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Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.

The new ECHA CHEM database has been released by ECHA, and it now contains all REACH registration data. There are more details on the transition of ECHA's published data to ECHA CHEM here.

Diss Factsheets

Environmental fate & pathways

Endpoint summary

Administrative data

Description of key information

General population exposure

A major part of the manufactured white spirit is released to the air, owing to its extended use as a solvent and as the volatile ingredient in paints, varnishes and lacquers. The general population may be regularly exposed to Stoddard solvent, because of its extensive use in lacquers, paints and cleaning solvents. People who do home maintenance work or a lot of hobby work may be particularly exposed via inhalation of vapour or skin contact with the solvent. Exposure peak concentrations can be very high if there is a lack of occupational protection equipment, inadequate ventilation or little attention towards the possible danger of chemical exposure. However, the total life exposure from these activities will usually be much lower than for people occupationally exposed to Stoddard solvent.

Environmental levels and human exposure

Monitoring at a site contaminated with spilt Stoddard solvent revealed soil levels of up to 3600 mg/kg and deep soil water levels of up to 500 mg/litre. Biodegradation led to a 90% reduction in soil concentration over a 4-month period following remediation. Humans are predominately exposed to Stoddard solvent through the inhalation of vapour. The general population is exposed during the domestic use of paints and lacquers containing Stoddard solvent. Mean exposure concentrations during amateur painting have not been estimated but would be expected to be similar to those encountered by professionals. Exposure concentrations for humans in recently painted rooms would be expected to be lower, but no estimated values are available. Occupationally exposed humans would be exposed to similar concentrations during house painting. Spray-painting could lead to higher exposures and exposure to aerosols. An 8-h average exposure level of 150-240 mg/m3 has been estimated for painters in ventilated rooms. Peak concentrations in closed or poorly ventilated rooms may be as high as 6200 mg/m3, particularly at high temperatures. Vehicle washers using products containing Stoddard solvent showed measured time-weighted average (TWA) exposures ranging from 5 to 465 mg/m3 for automobiles and 45 to 805 mg/m3 for heavy vehicles. TWA measurements of between 90 and 210 mg/m3 were made in dry cleaning plants using Stoddard solvent. The highest reported exposure concentration was for workers in airline hangars, with a short-term value of up to 8860 mg/m3.

Additional information