Acute inhalation toxicity of ammonium perfluorononanoate

Ammonium perfluorononanoate (CAS Registry No. 4149-60-4) is a white powder that can become airborne. Its acute inhalation toxicity in male rats was studied. Male rats were exposed for single 4-hr periods to dust concentrations ranging from 67 to 4600 mg/m3. The LC50 was determined to be 820 mg/m3, with the lowest concentration causing death being 590 mg/m3. Ammonium perfluorononanoate was classified as moderately toxic by the acute inhalation route. Exposure to ammonium perfluorononanoate caused a pronounced increase in liver size. The acute toxicity of ammonium perfluorononanoate appears to be similar to that of its 8-carbon homologue, ammonium perfluorooctanoate, but considerably less than that of the 10-carbon homologue, perfluoro-n-decanoic acid.