Re: new: MT chlorine spill also created aromatic O-Cl's

[Ferdinand.Engelbeen@ping.be (Ferdinand Engelbeen)]

In addition of what Lewis A. Shadoff wrote on the chemistry of chlorine and
cresols:

At the site we are working, about 20,000 tpa of chlorinated cresols and
derivatives are made for use as herbicides. These are - contrary to dioxins
- readily biodegradable, a half life in terms of hours to days: after
biological waste water treatment no detectable amounts of chlorinated
cresols are found anymore.

>On Sun, 21 Apr 1996 cmcr@ism.net wrote:
>

>> A. The lungs are irritated by chlorine gas or its acidic derivatives (see
>> above).  Effects escalate with time and concentration of exposure.
>> Exposure for one hour caused death at 63 ppm for half of a group of mice,
>> but just 10 ppm also caused death in almost all mice exposed for 3 hours.
>>

Tests within the same circumstances give for 50% of rats in one hour a
deadly concentration in air at ppm:

Hydrochloric acid:           3124
Chlorine:                     293
Methylisocyanate (Bhopal):      5
Ozone:                          4.8
TCDD-dioxin equivalent with:    0.25

Source: List of toxic substances in industry, Ministry of Labour, The
Netherlands.

On that list, chlorine has only an average toxicity, compared with many
other substances, used in industry. But it is used in very large
quantities, wich augments the possibility of an accident. Despite that,
only a few deadly accidents happened since the first commercial use, now
two hundred years ago.

>> Long term effects from short term exposures are practically unstudied,
>> although sensitivity to chlorine and various airway problems have been
>> reported in people for months and years afterwards; some problems are
>> especially obvious in individuals with existing pulmonary problems.
>>

Lots of people have been affected by chlorine gas in the first world war in
Flanders' fields. Those with severe lung damage suffered for many years,
those with less severe damage didn't have further problems their whole
(normal) life time.

>> Q.  What Are The Effects Of Long Term, Low Level (Chronic) Exposures?
>>
>> Also practically unstudied.  We are exposed to chlorine from bleaching
>> laundry, drinking water, showering, and possibly at work (usually at higher
>> levels there).  It has been shown that 19% of administered hypochlorite to
>> mice has converted to organochlorines within 96 hours.  The short chain
>> organochlorines such as dichloroethane or vinyl chloride are extremely hard
>> for the body to completely metabolize, and partially metabolized products
>> are often extremely reactive and damaging to tissue.  Many of these
>> compounds have been shown to be carcinogenic in the lab, and there is a
>> very solid body of evidence that they increase bladder cancer, and possibly
>> other cancers such as of the liver, in humans.
>>

You are mixing a lot of chlorinated chemicals with totaly different
properties and at different levels of concentration.
The half-life time of VCM is measured in hours, chlorinated alkanes in
weeks, DDT and dioxins in years...
Chlorine and hypochlorite didn't show carcinogenic properties themselves at
average levels of exposure. Some short chained organochlorines do show
carcinogenic properties when inhaled at high levels during many years at
works. To give an idea of the differences in carcinogenoc properties:

1,2 dichloroethane (DCE):    40 (*)       PVC, amines
1,3 butadiene:               34           cracking, synthetic rubber
benzene:                     16           crude oil, petrol, cracking, PS
vinylchloride (VCM):          8           PVC
acrylnitril                   7           ABS-rubber/plastic, yarns
ethylene oxyde:               2           PET bottles and packing
wooddust (general):           2           construction, floors, furniture
diesel soot:                  0.6         diesel exhaust
cobalt:                       0.5         catalyst for phtalic acids and
linoleum
nickel:                       0.5         stainless steel
antimonytrioxyde:             0.3         fire retardant
chromium(VI)salts:            0.2         leather tannery
ozone (since june 1995):      0.1         bleaching, desinfectant
nitrosamines (10 types)       0.0025      synthetic rubber, nitrates in food
benzo(a)pyrene:               0.0005      diesel exhaust, cracking, combustion
TCDD-dioxin:                  0.00000005  all incineration, all processes

(#) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
    Benzo(a)pyrene is one of the most potent carcinogenic PAH's.
(*) expected

TCDD is not considered as a full carcinogen, but as a possible cancer
promotor, because no mutagenity is observed.

Source: MAK- UND BAT-WERTE-LISTE 1994, DEUTSCHE FORSCHUNGSGEMEINSCHAFT
(German Occupational Health Office).

>> Additionally, inhalation exposures of 0.58 to 1.51 ppm chlorine for 5 hrs.
>> every other day for 9 months to rabbits caused significant weight loss,
>> labored respiration, emphysema, internal hemorrhage, and increased
>> respiratory tract infection.  Thyroid and, in turn, heart disease, was
>> observed at higher (10 ppm) exposures.  Persistent and bioaccumulative
>> organochlorines, such as DDT, PCB's, dioxins and furans have a whole range
>> of deadly effects, including thyroid and heart disease, many cancers,
>> immune disregulation, and--most critically--growth and sexual development.
>>

Again you mix totaly different OC's with totaly different properties...

Ferdinand Engelbeen
Chairman Chlorophiles

Ferdinand.Engelbeen@ping.be