General Description
Needles or yellow fluffy powder.
Reactivity Profile
BENZO[B]FLUORANTHENE can react with strong oxidizing agents. May react with electrophiles, peroxides, nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides
Air & Water Reactions
Insoluble in water.
Hazard
Confirmed carcinogen.
Health Hazard
ACUTE/CHRONIC HAZARDS: When heated to decomposition, this compound emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes.
Potential Exposure
There is no commercial production of
this compound. Benzo(b)fluoranthene is a chemical substance
formed during the incomplete burning of fossil fuel,
garbage, in cigarette smoke, or any organic matter and is
Benzofluoranthene 399
found in smoke in general; it is carried into the air, where
it condenses onto dust particles and is distributed into water
and soil and on crops. B(b)F is a PAH and a component of
coal tar pitch used in industry as a binder for electrodes. It
is also a component of creosote, which is used to preserve
wood. PAHs are also found in limited a mounts in bituminous
materials and asphalt used for paving, roofing, and
insulation. B(b)F has some use as a research chemical. It is
available from some specialty chemical firms in low quantities
(25 100 mg).
Fire Hazard
Flash point data for this chemical are not available; however, BENZO[B]FLUORANTHENE is probably combustible.
First aid
Move victim to fresh air. Call 911 or emergency
medical service. Give artificial respiration if victim is not
breathing. Do not use mouth-to-mouth method if victim
ingested or inhaled the substance; give artificial respiration
with the aid of a pocket mask equipped with a one-way
valve or other proper respiratory medical device.
Administer oxygen if breathing is difficult. Remove and
isolate contaminated clothing and shoes. In case of contact
with substance, immediately flush skin or eyes with running
water for at least 20 minutes. For minor skin contact,
avoid spreading material on unaffected skin. Keep victim
warm and quiet. Effects of exposure (inhalation, ingestion
or skin contact) to substance may be delayed. Ensure that
medical personnel are aware of the material(s) involved
and take precautions to protect themselves. Medical observation
is recommended for 24 to 48 hours after breathing
overexposure, as pulmonary edema may be delayed. As
first aid for pulmonary edema, a doctor or authorized paramedic
may consider administering a drug or other inhalation
therapy.
Shipping
UN2811 Toxic solids, organic, n.o.s., Hazard
Class: 6.1; Labels: 6.1—Poisonous materials, Technical
Name Required.
Incompatibilities
Incompatible with oxidizers (chlorates,
nitrates, peroxides, permanganates, perchlorates, chlorine,
bromine, fluorine, etc.); contact may cause fires or explosions.
Keep away from alkaline materials, strong bases,
strong acids, oxoacids, epoxides.
Description
: Benzo(b)fluoranthene is a colorless, needleshaped solid. Molecular weight= 252.32; Boilingpoint = 480℃; Freezing/Melting point= 168℃; Vaporpressure = 5.0 3 10 2 7 mmHg. Hazard Identification (basedon NFPA-704 M Rating System): Health 3, Flammability 1,Reactivity 0. Practically insoluble in water; solubility =1 mg/mL at 19℃.
Chemical Properties
Benzo(b)fluoranthene is a colorless, needleshaped
solid.
Chemical Properties
off-white to tan powder
Waste Disposal
Residues and sorbent media
may be packaged in 17H epoxy-lined drums and disposed
of at an EPA-approved site. Destroy by permanganate oxidation,
high-temperature incineration with scrubbing equipment,
or microwave plasma treatment, if available.
Confirm disposal procedures with responsible environmental
engineer and regulatory officials.
Physical properties
Colorless to pale yellow to yellow-orange needles or crystals from benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene
or acetic acid.
Uses
Benz[e]acephenanthrylene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon that was detected in significant levels in airborne polluants, auto exhaust and tobacco and marijuana smoke.
Definition
ChEBI: An ortho- and peri-fused polycyclic arene that consists of a benzene ring fused with a acephenanthrylene ring.
Carcinogenicity
Benzo[b]fluoranthenewas tested
for carcinogenicity by dermal application in mice in multiple
studies, intraperitoneal injection into mice
in multiple studies, and intrapulmonary
implantation into rats in one study. In all of these studies,
benzo[b]-fluoranthene exhibited a significant carcinogenic
activity.
Source
Benzo[b]fluoranthene and benzo[k]fluoranthene were detected in 8 diesel fuels at
concentrations ranging from 0.0027 to 3.1 mg/L with a mean value of 0.266 mg/L (Westerholm
and Li, 1994). Also present in low octane gasoline (0.16–0.49 mg/kg), high octane gasoline (0.26–
1.34 mg/kg), used motor oil (2.8–141.0 mg/kg), and bitumen (40 to 1,600 ppb), cigarette smoke (3
g/1,000 cigarettes), and gasoline exhaust (19 to 48 g/L) (quoted, Verschueren, 1983). Also
detected in asphalt fumes at an average concentration of 22.04 ng/m3 (Wang et al., 2001).
Nine commercially available creosote samples contained benzo[b]fluoranthene at concentrations
ranging from 2 to 96 mg/kg (Kohler et al., 2000).
Schauer et al. (2001) measured organic compound emission rates for volatile organic
compounds, gas-phase semi-volatile organic compounds, and particle phase organic compounds
from the residential (fireplace) combustion of pine, oak, and eucalyptus. The particle-phase
emission rates of benzo[b]fluoranthene were 0.790 mg/kg of pine burned, 0.400 mg/kg of oak
burned, and 0.327 mg/kg of eucalyptus burned.
Particle-phase tailpipe emission rate from a noncatalyst-equipped gasoline-powered automobile
was 37.3 μg/km (Schauer et al., 2002).
Environmental Fate
Biological. Ye et al. (1996) investigated the ability of Sphingomonas paucimobilis strain U.S.
EPA 505 (a soil bacterium capable of using fluoranthene as a sole source of carbon and energy) to
degrade 4, 5, and 6-ringed aromatic hydrocarbons (10 ppm). After 16 h of incubation using a
resting cell suspension, only 12.5% of benzo[b]fluoranthene had degraded. It was suggested that
degradation occurred via ring cleavage resulting in the formation of polar metabolites and carbon
dioxide.
Soil. The reported half-lives for benzo[b]fluoranthene in a Kidman sandy loam and McLaurin
sandy loam are 294 and 211 d, respectively (Park et al., 1990).
Photolytic. The atmospheric half-life was estimated to range from 1.43 to 14.3 h (Atkinson,
1987).
Chemical/Physical. Benzo[b]fluoranthene will not hydrolyze because it has no hydrolyzable
functional group (Kollig, 1993).
storage
Color Code—Blue: Health Hazard/Poison: Storein a secure poison location. Store in a cool, dry place. Aregulated, marked area should be established where thischemical is handled, used, or stored in compliance withOSHA Standard 1910.1045.