US EPA

1580274 

Journal Article 

Comparative studies of the efficacy and toxicity of the vapors of lower aliphatic alcohol 

Weese, H 

1928 

Yes 

Archiv fuer Experimentelle Pathologie und Pharmakologie
ISSN: 0365-2041 

135 

118-130 

The comparative toxic and anesthetic effects of eight lower aliphatic alcohols were studied in white-mice. Animals were exposed to methyl-alcohol (67561), ethyl-alcohol (64175), n-propyl-alcohol (71238), isopropyl-alcohol (67630), n-butyl-alcohol (71363), isobutyl-alcohol (78831), sec-butyl-alcohol (78922), or tert-butyl-alcohol (75650) vapor. The lowest concentrations that would produce anesthesia were determined. Toxicity was compared by determining the shortest time at a given vapor concentration that caused death. In some cases, animals were killed and organs were examined histologically. When the vapors were unsaturated, the anesthetic and toxic effects increased in proportion to the number of carbon atoms. In saturated vapors, n-butyl-alcohol and isobutyl-alcohol were less effective than the propyl alcohols, whereas secondary and tertiary butyl alcohols were stronger. The toxic limiting value of tert-butyl-alcohol was between that of propyl-alcohol and ethyl-alcohol; n-butyl-alcohol was between ethyl-alcohol and methyl-alcohol; and isobutyl-alcohol was lower than methyl-alcohol. Only methyl-alcohol caused death when animals were exposed to anesthetizing concentrations over 9 to 18 anesthesia periods. Benign liver degeneration and severe bronchopneumonia and nephritis were seen. With the other alcohols, reversible fatty degeneration of the liver was the most severe effect seen. The author concludes that the toxic and anesthetic activities of the alcohols depend on their vapor pressures as well as their molecular weights. (German) 

DCN-122243; TRANS; Dose response; Pharmacology; Histopathology; Toxicopathology; Medical research; Comparative toxicology; Biological effects; Animal studies