Molecular restrictions for human eye irritation by chemical vapors

Previous research showed a cut-off along homologous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in their ability to produce acute human mucosal irritation. The present study sought to specify the particular cut-off homolog for sensory eye irritation in an acetate and n-alcohol series. A 1900-ml glass vessel s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Toxicology and applied pharmacology 2005-09, Vol.207 (3), p.232-243
Main Authors: Cometto-Muñiz, J. Enrique, Cain, William S., Abraham, Michael H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
ACETATES
Acetates - toxicity
Adult
Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning
Alcohols - toxicity
Algorithms
Biological and medical sciences
Chemical irritation cut-off
Chemosensory structure-activity
DECANOLS
Esters - toxicity
Eye Diseases - chemically induced
Eye irritation
Female
HEATING
Homologous acetates
Homologous n-alcohols
Humans
Irritants - toxicity
Male
Maximum Allowable Concentration
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
MOLECULES
Ocular chemesthesis
Structure-Activity Relationship
Temperature
Toxicity Tests - methods
Toxicology
Trigeminal nerve
VAPORS
VOLATILE MATTER
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Summary:Previous research showed a cut-off along homologous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in their ability to produce acute human mucosal irritation. The present study sought to specify the particular cut-off homolog for sensory eye irritation in an acetate and n-alcohol series. A 1900-ml glass vessel system and a three-alternative forced-choice procedure served to test nonyl, decyl, and dodecyl acetate, and 1-nonanol, 1-decanol, and 1-undecanol. Flowrate to the eye ranged from 2 to 8 L/min and time of exposure from 3 to 24 s. Decyl acetate and 1-undecanol were the shortest homologs that failed to produce eye irritation under all conditions, producing a cut-off effect. Increasing the vapor concentration of decyl acetate and 1-undecanol by 3 and 8 times, respectively, via heating them to 37 °C made either or both VOCs detectable to only half of the 12 subjects tested, even though the higher vapor concentration was well above a predicted eye irritation threshold. When eye irritation thresholds for homologous acetates and n-alcohols were plotted as a function of the longest unfolded length of the molecule, the values for decyl acetate and 1-undecanol fell within a restricted range of 18 to 19 Å. The outcome suggests that the basis for the cut-off is biological, that is, the molecule lacks a key size or structure to trigger transduction, rather than physical, that is, the vapor concentration is too low to precipitate detection.
ISSN:0041-008X
1096-0333
DOI:10.1016/j.taap.2005.02.004