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Jet Fuels Jp-5 And Jp-8

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Guest allan

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Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ToxFAQs August 1999

JET FUELS JP-5 and JP-8

CAS # 8008-20-6

This fact sheet answers the most frequently asked health questions (FAQs) about jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8. For

more information, call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737. This fact sheet is one in a series

of summaries about hazardous substances and their health effects. It’s important you understand this

information because this substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance

depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether other

chemicals are present.

HIGHLIGHTS: Exposure to jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8 occurs mainly in the

workplace or from accidents or spills. Breathing in large amounts of JP-5 and

JP-8 may result in headaches, difficulty in concentrating, coordination problems,

and fatigue. These chemicals have been found in at least 22 of the 1,445 National

Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency.

What are jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8?

(Pronounced jµt fy...lz JP-5 and JP-8)

Jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8 are substances used as aircraft fuels

by the military. JP-5 and JP-8 is shorthand for jet propellants

5 and 8. JP-5 is the U.S. Navy’s primary jet fuel, and JP-8 is

one of the jet fuels used by the U.S. Air Force.

Both of the substances are composed of a large number of

chemicals, and both are colorless liquids that may change into

gas vapor. They smell like kerosene, since kerosene is the

primary component of both JP-5 and JP-8. They are made by

refining either crude petroleum oil deposits found underground

or shale oil found in rock.

What happens to jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8 when

they enter the environment?

q Some chemicals in JP-5 and JP-8 will evaporate into air

from open containers or when they are spilled into water

or soil.

q JP-5 and JP-8 in air may break down by reacting with

sunlight or chemicals in air.

q Chemicals in JP-5 and JP-8 may slowly move from the

soil into groundwater.

q Other chemicals in JP-5 and JP-8 will attach to particles in

water and may sink to the bottom sediments.

q Chemicals in JP-5 and JP-8 may be broken down by bacteria

and other organisms in soil and water.

q JP-5 and JP-8 may stay in the soil for more than 10 years.

How might I be exposed to jet fuels JP-5 and

JP-8?

q Most people would not be exposed to jet fuels JP-5 and

JP-8 unless they work with these substances or live very

close to where they are used or spilled.

q Breathing air in an area where an accident or leak of jet

fuels JP-5 and JP-8 has occurred.

q Drinking water contaminated with JP-5 or JP-8.

q Touching soil contaminated with jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8.

q Working refueling military aircraft or transporting jet

fuels.

q Living near a hazardous waste site where jet fuels JP-5

and JP-8 are disposed of.

How can jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8 affect my

health?

Little is known about the effects of jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8

on people’s health. Breathing large amounts of JP-5 and JP-8

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Page 2

Federal Recycling Program Printed on Recycled Paper

ToxFAQs Internet address via WWW is

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html

Where can I get more information? For more information, contact the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease

Registry, Division of Toxicology, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32, Atlanta, GA 30333. Phone: 1-888-422-8737,

FAX: 770-488-4178. ToxFAQs Internet address via WWW is

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html ATSDR can tell you

where to find occupational and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize, evaluate, and treat illnesses

resulting from exposure to hazardous substances. You can also contact your community or state health or environmental

quality department if you have any more questions or concerns.

JET FUELS JP-5 AND JP-8

CAS # 8008-20-6

for a short period may result in headaches, difficulty in concentrating,

coordination problems, and fatigue. Breathing

lower levels of JP-5 and JP-8 for a longer period could result in

lack of initiative, sleep disturbances, and dizziness.

Much information is available on accidental poisonings

in children from drinking kerosene. Effects seen include vomiting,

diarrhea, stomach cramps, coughing, drowsiness, and

loss of consciousness. Drinking very large amounts can result

in death. Skin exposure to kerosene results in skin irritation,

consisting of itchy, red, peeling, and sore skin.

It is not known whether jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8 can affect

reproduction or cause birth defects in people or animals.

How likely are jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8 to cause

cancer?

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has

concluded that jet fuels are not classifiable as to their carcinogenicity

to humans.

No carcinogenicity studies on jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8 are

available in people. A study on the use of kerosene stoves

found no association between their use and bronchial cancer,

while another study found an increase in oral cancer in men

who used kerosene stoves. Other studies in people are inconclusive.

An animal study showed no increase in kidney tumors

when rats breathed air containing high levels of JP-5 or JP-8

for 90 days. Skin tumors were seen in mice when their skin was

exposed to jet fuel JP-5 for 60 weeks.

Is there a medical test to show whether I’ve been

exposed to jet fuels JP-5 and JP-8?

No test shows if you have been exposed to JP-5 or JP-8.

However, tests can determine if your blood contains some of

the chemicals found in JP-5 and JP-8. However, the concentrations

of these chemicals in JP-5 and JP-8 are very low, and if

they were detected in your blood, it would not necessarily

mean that you were exposed to JP-5 or JP-8.

Has the federal government made

recommendations to protect human health?

Very few regulations or advisories are specific to jet

fuels JP-5 and JP-8. The following is a recommendation

for petroleum products, which are similar to jet fuels JP-5

and JP-8.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and

the Air Force Office of Safety and Health have set an exposure

limit of 400 milligrams of petroleum products per cubic meter

of air (400 mg/m3) for an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek.

Glossary

Carcinogenicity: Ability to cause cancer.

CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service.

Milligram (mg): One thousandth of a gram.

References

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

(ATSDR). 1998. Toxicological profile for jet fuels (JP-5 and

JP-8). Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, Public Health Service.

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"The International Agency for Research on Cancer has concluded that jet fuels are not classifiable as to their carcinogenicity to humans."

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The Navy and AF use too much JP-5 and JP-8, and there are far to many exposures. Exposure just comes with the territory (JETS). That is why Jet Propulsion Fuels can't be classified as a carcinogen, not because there are injuries from it. It could be a national security issue.

There has to be something more to this, because Doris Lama (FOIA..CNO) told me that VA has issues with JP-5 and JP-8.

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