ANILINE
CAS #62-53-3
Division of Toxicology ToxFAQsTM April 2002
This fact sheet answers the most frequently asked health questions (FAQs) about aniline. For more information,
call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737. This fact sheet is one in a series of summaries about
hazardous substances and their health effects. It is important you understand this information because this
substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration,
how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are present.
HIGHLIGHTS: Aniline is a manufactured chemical used by a number of
industries. Significant exposure may occur only if you work with aniline. The
main effect of aniline by any route of exposure is a blood disorder in which
oxygen delivery to the tissues is impaired. This may have mild to severe
consequences depending on the duration and amount of exposure. Acute
exposure to high amounts of aniline may lead to coma and death. Aniline has
been found in at least 59 of the 1,585 National Priorities List sites identified by
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
What is aniline? How might I be exposed to aniline?
Aniline is a clear to slightly yellow liquid with a The general population may be exposed to aniline by
characteristic odor. It does not readily evaporate at room eating food or drinking water containing aniline, but these
temperature. Aniline is slightly soluble in water and mixes amounts are usually very small.
readily with most organic solvents. If you work in a place that makes products like dyes,
varnishes, herbicides, and explosives, you may be exposed
Aniline is used to make a wide variety of products such as to aniline.
polyurethane foam, agricultural chemicals, synthetic dyes, Aniline has also been detected in tobacco smoke, so
antioxidants, stabilizers for the rubber industry, herbicides, people who smoke or breath in second-hand smoke may also
varnishes and explosives. be exposed to aniline.
People living near uncontrolled hazardous waste sites may
What happens to aniline when it enters the be exposed to higher than normal levels of aniline.
environment?
How can aniline affect my health?
Aniline in air will be broken down rapidly by other
chemicals and by sunlight. It will be broken down within a Aniline can be toxic if ingested, inhaled, or by skin contact.
few days. Aniline damages hemoglobin, a protein that normally
Aniline in water can stick to sediment and particulate transports oxygen in the blood. The damaged hemoglobin
matter or evaporate to the air. Most of it will be broken can not carry oxygen. This condition is known as
down by bacteria and other microorganisms. methemoglobinemia and its severity depends on how much
Aniline will partially stick to the soil. Small amounts may you are exposed to and for how long. Methemoglobinemia
evaporate into air or pass through the soil to groundwater. is the most prominent symptom of aniline poisoning in
Most of the aniline in soil will be broken down by bacteria humans, resulting in cyanosis (a purplish blue skin color)
and other microorganisms. following acute high exposure to aniline. Dizziness,
Aniline does not accumulate in the food chain. headaches, irregular heart beat, convulsions, coma, and
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Page 2 ANILINE
CAS #62-53-3
ToxFAQsTM Internet address is http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html
death may also occur. Direct contact with aniline can also How can families reduce the risk of exposure to
produce skin and eye irritation. aniline?
Long-term exposure to lower levels of aniline may cause Most families will not be exposed to significant levels of
symptoms similar to those experienced in acute high-level aniline.
exposure. There is no reliable information on whether aniline Children should avoid playing in soils near uncontrolled
has adverse reproductive effects in humans. Studies in hazardous waste sites where aniline may have been
animals have not demonstrated reproductive toxicity for discarded.
aniline.
Is there a medical test to show whether Ive been
How likely is aniline to cause cancer?
exposed to aniline?
The available studies in humans are inadequate to determine
whether exposure to aniline can increase the risk of Aniline can be measured in the urine. This test shows that
developing cancer in people. Rats that ate food you have been exposed to aniline but not to how much or
contaminated with aniline for life developed cancer of the how recently. A breakdown product of aniline in the body,
spleen. p-aminophenol, also can be measured in the urine; however,
this breakdown product is not specific for aniline exposure.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
determined that aniline is not classifiable as to its Methemoglobin can be measured in the blood, but exposure
carcinogenicity to humans. The EPA has determined that to many other chemicals also increase methemoglobin levels
aniline is a probable human carcinogen. in the blood. Methemoglobin levels in blood can be used to
determine the appropriate treatment that exposed individuals
should receive. These tests are not routinely done in a
How can aniline affect children? doctors office.
There are no studies on the health effects of children
exposed to aniline. It is likely that the health effects seen in
Has the federal government made
children exposed to aniline will be similar to the effects seen recommendations to protect human health?
in adults. Newborn infants are more susceptible than adults
to development of methemoglobinemia caused by exposure The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
to aniline. sets a limit of 5 parts of aniline per million parts of air (5
ppm) in workplace air in any 8-hour shift, 40-hour workweek.
We do not know if exposure to aniline will result in birth
defects or other developmental effects in people. The
studies on developmental effects in animals are not
conclusive.
Where can I get more information? For more information, contact the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry, Division of Toxicology, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32, Atlanta, GA 30333. Phone: 1-888-422-8737, FAX:
770-488-4178. ToxFAQsTM Internet address is http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html . ATSDR can tell you where to find
occupational and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize, evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from
exposure to hazardous substances. You can also contact your community or state health or environmental quality department
if you have any more questions or concerns.
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