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Aluminum phosphide
CASRN 20859-73-8
Contents
0005
Aluminum phosphide; CASRN 20859-73-8
Health assessment information on a chemical substance is included in IRIS only
after a comprehensive review of chronic toxicity data by U.S. EPA health
scientists from several Program Offices and the Office of Research and
Development. The summaries presented in Sections I and II represent a
consensus reached in the review process. Background information and
explanations of the methods used to derive the values given in IRIS are
provided in the Background Documents.
STATUS OF DATA FOR Aluminum phosphide
File On-Line 01/31/1987
Category (section) Status Last Revised
----------------------------------------- -------- ------------
Oral RfD Assessment (I.A.) on-line 03/01/1988
Inhalation RfC Assessment (I.B.) no data
Carcinogenicity Assessment (II.) no data
_I. CHRONIC HEALTH HAZARD ASSESSMENTS FOR NONCARCINOGENIC EFFECTS
__I.A. REFERENCE DOSE FOR CHRONIC ORAL EXPOSURE (RfD)
Substance Name -- Aluminum phosphide
CASRN -- 20859-73-8
Last Revised -- 03/01/1988
The oral Reference Dose (RfD) is based on the assumption that thresholds exist
for certain toxic effects such as cellular necrosis. It is expressed in units
of mg/kg-day. In general, the RfD is an estimate (with uncertainty spanning
perhaps an order of magnitude) of a daily exposure to the human population
(including sensitive subgroups) that is likely to be without an appreciable
risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime. Please refer to the Background
Document for an elaboration of these concepts. RfDs can also be derived for
the noncarcinogenic health effects of substances that are also carcinogens.
Therefore, it is essential to refer to other sources of information concerning
the carcinogenicity of this substance. If the U.S. EPA has evaluated this
substance for potential human carcinogenicity, a summary of that evaluation
will be contained in Section II of this file.
___I.A.1. ORAL RfD SUMMARY
Critical Effect Experimental Doses* UF MF RfD
-------------------- ----------------------- ----- --- ---------
Body weight and NOAEL: 0.51 mg/kg of 100 1 4E-4
clinical parameters food or 0.025 mg/kg/day mg/kg/day
(phosphine) converted
Rat Chronic Oral to 0.043 mg/kg/day
Study aluminum phosphide
Hackenburg, 1972 LOAEL: none
*Conversion Factors: Food consumption: 5% bw; molecular weight: AlP/PH3: x
57.95/34.0 thus, 0.51 mg/kg of food x 0.05 kg food/kg bw/day x 57.95/34.0 =
0.043 mg/kg/day
___I.A.2. PRINCIPAL AND SUPPORTING STUDIES (ORAL RfD)
Hackenburg, U. 1972. Chronic ingestion by rats of standard diet treated with
aluminum phosphide. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 23(1): 147-158.
Aluminum phosphide pellets and tablets (Phastoxin) are used as fumigants for
wheat and other grains (Dieterich et al., 1967). Upon exposure to moisture in
the air, they immediately decompose to phosphine gas, with little trace
residue of phosphide remaining, which could be lost in handling of the grain.
A chronic feeding study of aluminum phosphide-fumigated chow fed to 30
rats/sex was conducted by Hackenburg (1972). The average concentration was
0.51 mg phosphine/kg food for a 2-year period. At the end of the treatment
period, there were no differences between treated and control rats in blood or
urine chemistry, or histologic parameters.
The phosphine gas measured in the Hackenburg (1972) study was liberated by
decomposition of aluminum phosphide pellets. Acute toxicity data generated
(Sax, 1984) suggest that the phosphide moiety contributes the most to the
acute toxicity of this compound, as opposed to any deleterious effect due to
aluminum cation. The steep slope of the dose-response curve of phosphine gas
(Klimmer, 1969) implies that phosphine is extremely hazardous at doses
slightly above a NOEL. Therefore, it is appropriate to derive an RfD for
aluminum phosphide based upon the RfD for phosphine.
___I.A.3. UNCERTAINTY AND MODIFYING FACTORS (ORAL RfD)
UF -- After correcting for the molecular weight of aluminum phosphide relative
to that of phosphine (57.95/34.00), and by application of an uncertainty
factor of 100 (10 for interspecies conversion and 10 for sensitive
population), an RfD for aluminum phosphide of 0.00043 (0.00025 mg/kg/day
phosphine x 1.70) can be derived.
