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Tetramethyl lead (as Pb)
May 1994
Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health Concentrations (IDLH)
CAS number: 75–74–1
NIOSH REL: 0.075 mg/m3 TWA [skin]
Current OSHA PEL: 0.075 mg/m3 TWA [skin]
1989 OSHA PEL: Same as current PEL
1993-1994 ACGIH TLV: 0.15 mg/m3 TWA [skin]
Description of substance: Colorless liquid (unless dyed red, orange, or blue) with a fruity odor.
LEL: . . Unknown
Original (SCP) IDLH: 40 mg Pb/m3
Basis for original (SCP) IDLH: The chosen IDLH is based on an analogy with tetraethyl lead which has an IDLH of 40 mg Pb/m3.
Short-term exposure guidelines: None developed
ACUTE TOXICITY DATA:
Lethal concentration data:
| Species | Reference | LC50 | LCLo | Time | Adjusted 0.5-hrLC (CF) | Derived value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mouse | Castellino et al.1963 | 40,800 mg/m3 | —– | 30 min | 31,626 mg Pb/m3 (1.0) | 3,163 mg Pb/m3 |
| Rat | Cremer &Calloway 1961 | 8,870 mg/m3 | —– | 30 min | 6,876 mg Pb/m3 (1.0) | 688 mg Pb/m3 |
| Mouse | Marhold 1986 | —– | 8,500 mg/m3 | 30 min | 6,589 mg Pb/m3 (1.0) | 659 mg Pb/m3 |
Lethal dose data:
| Species | Reference | Route | LD50(mg/kg) | LDLo(mg/kg) | Adjusted LD | Derived value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabbit | Akatsuka 1973 | oral | —– | 24 | 130 mg Pb/m3 | 13 mg Pb/m3 |
| G. pig | Gekkan Yakuji 1980 | oral | 109 | —– | 591 mg Pb/m3 | 59 mg Pb/m3 |
| Rat | Magistretti et al. 1963 | oral | 105 | —– | 570 mg Pb/m3 | 57 mg Pb/m3 |
Other animal data: It has been reported that signs of acute tetramethyl lead intoxication in rats were similar to that seen after acute poisoning with tetraethyl lead [ACGIH 1991].
Human data: None relevant for use in determining the revised IDLH.
| Revised IDLH: 40 mg Pb/m3 [Unchanged]Basis for revised IDLH: Based on acute inhalation toxicity data in animals [Castellino et al. 1963; Cremer and Calloway 1961; Marhold 1986], a value of 150 mg Pb/m3 (i.e., 2,000 times the NIOSH REL) would have been appropriate for tetramethyl lead. However based on an analogy to tetraethyl lead which has a revised IDLH of 40 mg Pb/m3, the original IDLH for tetramethyl lead (40 mg Pb/m3) is not being revised at this time |
REFERENCES:
1. ACGIH [1991]. Tetramethyl lead. In: Documentation of the threshold limit values and biological exposure indices. 6th ed. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, pp. 1521-1523.
2. Akatsuka K [1973]. Tetraalkyl lead poisoning. Sangyo Igaku (Japanese Journal of Industrial Health) 15:3-66.
3. Castellino N, Rossi A, Mole R [1963]. Miscellanea: toxicity of tetramethyl lead solutions to mice and rabbits. Brit J Ind Med 20:63-65.
4. Cremer JE, Calloway S [1961]. Further studies on the toxicity of some tetra and trialkyl lead compounds. Brit J Ind Med 18:277-282.
5. Gekkan Yakuji (Pharmaceuticals Monthly) [1980]; 22(3):455-459 (in Japanese).
6. Magistretti M, Zurlo N, Scollo F, Pacillo D [1963]. Tossicita comparata del piombo tetra-etile e del piombo tetra-metile. Med Lav 54:486-495 (in Italian).
7. Marhold J [1986]. Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie, Organicke Latky. Prague, Czechoslovakia: Avicenum, p. 1258 (in Czechoslovakian).