Acrylaldehyde

Endpoint summary

Additional information

In the EU Risk Assessment Report measured acrolein concentrations in the environment are tabulated. Acrolein concentrations in air ranging from 0.08 (clean air regions in the world) up to 27,710 mg/m³ (beside exhaust of cars; USSR) are reported for the years 1950 to 1993. Acrolein concentrations in water ranging from 1,5 (rainwater, Japan) to 51,000 mg/l (hazardous waste sites, USA) are reported for the years 1974 to 1990. The evaluation of a data bank (STORET) of the U.S. EPA showed that acrolein could not be detected in any of 331 sediment samples.

In the US ATSDR Report (2007) recent monitoring data from North America were reported (1990-2004). In the following a few examples are cited. In 1996, at various monitoring stations average concentrations for acrolein in air, ranging from 0.05 to 3.2 ppb carbon (0.08–5.6 ppbv) with maximum values ranging from 0.5 to 11.46 ppb carbon (0.8-17.82 ppbv) were found. In 1996, the concentrations of acrolein in ambient air averaged 0.20 and 0.12 µg/m³ (0.086 and 0.052 ppb) for urban and rural locations, respectively. Ambient air concentrations of acrolein at the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge Toll Plaza obtained in April 2001 showed differing concentrations between morning and evening measurements. Acrolein concentrations ranged from 0.096 to 0.140 µg/m³ (0.041 -0.060 ppb) during the morning commute, which were lower than the concentrations of 0.031 -0.047 and 0.058 -0.079 µg/m³ (0.013 -0.020 and 0.025 -0.034 ppb) during two evening monitoring periods taken on consecutive days. Acrolein has been detected in indoor air. The concentrations of acrolein range from 0.05 to 29 μg/m3 (0.02 -12 ppb) in residential homes. Acrolein concentrations are found to be typically higher in indoor air when comparing paired indoor/outdoor samples taken at a site. Acrolein has not been found as a contaminant of drinking water. More recently, acrolein has been detected in surface water and groundwater samples collected at 4 and 15 of the 32 hazardous waste sites, respectively, where acrolein has been detected in some environmental medium. Concentrations of acrolein in landfill leachate ranged from 0.07 to 2.1 ppm. In groundwater, the concentrations of acrolein ranged from 0.006 to 1.3 ppm. More recently, acrolein has been detected in soil and sediment samples collected at 1 and 2 of the 32 hazardous waste sites, respectively, where acrolein has been detected in some environmental medium. One soil sample site was found to have an acrolein concentration of 100 ppm. Acolein was detected in other environmental media. Acrolein has been identified in foods and food components such as raw cocoa beans, chocolate liquor, souring salted pork, fried potatoes and onions, raw and cooked turkey, and volatiles from cooked mackerel, white bread, raw chicken breast, ripe Arctic bramble berries, heated animal fats and vegetable oils, and roasted coffee. Trace levels of acrolein have been found in wine, whiskey, and lager beer. Acrolein is a gaseous constituent of tobacco and marijuana smoke, occurring in both mainstream and sidestream smoke.

In the WHO Report monitoring data of Canada are presented. In urban areas, mean concentrations of acrolein in 4 - or 24 -h samples are generally less than 0.2 µg/m³. Acrolein was detected (detection limit 0.05 µg/m³) in 1597 (or 57%) of 2816 24 -h samples collected between 1989 and 1996 under the National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) programme from rural, suburban, and urban locations (n = 15) in five provinces. The mean concentration in all samples was 0.18 µg/m³ (seven urban sites: 0.05 µg/m³ up to 2.47 µg/m³; two suburban: up to 1.85 µg/m³; two rural sites: up to 0.33 µg/m³) The highest mean concentration of acrolein in air measured weekly over any three consecutive months during the NAPS monitoring between 1989 and 1996 was 1.58 µg/m³. Acrolein was less frequently detected in ambient air collected at rural sites. Mean concentrations at four rural sites considered to be regionally representative generally did not exceed 0.1 µg/m³; maximum concentrations were less than 0.5 µg/m³ in 24 -h samples. Acrolein concentrations in indoor air in Canada are about 2 - to 20 -fold higher than outdoor levels. Acrolein was detected (detection limit 0.05 µg/m³) in all 29 indoor air samples collected from homes in Windsor, Ontario, between 1991 and 1992 (mean concentration: 3.0 µg/m³; range: 0.4 to 8.1 µg/m³. Acrolein was detected (detection limit 0.05 µg/m³) in 3 of 11 samples of indoor air collected in 1993 from homes in residential and commercial areas of Hamilton, Ontario (mean concentration: 1.1 µg/m³; range: 0.05 to 5.4 µg/m³). Acrolein was detected (detection limit 0.43 µg/m³) in 3 of 35 samples of indoor air collected in 1997 from randomly selected homes in the Greater Toronto Area at concentrations of 16, 22, and 23 µg/m³. In monitoring studies conducted between July 1982 and May 1983, acrolein was below the limit of detection (i.e., 0.1 µg/litre) in samples (n = 42) of treated drinking-water collected at 10 municipalities in Ontario. In an extensive survey of municipal drinking-water supplies at 150 locations in the four Atlantic provinces conducted between May 1985 and October 1988, acrolein was not detected (detection limit 1.0 -2.5 µg/litre) in an unspecified number of samples of raw or treated drinking water. Acrolein was not detected (detection limit 0.1 µg/litre) in 42 raw water samples collected from potable water treatment plants in the Great Lakes region during 1982 and 1983. In 1985, acrolein was detected at concentrations of 6.9 and 7.8 µg/litre (detection limit 5 µg/litre) in liquid effluents from two organic chemical manufacturing plants that discharged into the St. Clair River at Sarnia, Ontario. During 1989 and 1990, however, acrolein was not detected (detection limit 4 µg/litre) in the intake water or effluent of these or 24 other organic chemical manufacturing plants in Ontario.

