(used as color formers) have been reported to be mutagenic [Bonin et al. 1981].
Certin and Zissu I983. Certin and Zissu [1983] performed cutaneous irritation tests in rabbits. They compared extracts of 12 CCPs with 5 highly irritant reference oils, acetone (CB), or ethyl acetate or acetone (CF) extracts (4 hr of soxlet extraction of 50 g, or acetone extraction of 1 kg CB sheets in an ultrasonic tank for 1 hr). The CCP extracts were moderately or severely irritating using the Draize method (Table 4-1 3). Chemical analysis using GC/MS analysis identified the "oils" listed in Table 4-13.
Thirteen papers contained a phenolic resin in the CF layer and traces of free phenols, bis-phenol A, and phenylphenol. For all of the CF analyses, compounds similar to abietic acid were found. Certin and Zissu [1983] reported that 8 of the 12 extracts were moderately irritating (irritation index from 2.7 to 4.7), and the remaining 4 extracts were severely irritating (irritation index from 5.6 to 7.3). Histopathology results from animals exposed to moderately irritating products exhibited epidermal acanthoses alternating with superficial epidermal necrosis, which led to thin, scaly crust that was sometimes continuous over the entire extent of the lesion. The severely irritating products caused more pronounced morphological findings. These were characterized by necrosis of the epidermis and superficial dermis, with inflammatory exocytosis and homogeneous degeneration of the connective tissue of the mid-derrnis. The authors concluded that it was probably the oily constituents of the papers that produced the observed irritation of the skin and mucosa of office workers. However, they also noted that the animal test results are probably more grave than those experienced by humans, since human exposures were limited to several hundred micrograms on the fingers at the end of a day of handling. The authors
| Chemical | Number of times identified by GC/MS analysis | Irritation category |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrogenated terphenyls | 16 | Severe |
| Diisopropylnaphthalenes | 11 | Severe |
| Phenylxylylethanes[1] | 10 | Moderate to severe |
| Alkylbenzenes | 6 | Severe |
| Methybutyl naphthalenes | 1 | Not tested |
| Benzylxylenes | 1 | Not tested |
| Chlorinated pacaffins | 1 | Not tested |
| Chlorinated biphenyls | 1[2] | Not tested |
| Dibutylphthalate | 1 | Not tested |
| Kerosene | [3] | Severe |
Source: Certin and Zissu [l983].
