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Spectrum Laboratories : Chemical Fact Sheet- Cas# 106934 Page 2 of 3 Density (Liquid) 2.172 g/ml Odor Threshold Low. 76.80 mg/cu.m;High: 62.50 mg/cu m. Concentration Sensitivity Data It is an irritant to eyes,skin,&mucous membranes. Ethylene dibromide(EDB)will enter the atmosphere primarily from fugitive emissions and exhaust associated with its use as a scavenger in leaded gasoline.Another important but localized source is emissions from fumigation centers for citrus,grain,etc and soil fumigation operations. In the atmosphere,ethylene dibromide will degrade by reaction with photochemically produced Environmental hydroxyl radicals(half life 32 days).When spilled in water,EDB,will be removed by evaporation Impact (half life 1-5 days).When spilled on land or applied to land during soil fumigation, ethylene dibromide will exhibit low to moderate adsorption and has been found in groundwater. Little bioconcentration into the food chain is expected.Humans are exposed to EDB from the air especially in areas of high traffic.Another source of exposure is from ingesting fiunigated food (former use)which can contain ppm levels of EDB.With current restrictions on the use of leaded gasoline and EDB fumigation,exposure to this substance should decrease. TERRESTRIAL FATE:Biodegradation can be a primary degradation process in soil.A review of available biodegradation data pertaining to ethylene bromide concluded that ethylene bromide is biotransformed fairly readily in the environment;lifetimes can be as short as several days in surface soils and as long as many months in aquifer materials.Persistence can vary greatly from soil to soil.In one laboratory screening study using 100 soils,half-lives ranging from 1.5 to 18 weeks were determined.In one field,ethylene bromide was detected in soil 19 years after its last known application;the long persistence was the result of entrapment in intraparticle micropores of the soil.Low Koc values and detection in various ground waters indicate that ethylene bromide will leach in soil.The relatively high vapor pressure(11.2 mm Hg)indicates evaporation will occur from soil surfaces.AQUATIC FATE:The primary removal process for ethylene bromide in surface water is volatilization.Under normal conditions,the volatilization half-life from a typical Environmental river and lake are about one day and 5 days,respectively(2,SRC).A review of available Fate biodegradation data pertaining to ethylene bromide concluded that ethylene bromide is biotransformed fairly readily in the environment,although the rate of biodegradation can be slow (half-life in months)in aquifer conditions. In ground waters(such as aquifers)where volatilization does not occur,ethylene bromide can be degraded by biodegradation and hydrolysis.Uncatalyzed hydrolysis is slow(half-life of 6 yr at 25 deg C),but hydrolysis catalyzed by the presence of various natural substances(such as HS ion)may be competitive with biodegradation(half-life in 1-2 months)(4,SRC).ATMOSPHERIC FATE:Based upon a vapor pressure of 11.2 nun Hg at 25 deg C,ethylene bromide is expected to exist primary in the vapor- phase in the ambient atmosphere(2,SRC). Vapor-phase ethylene bromide will degrade in the ambient atmosphere by reaction with photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals(estimated half- life of 32 days).Direct photolysis is not expected to be im ortant. DRINKING WATER: 3 drinking water wells in California and Hawaii 35-300 ppb. The Netherlands 0.1 ppb max.GROUNDWATER: Identified not quantified in ground water in New Jersey in a survey including 408 samples of well water. SURFACE WATER: stream near oil Drinking Water refining and manufacturing 1.05-1.13 ppb.USA-14 heavily industrialized river basins 2 of 204 Impact sites> 1 ppb(6).RAIN: Samples near fumigation center 1 ppb. SEAWATER: Sampling conducted during August 1985 near the West African coast in the Atlantic Ocean found an ethylene bromide cont of 0.08 ng/L.EFFL: Oil refinery effluent<0.2 ppb;runoff water from area with several gasoline stations<0.2 ppb;runoff from fumigation center 2 ppb. DISCLAIMER-Please Read http://www.speclab.com/compound/c106934.htm 8/1/00