Futher studies (published between 2000 and 2008) dealing with the occurrence of acrolein in air are available. In 1996, acrolein was detected in samples from two rural sites in the central part of Portugal in a maximum concentration of 1.3 ppb (ca. 3 µg/m³). Throughout 1999-2001, ambient air concentrations were measured in the yards of 87 residences in the city of Elizabeth, NJ,. Mean acrolein concentrations of 1.87 (n=22; spring), 1.03 (n=43; summer), 0.40 (n=41; fall), and 0.69 µg/m³ air (n=32; winter) were detected in yards of 87 residences in the city of Elizabeth, NJ. Acrolein was present in 59.4% of the samples in concentrations above the detection limit. Acrolein concentrations were generally higher in spring and fall which is attributed to the higher ambient temperatures and in consequence the higher photochemical activity under these conditions. Traffic sources were identified to contribute significantly to the ambient acrolein levels at residences. In 2001-2002, VOC emissions of typical tree species from a temperate warm Atlantic rainforest inside the metroplitan area of Sao Paulo (Brazil) were collected. For the samples collected from the rainforest area, an acrolein emission rate of 0.073 µg C/g x h for Cecrupia pachystachia Trecul. was determined. No acrolein emissions were detected in tree samples (Cecrupia pachystachia Trecul.; Casearia sylvestris Sw.; Croton floribundus Spreng.; Solanumerianthum) from the sub-urban area . For plant samples collected on the campus of the University of Sao Paulo, acrolein emission rates of 0.031 (Alchornea sidifolia Müll.) and 0.011 (Syagrus romanzoffiana) µg C/g x h were determined (acrolein was not detected in Casearia sylvestris Sw. and Ficus insipida Willd.). For Ficus benjamina (exotic tree occurring in a large amount in the urbanized areas of Sao Paulo), an acrolein emission rate of 0.057 µg C/g x h was measured for the potted tree whereas no acrolein was detected in F. benjamina held in soil. In 2002, indoor air samples were collected from 59 houses in Prince Edward Island (Canada). Acrolein was detected in concentrations ranging from 0.1 (min) to 4.9 µg/m³ air (max). The geometric and arithmetic mean were determined to be 1 and 1.3 µg/m³, respectively. The acrolein concentrations were elevated in houses built 1970 -1985, in homes with smokers and in those in which carpets had been installed in the past 3 months. In 2006, indoor and outdoor concentrations of acrolein were measured in nine homes in three different California counties and in a number of unoccupied, newly constructed houses. Acrolein concentrations ranging from 2.1 to 7.8 (a.m.; average: 4.0 µg/m³) and 3.1 to 12.2 µg/m³ (p.m.; average: 6.0 µg/m³) were found in indoor air of the 9 residential homes whereas the outdoor concentrations were determined to be in the range from 0.09 to 1.7 (a.m.; average: 0.58 µg/m³) and 0.15 to 1.7 µg/m³ (p.m.; average: 0.62 µg/m³). In unoccupied houses, acrolein concentrations ranging from 3.0 to 5.5 µg/m³ (a.m.) were found in indoor air whereas outdoor concentrations were determined to be in the range from 0.31 to 0.84 µg/m³ (a.m.). In unoccupied homes elevated acrolein concentrations were detected in houses with furniture (average without: 3.1 µg/m³; average with: 5.0 µg/m³). The emission concentrations of carbonyl compounds (e.g. acrolein) in air were determined from a total of 195 man-made source units within 77 individual companies at a large industrial complex in Korea (Ban-Wall and Si-Hwa Industrial Complex in the city of An-San and Si-Hung). Acrolein concentrations ranging from 0.07 (min) to 66.8 µg/m³ air were detected in samples collected between 2004 and 2005. At eight workplaces air samples were collected during frying/grilling of meat or fish or during deep-frying, at stationary sampling points close to the cooking apparatus and the active working area. Acrolein concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 0.59 mg/m³ were detected in eight workplaces of bakeries, food factory and five restaurant kitchen during cooking. The highest concentration was measured in a restaurant where fish was fried in butter and oil at a temperature of about 200°C.