA; The Health and Environmental
Impacts of Lead (1979) EPA 560/2-79-001
WHO; Environ Health Criteria: Lead
(1977)
Environment Canada; Tech Info for
Problem Spills: Tetraethyl Lead (Draft) (1982)
McInnes G; Airborn Lead Concentrations
and the Effect of Reductions in the Lead Content of Petrol (1986)
DHHS/ATSDR; Toxicological Profile for
Lead (Update) TP-92/12 (1993)
USEPA; Air Quality Criteria for Lead
I-IV (1986) EPA-600/8-83/028 aF
National Academy of Sciences; Lead in
the Human Environment (1980)
USEPA; Health Effects Assessment for
Lead (1984) PB86-134665
Dangerous Prop Ind Mater Rep 5 (5):
80-83 (1985). Review tetraethyl lead safety
toxicol; Health hazard of tetraethyl lead; Safety
of tetraethyl lead.
Gething J, Oxley GR; Preventive Measures
in the Occup Setting Biol Eff Organolead Cmpd 243-58 (1984). /The
occupational health hazards of organolead compounds are reviewed/.
USEPA; EPA Chemical
Profile: Tetraethyl Lead (1985). Aspects covered
in this data sheet: chemical identity; exposure
limits; physicochemical properties; fire and explosion hazards;
reactivity; health hazards; uses; handling of spills or releases.
DHHS/FDA; Guidance Document for Lead in
Shellfish (1993)
Synonyms and Identifiers:
Related HSDB Records:
1677
[TETRAMETHYL LEAD] (Analog)
231
[LEAD, ELEMENTAL] (Degradation Product)
Synonyms:
CZTEROETYLEK OLOWIU (POLISH)
**PEER REVIEWED**
Lead tetraethide
**PEER REVIEWED**
LEAD, TETRAETHYL-
**PEER REVIEWED**
NCI-C54988
**PEER REVIEWED**
Piombo tetra-etile (Italian)
**PEER REVIEWED**
PLUMBANE, TETRAETHYL-
**PEER REVIEWED**
TEL
**PEER REVIEWED**
TETRAETHYLLEAD
**PEER REVIEWED**
TETRAETHYLPLUMBANE
**PEER REVIEWED**
Formulations/Preparations:
Composition: Tetraethyl
lead (TEL): 61.49 wt %; Ethylene dibromide: 17.86% by wt; Ethylene
dichloride: 18.81% by wt; Dye, stabilizer, kerosene, and inerts: 1.84% by
wt.
Grade: One grade only. Approx 98% pure.
Motor fuels contain no more than 0.15%
(3 cc/gal) and aviation fuels no more than 0.22% (4.5 cc/gal)
A typical motor mix for automotive
gasolines consists of about 62% tetraethyl lead (TEL),
18% ethylene dibromide, 18% ethylene dichloride, and 2% of other
ingredients, such as dye, petroleum solvent, and stability improver. For
overall best performance of aviation piston engines, the scavenger
consists entirely of ethylene dibromide, and a typical aviation mix
includes about 61-62% TEL, 35-36% ethylene dibromide, and 3% of dye,
solvent, inhibitor, etc.
Three grades: Aviation, motor and dilute
(mixture of 70% xylene and 30% n-heptane) /from DuPont/.
Tetramix /from DuPont/: Redistribution
mixtures with different molar percentages of the different lead alkyls;
dilute solution in 70% xylene and 30% n-heptane.
SOME TETRAETHYL LEAD (TEL)
IS MIXED DIRECTLY WITH LEAD SCAVENGERS (USUALLY ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE &
ETHYLENE DIBROMIDE) TO MAKE ONE TYPE OF ADDITIVE CONTAINING ABOUT 65% TEL.
ANOTHER TYPE OF ADDITIVE IS MADE BY MIXING TEL WITH TETRAMETHYL LEAD TO
PRODUCE PHYSICAL MIXTURES CONTAINING 10-75% TETRAMETHYL LEAD (TML).
Shipping Name/ Number DOT/UN/NA/IMO:
NA 1649; Tetraethyl
lead, liquid
IMO 6.1; Tetraethyl
lead, liquid
Standard Transportation Number:
49 214 84; Tetraethyl
lead, liquid
EPA Hazardous Waste Number:
P110; An acute hazardous waste when a
discarded commercial chemical product or
manufacturing chemical intermediate or an
off-specification commercial chemical product or
a manufacturing chemical intermediate.
D008; A waste containing lead (such as tetraethyl
lead) may or may not be characterized as a hazardous waste
following testing by the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure as
prescribed by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
regulations.
RTECS Number:
NIOSH/TP4550000
Administrative Information:
Hazardous Substances Databank Number:
841
Last Revision Date: 20020118
Last Review Date: Reviewed by SRP on 9/23/1999
http://www.nycwasteless.com/gov-bus/citysense/ed....
Lead
Acute Health Effects:
Lead dust or fumes can irritate eyes on contact. Inhalation of lead dust
can irritate nose and throat. Exposure can cause poor appetite, weight
loss, upset stomach, nausea, and muscle cramps.
Chronic Health Effects:
May cause kidney and brain damage and damage to blood cells causing
anemia. Probable teratogen that can damage a developing fetus. May
decrease fertility in males and females. Repeated exposure causes
tiredness, trouble sleeping, stomach problems, constipation, headaches,
and moodiness; higher levels may cause trouble concentrating and
remembering things, and aching and weakness in arms and legs. Exposure
increases the risk of high blood pressure. Accumulates in the body with
repeated exposure.
Lead
... Provides exposure risks, exposure limits, and health effects.
