ACRYLAMIDE
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FACT SHEET ON A DRINKING WATER CHEMICAL CONTAMINANT
GENERAL INFORMATION
Synonyms:
•	2-Propenamide; Acrylic Amide; Akrylamid;
Ethylene Carboxamide; Acrylic Acid Amide;
Proptnoic Acid Amide
Chemical Description:
•	Synthetic organic chemical
Properties:
•	Odorless, white crystalline soild
•	Highly soluble in water
•	Low vapor pressure
Production and Use:
•	Used in manufacture of polymers, dyes, and
adhesives; flocculant for sewage and waste
treatment; soil conditioning; ore processing;
paper additives; oil stabilizers; grouting agent
ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE
Occurrence:
•	Not expected to occur in drinking water at
levels to cause detrimental health effects
Releases:
•	Releases to the environment are minimal,
occurring in effluents from industrial processes;
•	majority of releases are to water due to its
high aaueous solubility
•	principle source of acrylamide in drinking
water is impurities in water treatment
chemicals and surfaces in contact with
arinking water
•	releases to air are negligible due to its low
vapor pressure
Environmental Fate:
•	Expected to be mobtle in soil, and is likely to
migrate to groundwater, where biodegrad-
ation is unlikely, and may travel great
distances in deeD rock aauifers
•	Likely to biodegrade in soils and surface waters
•	Low potential for bioaccumulation
HEALTH EFFECTS
Humans:
•	Exposure via ingestion of drinking water
contaminated with high levels of acrylamiae
caused symptoms of widespread dysfunction
of the central and/or peripheral nervous
system; similiar effects reported to occur with
dermal or inhalation exposure
Experimental Animals:
•	Toxicological evidence indicates that
acrylamide is a cumulative poison. Signs of
neuropathology have appeared when the
total dose administered reached 100 to
' ;0 mg/kg
•	Both short and long-term, high-dose oral
exposures cause adverse health effects
resulting from damage to central ana
peripheral nerve tissue
• most characteristic effects are weakness
and ataxia in the hind limbs, progressing to
paralysis with continued exposure
•	Causes detrimental reproductive effects (e g .
testicular atrophy in male mice)
•	Crosses the placenta in pregnant animals and
causes detrimental health effects in offspring
•	Eguivocal evidence of mutagenic potential
•	Carcinogenic potential
REGULATORY PROFILE
Existing Standards:
•Clean Air Act (CAA): Regulated
•Clean Water Act CWA):
No criteria established
•Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA):
Hazardous waste
•Superfund (CERCLA):
•Hazardous substance
•SARA: Toxic chemical
•Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenttcide Act (FIFRA):
Not registered
•Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA):
Regulated

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HEALTH INFORMATION
WATER TREATMENT
Treatment Technique Requirements:
•	Because no standardized analytical methods
are available for acryiamide at low levels in
drinking water, EPA proposed a treatment
technique rather than an MClG/MCL in order
to reauce the chance of exposure to
acryiamide
•	EPA proposed to limit the allowable levels of
acryiamide monomers in products used during
water treatment, storage, and distribution
•	Under the proposed rule, a water system using
a product containing acryiamide must certify
annually in writing to the State that the
combination of the amount of residual
monomer in the polymer and the dosage rate
does not cause the concentration in finished
water to exceed the specified level:
0.05 percent acryiamide In
polyacrylamide doted at 1.0 ppm
(effective July 1992)
•	Exceedance of the specified level in drinking
water may result in adverse effects which will
depend upon the contaminant concentration
in water, amount of water/contaminant
ingested, length of exposure, and other
biological parameters
EPA Health Advisories (HA):
•	Short-term HAs: Provide acceptable
concentrations of contaminants in water for
up to 10 day exposures, primarily to evaluate
the public health risk resulting from an
accidental spill or an emergency
contamination situation
•	Longer-term HAs: Provide guidance for
persistent water contamination situations to
cover a period of up to 7 years
•	Lifetime HAs: Derived in the same way as an
MCLG
Health Advisories:
Short-term HA for a child = 0.3 mg/L
Longer-term HA tor a child = 0.02 mg/L
Longer-term HA for an adult = 0.07 mg/L
Lifetime HA = Not recommended
ANALYTICAL METHODS
No standardized analytical methods are
available for acryiamide at low levels in
drinking water
•	Since a Best Available Technology (BAT) does
not exist for acryiamide, EPA sugges's that
water systems limit the use of products
containing acryiamide
SHORT-TERM HAZARD ELIMINATION
•	If the drinking water standards are exceeded,
use an alternative drinking water supply such
as bottled water
ADDITIONAL HELP
•	State or county health officials can indicate a
certified laboratory for testing
•	Experts in the state Department of
Environmental Protection or Natural Resources
may also be of help
•	The EPA has toll-free numbers for further
information on drinking water quality,
treatment technologies, for obtaining Health
Advisories, and for other regulatory information
•	EPA Hotlines are available Monday through
Friday
•Safe Drinking Water	800-426-4791
•National Pesticides:	800-858-7378
•Superfund/RCRA:	800-424-9346
•	For information on the Clean Water Act. call
(202) 260-7301
•	For information on the Toxic Substances
Control Act, call (202) 554-1404
•	For information on the Clean Air Act. call
(919) 541-2777

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