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Human Health Risk Assessment
<br /> Former Mobil Oil Bulk Plant 04-343
<br /> 500 East Grant Line Road
<br /> Tracy, California
<br /> 3.1.4 Human Toxicity
<br />' Gasoline and diesel range fuels are moderately toxic through the oral route. Symptoms of
<br /> ingestion include a severe inflammatory reaction of the epigastri- system and chemical
<br />' pneumonitis when aspirated into the respiratory tract (Lee and Seymour 1979; Weaver, 1988).
<br /> Death may result from asphyxia (of aspirated fuel) or ventricular fibrillation.
<br /> 3.1.4.1 Acute Human Toxicity
<br /> Gasoline
<br /> Because of their variable chemical composition, the Occupational Safety and Health
<br /> Administration (OSHA) has not established inhalation standards for gasoline and diesel range
<br /> ' fuels. However, the American Conference of Government Industrial rlygienists (ACGIH) has
<br /> adopted a threshold limit value (TLV) of 300 ppm for gasoline. T:,e TLV is based on the
<br /> known toxic properties of several components in gasoline (Runion, 1975). Gasoline vapor
<br /> concentrations of approximately 500 ppm have been reported to cause irritating of the eyes,
<br /> nose, and throat (Drinker et al., 1943). Inhalation of such concentrations may also result in
<br /> headache, dizziness, flushed face, difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, nausea, anorexia,
<br /> dullness, drowsiness, and mental confusion. Machle (1941) reported that exposures to greater
<br /> ' than 1,000 ppm may result in central nervous system depression, numbness, vomiting, pupil
<br /> constriction, loss of reflexes, delirium, coma, convulsions, shallow ant' stridorous respirations,
<br /> and thready pulse. Exposure to greater than 5,000 ppm may result in rapid and sudden loss of
<br /> ' consciousness, coma and death (Aidin, 1958; Ainsworth, 1960). Paldis and Burkett (1977)
<br /> reported an incident in which a five minute exposure to 5,000 ppm was fatal.
<br /> Exposure to gasoline can produce central nervous system depression: Prockop, 1979; Scala,
<br /> ' 1982). Other neurological effects from exposure to gasoline vapor- include hallucinations,
<br /> encephalopathy, ataxia, Gilles de La Tourette's Disease, convulsion�., retrobulbular neuritis,
<br /> encephalitis, vertigo and nystagmus, neurasthenia and psychasthenia and peripheral neuropathies
<br /> ' (Bethell, 1965; Hansen and Sharp, 1978; Young et al., 1977; Kora'n 1976; Seshia, 1978;
<br /> Machle, 1941; Knave et al., 1979; Knave et al., 1976; Gallassi et 1. 1980). It is unclear
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