chemical information
CAS RN:
00140-66-9
Chemical Class:
Semivolatile organic compounds
Chemical SubClass
Found in these people:
not found
Found in these locations:
not found
Summary
Octylphenols are widely used industrial surfactants, used in hundreds of commercial products. These include industrial dyes, pulp and paper manufacturing, textiles, dry cleaning, metal working fluids, defoamers, pesticides, paints and coatings, oilfield chemicals, plastics, floor polish and wax emulsions. “[Dow's Octylphenol products] are used in almost every type of liquid, paste, and powdered cleaning compound, ranging from heavy-duty industrial products to gentle detergents.” (Dow 1995-2006)
In laboratory mammals, 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) is well known to cause reproductive toxicity, especially when exposure occurs during development. Specific effects in females include uterus or cervical toxicity (Bogh, et al. 2001, Katsuda, et al. 2000), altered levels of reproductive hormones (Katsuda, et al. 2000), early onset of puberty in females (Bogh, et al. 2001, Katsuda, et al. 2000), altered estrous cycle (the rat equivalent of the menstrual cycle), and ovarian toxicity (Katsuda, et al. 2000). In males, OP also causes decreased sperm count, sperm abnormalities, altered reproduction hormone levels and altered weight of the testis, prostate and other male reproductive organs (Boockfor and Blake 1997, Raychoudhury, et al. 1999, Yoshida, et al. 2001). Very low doses of 4-tert-octylphenol can cause reproductive toxicity in wildlife, especially aquatic organism. Low exposures to Atlantic salmon over a 26 day period reduced increased vitellogen (a molecular marker of endocrine distruption), impaired smolting and reduced the migratory instinct of exposed fish. (Bangsgaard K 2006) 4-Octylphenol is a ‘potent' growth stimulator in estrogen-dependent breast cancer cell lines. (Diel P 2002)
Octylphenols have rarely been measured in humans. They were not detected in 27 umbilical cord blood samples and 42 maternal blood samples collected in the Netherlands in 2004.
4-tert-Octylphenol
Widely used in hundreds of commercial products; highly toxic to aquatic organisms, and endocrine disruptors in human and animals.
4-tert-Octylphenol has been found in 0 of the 0 people tested in EWG/Commonweal studies.
Other health concerns for 4-tert-Octylphenol (References)
| health concern or target organ | weight of evidence |
| Endocrine system | limited |
Results for 4-tert-Octylphenol
Detailed toxicity classifications (References)
| classification | governing entity/references |
| Endocrine disruptor - suspected or limited evidence | Diel P., Olff S., Schmidt S., Michna H. (2002). "Effects of the environmental estrogens bisphenol A, o,p'-DDT, p-tert-octylphenol and coumestrol on apoptosis induction, cell proliferation and the expression of estrogen sensitive molecular parameters in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7." J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 80(1): 10. |
| Endocrine disruptor - suspected or limited evidence | Diel P., Olff S., Schmidt S., Michna H. (2002). "Effects of the environmental estrogens bisphenol A, o,p'-DDT, p-tert-octylphenol and coumestrol on apoptosis induction, cell proliferation and the expression of estrogen sensitive molecular parameters in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7." J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 80(1): 10. |
