Environmental Health Criteria 71 PENTACHLOROPHENOL Please note that the layout and pagination of this web version are not identical with the printed version. Pentachlorophenol (EHC 71, 1987) INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON CHEMICAL SAFETY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CRITERIA 71 PENTACHLOROPHENOL This report contains the collective views of an international group of experts and does not necessarily represent the decisions or the stated policy of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Labour Organisation, or the World Health Organization. Published under the joint sponsorship of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Labour Organisation, and the World Health Organization World Health Orgnization Geneva, 1987 The International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) is a joint venture of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Labour Organisation, and the World Health Organization. The main objective of the IPCS is to carry out and disseminate evaluations of the effects of chemicals on human health and the quality of the environment. Supporting activities include the development of epidemiological, experimental laboratory, and risk-assessment methods that could produce internationally comparable results, and the development of manpower in the field of toxicology. Other activities carried out by the IPCS include the development of know-how for coping with chemical accidents, coordination of laboratory testing and epidemiological studies, and promotion of research on the mechanisms of the biological action of chemicals. ISBN 92 4 154271 3 The World Health Organization welcomes requests for permission to reproduce or translate its publications, in part or in full. Applications and enquiries should be addressed to the Office of Publications, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, which will be glad to provide the latest information on any changes made to the text, plans for new editions, and reprints and translations already available. (c) World Health Organization 1987 Page 1 of 174 Pentachlorophenol (EHC 71, 1987) Publications of the World Health Organization enjoy copyright protection in accordance with the provisions of Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. All rights reserved. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the World Health Organization in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. CONTENTS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CRITERIA FOR PENTACHLOROPHENOL 1. SUMMARY 1.1. Identity, physical and chemical properties, analytical methods 1.2. Sources of human and environmental exposure 1.3. Environmental transport, distribution, and transformation 1.4. Environmental levels and human exposure 1.5. Effects on organisms in the environment 1.6. Kinetics and metabolism 1.7. Effects on experimental animals and in vitro test systems 1.8. Effects on man 2. IDENTITY, PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES, ANALYTICAL METHODS 2.1. Identity 2.1.1. Pentachlorophenol (PCP) 2.1.2. Sodium pentachlorphenate (Na-PCP) 2.1.3. Pentachlorophenyl laurate 2.2. Impurities in pentachlorophenol 2.2.1. Formation of PCDDs and PCDFs during thermal decomposition 2.3. Physical, chemical, and organoleptic properties 2.4. Conversion factors 2.5. Analytical methods 2.5.1. Sampling methods 2.5.2. Analytical methods 3. SOURCES OF HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE 3.1. Natural occurrence 3.2. Man-made sources 3.2.1. Industrial production 3.2.1.1 Manufacturing processes 3.2.1.2 Emissions during production 3.2.1.3 Disposal of production wastes 3.2.1.4 Production levels 3.3. Uses 3.3.1. Commercial use 3.3.2. Agricultural use 3.3.3. Domestic use 3.3.4. Use for control of vectors Page 2 of 174 Pentachlorophenol (EHC 71, 1987) 3.3.5. Formulations 4. ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT, DISTRIBUTION, AND TRANSFORMATION 4.1. Transport and distribution between media 4.1.1. Volatilization 4.1.2. Adsorption 4.1.3. Leaching 4.2. Biotransformation 4.2.1. Abiotic degradation 4.2.2. Microbial degradation 4.2.2.1 Aquatic degradation 4.2.2.2 Degradation in soil 4.3. Degradation by plants 4.4. Ultimate fate following use 4.4.1. General aspects 4.4.2. Disposal of waste water 4.4.3. Incineration of wastes 5. ENVIRONMENTAL LEVELS ANS HUMAN EXPOSURE 5.1. Environmental levels 5.1.1. Air 5.1.2. Water and sediments 5.1.3. Soil 5.1.4. Aquatic and terrestrial organisms 5.1.4.1 Aquatic organisms 5.1.4.2 Terrestrial organisms 5.1.5. Drinking-water and food 5.1.6. Consumer products 5.1.7. Treated wood 5.2. Occupational exposure 5.3. General population exposure 5.4. Human monitoring data 6. KINETICS AND METABOLISM 6.1. Absorption 6.1.1. Animal studies 6.1.2. Human studies 6.2. Distribution 