Is Acrylonitrile safe for babies and kids?
Very high risk for kidsInfants may be exposed to Acrylonitrile through residual monomer migration from food-contact plastics, bottles, and packaging. Immature hepatic conjugation and renal clearance prolong internal exposure.
What is acrylonitrile?
The IUPAC name is prop-2-enenitrile.
Also known as: prop-2-enenitrile, 2-Propenenitrile, Vinyl cyanide, Propenenitrile.
- IUPAC name
- prop-2-enenitrile
- CAS number
- 107-13-1
- Molecular formula
- C3H3N
- Molecular weight
- 53.06 g/mol
- SMILES
- C=CC#N
- PubChem CID
- 7855
Risk for babies
Very high riskInfants may be exposed to Acrylonitrile through residual monomer migration from food-contact plastics, bottles, and packaging. Immature hepatic conjugation and renal clearance prolong internal exposure.
Neonates and infants up to 12 months have incomplete blood-brain barrier development, immature Phase I/II metabolic enzymes (particularly CYP3A4, UGT1A1), and higher gastrointestinal permeability. Equivalent doses produce higher internal concentrations and longer residence times.
Risk for pregnant and nursing people
Context-dependentPrenatal exposure to residual Acrylonitrile from food-contact materials is a concern due to potential developmental toxicity. Monomers may leach from plastics at elevated temperatures.
No specific reproductive toxicity data identified, but pregnancy-specific safety data is limited for most chemicals. Precautionary minimization of exposure is recommended.
Regulatory consensus
29 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Acrylonitrile. The classifications differ — that's the data.
| Agency | Year | Classification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IARC | 1999 | Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans) | Limited evidence in exposed workers (lung cancer); inadequate evidence in animals for full Group 2A. Evaluated in IARC Monograph 71. Metabolized to acrylonitrile epoxide (glycidonitrile) — genotoxic alkylating agent. |
| US EPA | 2014 | likely to be carcinogenic to humans | EPA IRIS final assessment; primarily lung and colorectal cancer associations in occupationally exposed workers; inhalation unit risk 6.8 × 10⁻⁵ per μg/m³; oral slope factor 0.54 per mg/kg-day |
| EPA CTX / NIOSH | — | potential occupational carcinogen | |
| EPA CTX / IRIS | — | B1 (Probable human carcinogen - based on limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans) | |
| EPA CTX / NTP RoC | — | Reasonably Anticipated to be a Human Carcinogen | |
| EPA CTX / IARC | — | Group 2B - Possibly carcinogenic to humans | |
| EPA CTX / EPA OPP | — | Group B1 Probable Human Carcinogen | |
| EPA CTX / CalEPA | — | Known human carcinogen | |
| EPA CTX / Genetox | — | Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: positive, 21 positive / 7 negative reports) | |
| EPA CTX / Genetox | — | Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: positive, 21 positive / 7 negative reports) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Eye Irritation: Eye Dam. 1 (score: very high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Irritation: Skin Irrit. 2 (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Sensitization: Skin Sens. 1 (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Sensitization: Sh (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Eye Irritation: Serious eye damage/eye irritation - Category 2 (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Irritation: Skin corrosion/irritation - Category 2 (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Sensitization: Skin sensitization - Category 1A (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Eye Irritation: Category 1 (score: very high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Irritation: Category 2 (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Sensitization: Category 1 (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Eye Irritation: Eye Dam. 1 (score: very high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Irritation: Skin Irrit. 2 (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Sensitization: Skin Sens. 1 (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Eye Irritation: Category 6.4A (Category 2A) (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Irritation: Category 6.3A (Category 2) (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Sensitization: Category 6.5B (Category 1) (score: moderate) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | eye irritation: in vivo: Corrosive or Irritation Persists for > 21 days (score: very high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | skin irritation: in vivo: Severe Irritation (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | skin sensitisation: in vivo (non-LLNA): Low to Moderate Frequency of Sensitization (score: moderate) |
Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.
Where kids encounter acrylonitrile
- Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
- Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles
Safer alternatives
Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Acrylonitrile:
-
Bio-based polymer alternatives where available
Trade-offs: Performance limitations. End-of-life complexity.Relative cost: 2-5×
Frequently asked questions
Is acrylonitrile safe for kids?
Infants may be exposed to Acrylonitrile through residual monomer migration from food-contact plastics, bottles, and packaging. Immature hepatic conjugation and renal clearance prolong internal exposure.
What products contain acrylonitrile?
Acrylonitrile appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).
What should I do if my child is exposed to acrylonitrile?
Minimize infant exposure through source control. For breastfeeding mothers: reduce maternal exposure. For formula-fed infants: use certified low-migration bottles and verified water sources. Consult pediatrician regarding any concerns.
Why do regulators disagree about acrylonitrile?
Acrylonitrile has been classified by 29 agencies including IARC, US EPA, EPA CTX / NIOSH, EPA CTX / IRIS, EPA CTX / NTP RoC, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.
See Acrylonitrile in the baby app
Look up products containing acrylonitrile, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.
Open in baby View raw API dataSources (3)
- IARC Monographs Volume 71: Acrylonitrile (1999) — regulatory
- US EPA IRIS: Acrylonitrile — Carcinogenicity Assessment (Final) (2014) — regulatory
- ATSDR Toxicological Profile for Acrylonitrile (1990) — report
Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →