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Trade names | Balnetar, Cutar, others |
Other names | liquor carbonis detergens (LCD) liquor picis carbonis (LPC) [1] |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Multum Consumer Information |
Routes of administration | Topical |
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.029.417 |
Coal tar is a thick dark liquid which is a by-product of the production of coke and coal gas from coal. [2] [3] It is a type of creosote. It has both medical and industrial uses. [2] [4] Medicinally it is a topical medication applied to skin to treat psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff). [5] It may be used in combination with ultraviolet light therapy. [5] Industrially it is a railroad tie preservative and used in the surfacing of roads. [6] Coal tar was listed as a known human carcinogen in the first Report on Carcinogens from the U.S. Federal Government, issued in 1980. [7]
Coal tar was discovered circa 1665 and used for medical purposes as early as the 1800s. [6] [8] Circa 1850, the discovery that it could be used as the main raw material for the synthesis of dyes engendered an entire industry. [9] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. [10] Coal tar is available as a generic medication and over the counter. [4]
Side effects include skin irritation, sun sensitivity, allergic reactions, and skin discoloration. [5] It is unclear if use during pregnancy is safe for the baby and use during breastfeeding is not typically recommended. [11] The exact mechanism of action is unknown. [12] It is a complex mixture of phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heterocyclic compounds. [2] It demonstrates antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-itch, and antiparasitic properties. [12]
Coal tar is produced through thermal destruction (pyrolysis) of coal. Its composition varies with the process and type of coal used – lignite, bituminous or anthracite. [13]
Coal tar is a mixture of approximately 10,000 chemicals, of which only about 50% have been identified. [14] [ better source needed ] Most of the chemical compounds are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon: [15] [16]
Others: benzene, toluene, xylenes, cumenes, coumarone, indene, benzofuran, naphthalene and methyl-naphthalenes, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenol, cresols, pyridine, picolines, phenanthracene, carbazole, quinolines, fluoranthene. [13] Many of these constituents are known carcinogens. [19] [20]
Various phenolic coal tar derivatives have analgesic (pain-killer) properties. These included acetanilide, phenacetin, and paracetamol aka acetaminophen. [21] Paracetamol may be the only coal-tar derived analgesic still in use today. [22] Industrial phenol is now usually synthesized from crude oil rather than coal tar. [23]
Coal tar derivatives are contra-indicated for people with the inherited red cell blood disorder glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD deficiency), as they can cause oxidative stress leading to red blood cell breakdown. [24]
The exact mechanism of action is unknown. [12] Coal tar is a complex mixture of phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heterocyclic compounds. [2]
It is a keratolytic agent, which reduces the growth rate of skin cells and softens the skin's keratin. [25] [13]
Coal tar is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. [10] Coal tar is generally available as a generic medication and over the counter. [4]
Coal tar is used in medicated shampoo, soap and ointment. It demonstrates antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-itch, and antiparasitic properties. [12] It may be applied topically as a treatment for dandruff and psoriasis, and to kill and repel head lice. [5] It may be used in combination with ultraviolet light therapy. [5]
Coal tar may be used in two forms: crude coal tar (Latin : pix carbonis) or a coal tar solution (Latin : liquor picis carbonis, LPC) also known as liquor carbonis detergens (LCD). [12] [26] [27] Named brands include Denorex, Balnetar, Psoriasin, Tegrin, T/Gel, and Neutar. When used in the extemporaneous preparation of topical medications, it is supplied in the form of coal tar topical solution USP, which consists of a 20% w/v solution of coal tar in alcohol, with an additional 5% w/v of polysorbate 80 USP; this must then be diluted in an ointment base, such as petrolatum.
