Abstract
Trimethyl phosphite, a volatile organic organic liquid with a pungent and very low odor threshold, is an important chemical intermediate in the synthesis of industrial chemicals. Although the reported acute toxicity for this material indicated that it is only moderately toxic by oral ingestion and an irritant to the eyes, skin, and upper respiratory system, there was no information of the chronic toxicity of its vapors. Since the principal exposure of workers during its manufacture and handling may involve low-level inhalation of ihe vapors, a chronic inhalation study on rats was performed. This paper reports the methods and results of these tests with an evaluation of the possible health effects on workers, based on actual exposure concentrations in the work environment