MF -- None
___I.A.4. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS (ORAL RfD)
The ACGIH (1980) has recommended a TLV of 0.3 ppm (0.42 mg/cu.m) for
phosphine, based principally upon an epidemiologic study by Jones (1964) where
workers were exposed intermittently to about 10 ppm phosphine gas. Based on
this TLV, an RfD of 0.0021 mg/kg/day (i.e., 0.42 mg/cu.m x 10 cu.m/day x 5
day/7 day x 0.5/70 kg/10 = 0.0021 mg/kg/day) can be derived. However, an RfD
for phosphine of 0.00025 mg/kg/day based on the 2-year rat study by Hackenburg
(1972) (described above) has been derived for providing adequate protection
against adverse human health effects.
___I.A.5. CONFIDENCE IN THE ORAL RfD
Study -- Medium
Data Base -- Medium
RfD -- Medium
The confidence in the study was rated medium because of the moderate number of
animals/dose, the extensive methodology employed to assure proper
administration of the test compound, and the extensive number of parameters
measured; however, only one dose was used. The data base was rated medium
because the effectiveness and safety of this chemical has been reported
through supporting studies. The overall rating for the RfD is, thus, medium.
___I.A.6. EPA DOCUMENTATION AND REVIEW OF THE ORAL RfD
Source Document -- This assessment is not presented in any existing U.S. EPA
document.
Other EPA Documentation -- None
Agency Work Group Review -- 08/19/1985
Verification Date -- 08/19/1985
___I.A.7. EPA CONTACTS (ORAL RfD)
Please contact the Risk Information Hotline for all questions concerning this
assessment or IRIS, in general, at (513)569-7254 (phone), (513)569-7159 (FAX)
or RIH.IRIS@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV (internet address).
__I.B. REFERENCE CONCENTRATION FOR CHRONIC INHALATION EXPOSURE (RfC)
Substance Name -- Aluminum phosphide
CASRN -- 20859-73-8
Not available at this time.
_II. CARCINOGENICITY ASSESSMENT FOR LIFETIME EXPOSURE
Substance Name -- Aluminum phosphide
CASRN -- 20859-73-8
This substance/agent has not undergone a complete evaluation and determination
under US EPA's IRIS program for evidence of human carcinogenic potential.
_VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Substance Name -- Aluminum phosphide
CASRN -- 20859-73-8
Last Revised -- 08/01/1989
__VI.A. ORAL RfD REFERENCES
ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists). 1980.
Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values, 4th ed. ACGIH, Cincinnati, OH.
p. 13-14, 337-338.
Dieterich, W.H., G. Mayr, K. Hild, J.B. Sullivan and J. Murphy. 1967.
Hydrogen phosphide as a fumigant for foods, feeds and processed food products.
Residue Rev. 19: 135-149.
Hackenburg, U. 1972. Chronic ingestion by rats of standard diet treated with
aluminum phosphide. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 23(1): 147-158.
Jones, A.T., R.C. Jones and E.Q. Longely. 1964. Environmental and clinical
aspect of bulk wheat fumigation with aluminum phosphide. Am. Ind. Hyg. Assn.
J. 25: 376-379.
Klimmer, O.R. 1969. Contributions to the study of the action of phosphine
(PHs). The question of the so-called chronic phosphine poisoning. Arch. fur
Tox. 24: 164-167.
Sax, N.I. 1984. Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials. Van Nostrand
Reinhold Co., Inc., NY. p. 175-179.
__VI.B. INHALATION RfC REFERENCES
None
__VI.C. CARCINOGENICITY ASSESSMENT REFERENCES
None
_VII. REVISION HISTORY
Substance Name -- Aluminum phosphide
CASRN -- 20859-73-8
-------- -------- --------------------------------------------------------
Date Section Description
-------- -------- --------------------------------------------------------
03/01/1988 I.A.5. Confidence levels revised
03/01/1988 I.A.6. Documentation revised
08/01/1989 VI. Bibliography on-line
01/01/1992 I.A.7. Primary contact changed
01/01/1992 IV. Regulatory actions updated
VIII. SYNONYMS
Substance Name -- Aluminum phosphide
CASRN -- 20859-73-8
Last Revised -- 01/31/1987
20859-73-8
AIP
Al-Phos
Aluminum Monophosphide
Aluminum Phosphide
Celphos
Delicia
Delicia Gastoxin
Detia
Detia-EX-B
Phostoxin
Phostoxin-A
Quickphos
Last updated: 5 May 1998
URL: http://www.epa.gov/iris/SUBST/0005.HTM
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