Technical Factsheet on: ACRYLAMIDE
List of Contaminants
As part of the Drinking Water and Health pages, this fact sheet is part of a larger publication:
National Primary Drinking Water Regulations
Drinking Water Standards
MCLG: zero mg/L
MCL: Treatment Technique
HAL(child): 1 day: 1.5 mg/L; 10-day: 0.3 mg/L
Health Effects Summary
Acute: EPA has found acrylamide to potentially cause the following health effects from acute exposures
at levels above the MCL: damage to central and peripheral nervous systems, weakness and ataxia in
legs.
Drinking water levels which are considered "safe" for short-term exposures: For a 10-kg (22 lb.) child
consuming 1 liter of water per day: a one-day exposure of 1.5 mg/L; a ten-day exposure to 0.3 mg/L; upto
a 7-year exposure to 0.002 mg/L.
Chronic: Acrylamide has the potential to cause the following health effects from long-term exposures at
levels above the MCL: damage to central and peripheral nervous systems, paralysis.
Cancer: There is some evidence that acrylamide may have the potential to cause cancer from a lifetime
exposure at levels above the MCL.
Usage Patterns
Demand for acrylamide was projected to increase slightly: from 110 million lbs. in 1987 to 120 million lbs
in 1992 (projected). In 1987 it was estimated that industries consumed it as follows: Water treatment,
45%; oil drilling, 20%; pulp and paper, 20%; mineral processing, 10%; other, 5%.
The greatest use of acrylamide is as a flocculant in the treatment of sewage, waste and drinking water.
Other uses of acrylamide include: an intermediate in the production of organic chemicals; synthesis of
dyes, in the sizing of paper and textiles; in ore processing; in the construction of dam foundations and
tunnels.
Release Patterns
Acrylamide may be released into wastewater during its production and use in the synthesis of dyes,
manufacture of polymers, adhesives, paper, paperboard and textile additive, soil-conditioning agents, ore
processing, oil recovery, and permanent press fabrics, and in the manufacture of polyacrylamides for use
as a flocculating agent for water treatment. The latter is the largest end use, being employed in
processing mineral ores as well as treating waste water and drinking water. Improvements in the
polymerization process has reduced the monomer content of these polymers from 5% to 0.3%. Other
sources of release to water is from acrylamide-based sewer grouting and recycling of waste paper.

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From 1987 to 1993, according to EPA's Toxic Chemical Release Inventory, acrylamide releases to land
and water totalled over 40,000 lbs., of which about 85 percent was to water. These releases were
primarily from plastics industries which use acrylamide as a monomer. The largest releases occurred in
Michigan.
Environmental Fate
Acrylamide degrades rapidly with acclimation in biodegradability screening tests. Acrylamide degraded in
filtered river water in 4 to 12 days. Adsorption to sediment should not be significant. If released on land,
acrylamide would be expected to leach readily into the ground and biodegrade within a few weeks based
on experimental data. In 5 surface soils that were moistened to field capacity, 74-94% degradation
occurred in 14 days in 3 soils and 79 to 80% degradation occurred in 6 days in the other two soils.
In order to access the efficiency of sewage works in removing acrylamide, two sewage works were dosed
for four times longer than the residence time. Little loss of acrylamide occured during initial or final
settling. However 50 to 70% was lost in the activated sludge plants. Further studies showed that high loss
rates required high microbial activity or, in particular, contact with surfaces of high microbial activity.
Studies of the river into which the sewage works discharged its effluents suggest that microbial
degradation is unlikely to affect the level of acrylamide in river water for several hours, and possibly days,
even in a river into which acrylamide is continually discharged. Degradation was however, more marked
in the summer.
In the atmosphere, the vapor phase chemical should react with photochemically produced hydroxyl
radicals (half-life 6.6 hr) and be washed out by rain.
Bioconcentration in fish is not significant. Uptake of acrylamide was studied in fingerling trout for 72 hr
found the BCF in the carcass and viscera was 0.86 and 1.12, respectively, indicating that no appreciable
bioaccumulation had occurred. The uptake was rapid in the first 24 hr and then leveling off to a plateau
after 72 hr. When the fish were transferred to fresh water, levels of acrylamide declined to 75% of the
initial concn after 96 hr.
In another report, the rate of accumulation of acrylamide monomer in fish was about 0.8 times the
concentration in the rearing water (10 ppm) at day 40. The accumulation of acrylamide monomer in fish
from polymer was nondetectable. Therefore, it is concluded that the use of acrylamide polymer as a
coagulant may not cause serious problems for human health.
Human exposure will be primarily occupational via dermal contact and inhalation, although exposure to
the general public has resulted from the leaching of the acrylamide monomer from polyacyrlamide
flocculants used in water treatment.
Chemical/Physical Properties
CAS Number: 79-06-1
Color/ Form/Odor: White odorless flake-like crystals derived from benzene. Available in powder form or as
an aqueous solution of 50% acrylamide monomer.
M.P.: 84.5 C B.P.: 125 C
Vapor Pressure: 0.007 mm Hg at 20 C
Octanol/Water Partition (Kow): Log Kow = -0.67

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Density/Spec. Grav.: 1.122 at 30 C
Solubility: 2.2 kg/L of water at 25 C; Extremely soluble in water
Soil sorption coefficient: N/A; High mobility in soil
Odor/Taste Thresholds: N/A
Bioconcentration Factor: BCFs of 0.86 to 1.12 in fish; not expected to bioconcentrate in aquatic
organisms.
Henry's Law Coefficient: 3.2x10-10 atm-cu m/mole;
Trade Names/Synonyms: 2-Propenamide, Acrylic amide, Ethylenecarboxamide, Amresco Acryl-40,
Acrylagel, Optimum
Other Regulatory Information
Monitoring and Analysis:
No analytical methods are available so monitoring is not required. This contaminant is being regulated by
requiring use of a treatment technique to limit its use by drinking water systems.
Treatment/Best Available Technology:
Treatment technique:
When acrylamide is used in drinking water systems, the combination of dose and monomer level may not
exceed the following level: 0.05 % dosed at 1 mg/L
Toxic Release Inventory - Releases to Water and Land, 1987 to 1993 (in pounds):
TOTALS (in pounds)
Top Five States*
Water
36,287
Land
5,818
Ml
12,200
8,000
5,690
4,367
2,505
1,262
0
0
0
WA
CT
LA
PA
AL
500
20
1,258
Major Industries*
Plastics and resins
Pulp mills
Indust. organics
Indust. inorganics
19,002
8,000
3,107
2,510
2,177
0
2,200
500
* Water/Land totals only include facilities with releases greater 100 lbs
For Additional Information:
EPA can provide further regulatory or other general information:
EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline - 800/426-4791
Other sources of toxicological and environmental fate data include:
Toxic Substance Control Act Information Line - 202/554-1404

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Toxics Release Inventory, National Library of Medicine - 301/496-6531
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - 404/639-6000

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