... Chemical Sampling
Information database, OSHA. Tetraethyl Lead (as Pb). ...
http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/lead/
More Results From: www.osha-slc.gov
Lead
in the Environment, and Health
... been used, as an organic alkyl compound - tetraethyl ...
Dry and wet deposition of atmospheric
lead; Industrial ... Absorption, distribution, and Health
Effects. ...
http://www.agius.com/hew/resource/lead.htm
Lead,
the Environment and Health
... used, as an organic alkyl compound - tetraethyl lead
... Mobilisation from soil to atmosphere
- smaller lead ... Absorption, distribution, and Health
Effects. ...
http://www.link.med.ed.ac.uk/hew/chemical/lead.html
More Results From: www.link.med.ed.ac.uk
Clean
Air & Energy: Air Pollution: In Brief Get the basics: Plain ...
... reports began to appear of the harmful effects ...
People working closely with tetraethyl
lead had ... Today we know that while lead is ...
where it is a continuing health ...
http://www.nrdc.org/air/pollution/brief.asp
More Results From: www.nrdc.org
Santos
Ocampo warns of environmental effects on children’s ...
... Among the pollutants cited were carbon monoxide, nitrogen
oxides, hydrocarbons,
tetraethyl lead, and ozone. ... What about health
effects ...
http://bagumbayan.upm.edu.ph/julaug1999/7pso.html
Review
of Rampton and Stauber, Trust us We're Experts!
... Knowledge of the adverse health effects of lead
goes back centuries. ... General Motors'
discovery in the 1920s that adding tetraethyl lead to ...
http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/sbeder/columns/probe16.html
Data
Sheets - ICSC0008 - International occupational safety & ...
International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre
(CIS). ... EFFECTS OF
LONG-TERM OR REPEATED EXPOSURE: May cause reproductive ... Tetraethyl
lead ...
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/products/icsc/dtasht/_icsc00/icsc0008.htm
More Results From: www.ilo.org
Concept
Map - Catalysts for Reducing Smog and Removing Lead
... Health Effects of Photochemical Smog in the Great
Cities, leads to, requiring,
leads to, 15. ... Fuels Containing no Tetraethyl Lead,
requiring, 12. ...
http://science.kennesaw.edu/~mhermes/catalyst/concept.htm
Health
Hazards
... your skin, but some lead compounds, such as tetraethyl
lead, go through skin rapidly.
Yet in most cases, you can touch lead with no serious health
effects. ...
http://www-training.llnl.gov/wbt/hc/Lead/HealthHaz.html
More Results From: www-training.llnl.gov
Alkyl
Lead
... 1.0 INTRODUCTION, 1.1 ALKYL-LEAD CHALLENGE. 1.2
DESCRIPTION OF ALKYL-LEAD. 1.3 HEALTH
EFFECTS OF LEAD EXPOSURE. ... Properties of Tetraethyl
Lead and ...
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/bnsdocs/98summ/alead/
More Results From: www.epa.gov
leadbackground
... Synonyms for tetraethyl lead are lead
tetraethide, TEL, tetraethyllead, and
tetraethylplumbane. Health effects: Lead is poisonous
in all forms. ...
http://www.zpok.hu/cyanide/baiamare/docs/leadbackground.htm
Scientific
American: Technology and Business: Running On MMT?: ...
... mirrors the controversy over another fuel additive: tetraethyl
... gasoline, combined
with the use of lead ... not stem from concern over adverse health
effects ...
http://www.sciam.com/1998/0698issue/0698techbus2.html
Model
of Environmental Stress Revisited: Lead
... the questions to the problem of pollution by tetraethyl ...
presently is residual, though
because of lead's ... in soils and dust its injurious health
effects ...
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/courses/geog100/ModelRevisited-Lead.htm
More Results From: www.uwsp.edu
About
Us
... Internet some of the health effects ...
maintenance workers Flourocarbon makers.....Tetraethyl
lead ...
http://miwa.org/exposure.html
More Results From: miwa.org
Plutonium
Fact Sheet (PDF)
... per deciliter of blood (µg/dL) to decide if lead
presents a health ... sensitive to the
non-cancer effects of lead than to the cancer effects
... Tetraethyl lead ...
http://riskcenter.doe.gov/docs/cre/factsheets/Lead.pdf
Lead
summary
... The organolead compounds tetraethyl and tetramethyl lead
... Lead is a general toxicant
that accumulates ... are most susceptible to its adverse health
effects. ...
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/GDWQ/Chemicals/leadsum.htm
More Results From: www.who.int
Oregon
Department of Human Services HEALTH EFFECTS INFORMATION (PDF)
... Page 2. Technical Bulletin - Health Effects ...
of silicones, synthetic rubber, methyl
cellulose and the gasoline anti-knock agent, tetraethyl lead
...
http://www.ohd.hr.state.or.us/dwp/docs/fact/mthylchl.pdf
Needleman
campaigns for more studies of gasoline additive MMT
... studies of highly overdosed rodents, or the health ...
done a complete epidemiological
study on the effects ... But if I took organic lead, tetraethyl
lead ...
http://www.pitt.edu/utimes/issues/28/32896/15.html
More Results From: www.pitt.edu
CCOHS:
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
... hand, a chemical like tetraethyl lead has
virtually had its use in Canada and the
United States eliminated because of concerns about potential health
effects. ...
http://www.ccohs.ca/products/faqs/cheminfo.html
Tetraethyl
lead (2/16199) (Bruce Hamilton)
... years after the introduction of TEL ( " Tetraethyl ...
through Science: Information Engineering
and Lead ... alkyl leads because of the adverse health
effects ...
http://yarchive.net/chem/tetraethyl_lead.html
Great Lakes Chemical Corporation and the Pathfinders Camp