6.2.1. Animal studies 6.2.2. Human studies 6.3. Metabolic transformation 6.3.1. Animal studies 6.3.2. Human studies 6.4. Elimination and excretion 6.4.1. Animal studies 6.4.2. Human studies 6.5. Retention and turnover 6.5.1. Animal studies 6.5.2. Human studies 6.6. Reaction with body components 7. EFFECTS ON ORGANISMS IN THE ENVIRONMENT 7.1. Microorganisms 7.2. Aquatic organisms 7.2.1. Plants 7.2.2. Invertebrates 7.2.3. Vertebrates 7.3. Terrestrial organisms 7.3.1. Plants Page 3 of 174 Pentachlorophenol (EHC 71, 1987) 7.3.2. Animals 7.4. Population and ecosystem effects 7.5. Biotransformation, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification 7.5.1. Aquatic organisms 7.5.2. Terrestrial organisms 8. EFFECTS ON EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS AND IN VITRO TEST SYSTEMS 8.1. Acute toxicity 8.2. Short-term toxicity 8.2.1. Pure or purified PCP 8.2.2. Technical grade PCP 8.2.3. Comparative studies 8.3. Long-term toxicity 8.4. Effects on reproduction and fetal development 8.5. Mutagenicity 8.6. Carcinogenicity 8.7. Other studies 8.8. Contaminants affecting toxicity 8.8.1. Octachlorodibenzodioxin (OCDD) 8.8.2. Heptachlorodibenzodioxin (H7CDD) 8.8.3. Hexachlorodibenzodioxin (H6CDD) 8.8.4. Polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) 8.8.5. Polychlorodiphenyl ethers (PCDPEs) 8.8.6. Other microcontaminants 8.9. Mechanism of toxicity 9. EFFECTS ON MAN 9.1. Acute toxicity - poisoning incidents 9.2. Effects of short- and long-term exposures 9.2.1. Occupational exposure 9.2.1.1 Skin and mucous membranes 9.2.1.2 Liver and kidney 9.2.1.3 Blood and haemopoetic system 9.2.1.4 Nervous system 9.2.1.5 Immunological system 9.2.1.6 Reproduction 9.2.1.7 Cytogenetic effects 9.2.1.8 Carcinogenicity 9.2.1.9 Other systems 9.2.2. General population exposure 10. EVALUATION OF HUMAN HEALTH RISKS AND EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT 10.1. Evaluation of human health risks 10.1.1. Occupational exposure 10.1.1.1 Exposure levels and routes 10.1.1.2 Toxic effects 10.1.1.3 Risk evaluation 10.1.2. Non-occupational exposure 10.1.2.1 Exposure levels and routes 10.1.2.2 Risk evaluation 10.1.3. General population exposure 10.1.3.1 Exposure levels and routes 10.1.3.2 Risk evaluation 10.2. Evaluation of effects on the environment 10.3. Conclusions 11. RECOMMENDATIONS Page 4 of 174 Pentachlorophenol (EHC 71, 1987) 11.1. Environmental contamination and human exposure 11.2. Future research 11.2.1. Human exposure and effects 11.2.2. Effects on experimental animals and in vitro test systems 11.2.3. Effects on the ecosystem 12. PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS BY INTERNATIONAL BODIES REFERENCES WHO TASK GROUP ON PENTACHLOROPHENOL Members Dr U.G. Ahlborg, Unit of Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden Dr R.C. Dougherty, Department of Chemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA Dr H.H. Dieter, Federal Health Office, Institute for Water, Soil, and Air Hygiene, Berlin (West) Dr A.H. El Sabae, Pesticide Division, Facultry of Agriculture, University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypta Dr A. Furtado Rahde, Ministry of Public Health, Porto Alegre, Brazil Dr S. Gupta, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, Indiaa Dr L.V. Martson, All Union Scientific Research Institute of the Hygiene and Toxicology of Pesticides, Polymers, and Plastics, Kiev, USSRa Dr U.G. Oleru, Department of Community Health, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria Dr Shou-Zheng Xue, Toxicology Programme, School of Public Health, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai, China Observers Dr F.F. Hertel, Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Aerosol Research, Hanover, Federal Republic of Germany Dr E. Kramer (European Chemical Industry Ecology and Toxicology Centre), Dynamit Nobel A.G., Cologne, Federal Republic of Germany Dr D. Streelman (International Group of National Associations of Agrochemical Manufacturers), Agricultural Chemicals Registration and Regulatory Affairs, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Mr G. Ozanne (European Chemical Industry Ecology and Toxicology Centre), Rhone Poulenc DSE/TOX, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Mr V. Quarg, Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 5 of 174 Pentachlorophenol (EHC 71, 1987) a Invited but unable to attend. Observers (contd) Dr U. Schlottmann, Chemical Safety, Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany Dr M. Sonneborn, Federal Health Office, Berlin (West) Dr W. Stober, Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Aerosol Research, Hanover, Federal Republic of Germany Secretariat Dr K.W. Jager, International Programme on Chemical Safety, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland (Secretary) Mrs B.