Coal tar was a component of the first sealed roads. In its original development by Edgar Purnell Hooley, tarmac was tar covered with granite chips. Later the filler used was industrial slag. Today, petroleum derived binders and sealers are more commonly used. These sealers are used to extend the life and reduce maintenance cost associated with asphalt pavements, primarily in asphalt road paving, car parks and walkways.[ citation needed ]
Coal tar is incorporated into some parking-lot sealcoat products used to protect the structural integrity of the underlying pavement. [28] Sealcoat products that are coal-tar based typically contain 20 to 35 percent coal-tar pitch. [28] Research [29] shows it is used throughout the United States of America, however several areas have banned its use in sealcoat products, [30] [31] [32] including the District of Columbia; the city of Austin, Texas; Dane County, Wisconsin; the state of Washington; and several municipalities in Minnesota and others. [33] [34]
In modern times, coal tar is mostly traded as fuel and an application for tar, such as roofing. The total value of the trade in coal tar is around US$20 billion each year. [35]
Side effects of coal tar products include skin irritation, sun sensitivity, allergic reactions, and skin discoloration. [5] It is unclear if use during pregnancy is safe for the baby and use during breastfeeding is not typically recommended. [44]
According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, coal tar is a valuable, safe and inexpensive treatment option for millions of people with psoriasis and other scalp or skin conditions. [45] According to the FDA, coal tar concentrations between 0.5% and 5% are considered safe [46] and effective for psoriasis.
Long-term, consistent exposure to coal tar likely increases the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers. [47] Evidence is inconclusive whether medical coal tar, which does not remain on the skin for the long periods seen in occupational exposure, causes cancer, because there is insufficient data to make a judgment. [48] While coal tar consistently causes cancer in cohorts of workers with chronic occupational exposure, animal models, and mechanistic studies, [17] the data on short-term use as medicine in humans has so far failed to show any consistently significant increase in rates of cancer. [48]
Coal tar contains many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and it is believed that their metabolites bind to DNA, damaging it. [20] The PAHs found in coal tar and air pollution induce immunosenescence and cytotoxicity in epidermal cells. [49] [50] It's possible that the skin can repair itself from this damage after short-term exposure to PAHs but not after long-term exposure. [48] Long-term skin exposure to these compounds can produce "tar warts", which can progress to squamous cell carcinoma. [13]
Coal tar was one of the first chemical substances proven to cause cancer from occupational exposure, during research in 1775 on the cause of chimney sweeps' carcinoma. [13] Modern studies have shown that working with coal tar pitch, such as during the paving of roads or when working on roofs, increases the risk of cancer. [17]
The International Agency for Research on Cancer lists coal tars as Group 1 carcinogens, meaning they directly cause cancer. [17] [51] [52] The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists coal tars as known human carcinogens. [53]
In response to public health concerns regarding the carcinogenicity of PAHs some municipalities, such as the city of Milwaukee, have banned the use of common coal tar-based road and driveway sealants citing concerns of elevated PAH content in groundwater. [54]
Coal tar causes increased sensitivity to sunlight, [55] so skin treated with topical coal tar preparations should be protected from sunlight.
The residue from the distillation of high-temperature coal tar, primarily a complex mixture of three or more membered condensed ring aromatic hydrocarbons, was listed on 13 January 2010 as a substance of very high concern by the European Chemicals Agency. [56]
Exposure to coal tar pitch volatiles can occur in the workplace by breathing, skin contact, or eye contact. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set the permissible exposure limit) to 0.2 mg/m3 benzene-soluble fraction over an 8-hour workday. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set a recommended exposure limit (REL) of 0.1 mg/m3 cyclohexane-extractable fraction over an 8-hour workday. At levels of 80 mg/m3, coal tar pitch volatiles are immediately dangerous to life and health. [57]
When used as a medication in the United States, coal tar preparations are considered over-the-counter drug pharmaceuticals and are subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A carcinogen is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and biologic agents such as viruses and bacteria. Most carcinogens act by creating mutations in DNA that disrupt a cell's normal processes for regulating growth, leading to uncontrolled cellular proliferation. This occurs when the cell's DNA repair processes fail to identify DNA damage allowing the defect to be passed down to daughter cells. The damage accumulates over time. This is typically a multi-step process during which the regulatory mechanisms within the cell are gradually dismantled allowing for unchecked cellular division.
Creosote is a category of carbonaceous chemicals formed by the distillation of various tars and pyrolysis of plant-derived material, such as wood, or fossil fuel. They are typically used as preservatives or antiseptics.
Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula C
10H
8. It is the simplest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and is a white crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 ppm by mass. As an aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene's structure consists of a fused pair of benzene rings. It is the main ingredient of traditional mothballs.
Soot is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. Soot is considered a hazardous substance with carcinogenic properties. Most broadly, the term includes all the particulate matter produced by this process, including black carbon and residual pyrolysed fuel particles such as coal, cenospheres, charred wood, and petroleum coke classified as cokes or char. It can include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals like mercury.
Phenanthrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) with formula C14H10, consisting of three fused benzene rings. It is a colorless, crystal-like solid, but can also appear yellow. Phenanthrene is used to make dyes, plastics, pesticides, explosives, and drugs. It has also been used to make bile acids, cholesterol and steroids.
A Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is a class of organic compounds that is composed of multiple aromatic rings. Most are produced by the incomplete combustion of organic matter— by engine exhaust fumes, tobacco, incinerators, in roasted meats and cereals, or when biomass burns at lower temperatures as in forest fires. The simplest representative is naphthalene, having two aromatic rings, and the three-ring compounds anthracene and phenanthrene. PAHs are uncharged, non-polar and planar. Many are colorless. Many of them are also found in fossil fuel deposits such as coal and in petroleum. Exposure to PAHs can lead to different types of cancer, to fetal development complications, and to cardiovascular issues.
Carbon black is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of coal tar, vegetable matter, or petroleum products, including fuel oil, fluid catalytic cracking tar, and ethylene cracking in a limited supply of air. Carbon black is a form of paracrystalline carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, albeit lower than that of activated carbon. It is dissimilar to soot in its much higher surface-area-to-volume ratio and significantly lower polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content.
Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP or B[a]P) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and the result of incomplete combustion of organic matter at temperatures between 300 °C (572 °F) and 600 °C (1,112 °F). The ubiquitous compound can be found in coal tar, tobacco smoke and many foods, especially grilled meats. The substance with the formula C20H12 is one of the benzopyrenes, formed by a benzene ring fused to pyrene. Its diol epoxide metabolites, more commonly known as BPDE, react with and bind to DNA, resulting in mutations and eventually cancer. It is listed as a Group 1 carcinogen by the IARC. In the 18th century a scrotal cancer of chimney sweepers, the chimney sweeps' carcinoma, was already known to be connected to soot.
Chemical hazards are hazards present in hazardous chemicals and hazardous materials. Exposure to certain chemicals can cause acute or long-term adverse health effects. Chemical hazards are usually classified separately from biological hazards (biohazards). Chemical hazards are classified into groups that include asphyxiants, corrosives, irritants, sensitizers, carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, reactants, and flammables. In the workplace, exposure to chemical hazards is a type of occupational hazard. The use of personal protective equipment may substantially reduce the risk of adverse health effects from contact with hazardous materials.
Tar is the name for the resinous, combusted particulate matter made by the burning of tobacco and other plant material in the act of smoking. Tar is toxic and damages the smoker's lungs over time through various biochemical and mechanical processes. Tar also damages the mouth by rotting and blackening teeth, damaging gums, and desensitizing taste buds. Tar includes the majority of mutagenic and carcinogenic agents in tobacco smoke. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), for example, are genotoxic and epoxidative.
Fluoranthene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The molecule can be viewed as the fusion of naphthalene and benzene unit connected by a five-membered ring. The chemical formula is C16H10. Although samples are often pale yellow, the compound is colorless. It is soluble in nonpolar organic solvents. It is a member of the class of PAHs known as non-alternant PAHs because it has rings other than those with six carbon atoms. It is a structural isomer of the alternant PAH pyrene. It is not as thermodynamically stable as pyrene. Its name is derived from its fluorescence under UV light.
Occupational lung diseases comprise a broad group of diseases, including occupational asthma, industrial bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiolitis obliterans, inhalation injury, interstitial lung diseases, infections, lung cancer and mesothelioma. These can be caused directly or due to immunological response to an exposure to a variety of dusts, chemicals, proteins or organisms. Occupational cases of interstitial lung disease may be misdiagnosed as COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or a myriad of other diseases; leading to a delay in identification of the causative agent.
