Toxicity Profiles

RAGs A Format for Acenaphthene - CAS Number 83329

Acenaphthene is a tricyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, crystalline solid at ambient temperature. Acenaphthene does not dissolve in water but is soluble in many organic solvents. Acenaphthene occurs in coal tar produced during the high temperature carbonization or coking of coal. It is used as a dye intermediate in the manufacture of some plastics and as an insecticide and fungicide. Acenaphthene is an environmental pollutant and has been detected in cigarette smoke, automobile exhausts, and urban air; in effluents from petrochemical, pesticide, and wood preservative industries; and in soils, groundwater, and surface waters at hazardous waste sites. This compound is one of a number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on EPA's priority pollutant list.

The toxic effects to humans of PAH exposure is well studied, however, the human studies of acenaphthene are limited. Acenaphthene is irritating to the skin and mucous membranes of humans and animals. Oral exposure of rats to acenaphthene for 32 days produced peripheral blood changes, mild liver and kidney damage, and pulmonary effects. Subchronic oral exposure to acenaphthene for 90 days produced increased liver weights, hepatocellular hypertrophy, and increased cholesterol levels in mice. Reproductive effects included decreased ovary weights and decreased ovarian and uterine activity as well as smaller and fewer corpora lutea. Adverse effects on the blood, lungs, and glandular tissues were reported in rats exposed daily for 5 months.

The EPA has not assigned a weight-of-evidence classification for carcinogenicity to acenaphthene.

The following is a presentation of the toxicity information associated with Acenaphthene:

• The Oral Chronic Reference Dose is 6.00E-02 (mg/kg-day).
• The Oral Chronic Reference Dose has a modifying factor of 1.
• The Oral Chronic Reference Dose has an uncertainty factor of 3000.
• The Oral Chronic Reference Dose is based on the U.S. EPA study from 1989.
• The Oral Chronic Reference Dose study target organ is liver.
• The Oral Chronic Reference Dose study critical effect is hepatotoxicity.
• The overall confidence in the Oral Chronic Reference Dose is low.

• The Dermal Chronic Reference Dose is 1.86E-02 (mg/kg-day).
• The Dermal Chronic Reference Dose is based on a gastrointestinal absorption factor of 0.3100.