Aniline: general information
Updated 10 August 2022
Overview
Aniline is a volatile, colourless, oily liquid with a musty or fish-like odour. Other names for aniline are phenylamine and aminobenzene.
Uses of aniline
Aniline is used to make a wide variety of products such as dyes, other industrial chemicals, photographic chemicals, agricultural products, pharmaceuticals and explosives. It is also used in the rubber industry and in fuel refining.
How aniline gets into the environment
The majority of aniline that is released into the environment is from industries that produce it or use it to make other chemicals. Natural forest fires may also release small amounts of aniline into the environment.
Exposure to aniline
For the general public the main source of exposure to aniline is tobacco smoke.
Exposure may also occur by eating food or drinking water contaminated with aniline. However, these amounts would be expected to be very small.
Exposure to aniline is more likely to occur in an occupational setting. However, safe limits are enforced to protect the employees; such levels are below those that are thought to cause harmful effects.
How exposure to aniline can affect your health
The presence of aniline in the environment does not always lead to exposure. In order for it to cause any adverse health effects you must come into contact with it. You may be exposed to aniline by breathing or drinking it, or by skin contact. Following exposure to any chemical, the adverse health effects you may encounter depend on several factors, including the amount to which you are exposed (dose), the way you are exposed, the duration of exposure, the form of the chemical and if you were exposed to any other chemicals.
Aniline can be absorbed into the body via inhalation, ingestion or skin contact. It damages red blood cells causing a blood disorder known as methaemoglobinaemia. Symptoms include navy blue to black lips and tongue, grey skin and breathlessness. Headache, stomach upset, the feeling of pins and needles, drowsiness and rapid heart rate can also occur. Aniline is irritating to the eyes and skin.
Aniline and cancer
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified aniline as probably carcinogenic to humans. There is strong evidence in experimental animals that aniline causes cancer and it has a similar chemical structure to other chemicals that are cancer causing agents.
Vulnerable people
New-born infants are more sensitive to the development of the blood disorder methaemaglobinaemia caused by aniline.
Pregnancy and the unborn child
There is limited data available on the effects of exposure to aniline on pregnancy and the unborn child. Therefore, it is not possible to draw any definitive conclusions. Effects on the unborn child are more likely to occur if the exposure to aniline causes the mother to become unwell.
Children
Children exposed to aniline would be expected to display similar symptoms to those seen in exposed adults. New-born infants are more sensitive to the development of the blood disorder methaemaglobinaemia caused by aniline.
What to do if you are exposed to aniline
It is very unlikely that the general population will be exposed to a level of aniline high enough to cause adverse health effects. However, if you have any health concerns regarding exposure to aniline seek guidance from your GP or contact NHS 111.
Additional sources of information
Information on poisoning (NHS.UK)
The information contained in this document from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Radiation, Chemicals and Environment Directorate is correct at the time of its publication.
If you have any questions about this guidance, email chemcompendium@ukhsa.gov.uk or enquiries@ukhsa.gov.uk