Chrysene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) with the molecular formula C
18H
12 that consists of four fused benzene rings. It is a natural constituent of coal tar, from which it was first isolated and characterized. It is also found in creosote at levels of 0.5–6 mg/kg.
Sealcoating, or pavement sealing, is the process of applying a protective coating to asphalt-based pavements to provide a layer of protection from the elements: water, oils, and U.V. damage.
A benzopyrene is an organic compound with the formula C20H12. Structurally speaking, the colorless isomers of benzopyrene are pentacyclic hydrocarbons and are fusion products of pyrene and a phenylene group. Two isomeric species of benzopyrene are benzo[a]pyrene and the less common benzo[e]pyrene. They belong to the chemical class of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Benzo[j]fluoranthene (BjF) is an organic compound with the chemical formula C20H12. Classified as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), it is a colourless solid that is poorly soluble in most solvents. Impure samples can appear off white. Closely related isomeric compounds include benzo[a]fluoranthene (BaF), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), benzo[e]fluoranthene (BeF), and benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF). BjF is present in fossil fuels and is released during incomplete combustion of organic matter. It has been traced in the smoke of cigarettes, exhaust from gasoline engines, emissions from the combustion of various types of coal and emissions from oil heating, as well as an impurity in some oils such as soybean oil.
Dibenz[a,h]anthracene, Benzo[k]tetraphene or 1,2:5,6-Dibenzanthracene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C22H14. It is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) made of five fused benzene rings. It is a fused five-ringed PAH which is common as a pollutant of smoke and oils. It is stable and highly genotoxic in bacterial and mammalian cell systems, as it intercalates into DNA and causes mutations.
Dibenz[a,j]anthracene or Benzo[m]tetraphene or 1,2:7,8-Dibenzanthracene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C22H14. It belongs to the class of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and is formed whenever there is incomplete combustion of organic matter. The IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) has classified it as possibly carcinogenic to humans, grouped into IARC group 2B.
Benzo[c]fluorene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) with mutagenic activity. It is a component of coal tar, cigarette smoke and smog and thought to be a major contributor to its carcinogenic properties. The mutagenicity of benzo[c]fluorene is mainly attributed to formation of metabolites that are reactive and capable of forming DNA adducts. According to the KEGG it is a group 3 carcinogen. Other names for benzo[c]fluorene are 7H-benzo[c]fluorene, 3,4-benzofluorene, and NSC 89264.
5-Methylchrysene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) with a molecular weight of 242.3 g/mol and melting point of 117.5 °C (243.5°F). The chemical formula of it is C19H14. It has a vapour pressure of 0.00000025 mmHg. It can cause cancer according to an independent committee of scientific and health experts (California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)). It appears as purple crystals and it is water insoluble (0.062 mg/L at 27 °C)(80.6°F)but soluble in acetone. It is a carbopolycyclic compound.
composition of coal tar will be influenced by the process used for pyrolytic distillation as well as by the original composition of the coal ... He then demonstrated excess cancers occurring in laboratory animals when coal tar is applied to the ears and skin ... [therapeutic effect] is thought to involve decreased epidermal proliferation ... Coal tar is classified as a human carcinogen ... Both inhalation and dermal routes of exposure are considered hazardous.
it was concluded that there is sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of occupational exposures during paving and roofing with coal tar pitch. ... Six coal-tar pitches and three extracts of coal-tar pitches all produced skin tumours, including carcinomas, when applied to the skin of mice
...are classified as carcinogens of category 1B in accordance with Annex VI to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament
keratolytic agent that inhibits excessive proliferation of epidermal cells by reducing DNA synthesis and mitotic activity to normal levels
9.5.1 Coal tar chemicals: Coal tar is a black or dark brown liquid or a high-viscosity semi-solid that is one of the by-products formed when coal is carbonized. Coal tars are complex and variable mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenols, and heterocyclic compounds. Because of its flammable composition, coal tar is often used for fire boilers in order to create heat. They must be heated before any heavy oil flows easily.
Evidence for carcinogenicity to humans (sufficient)