ABSTRACT
Furfuryl alcohol may be released to the environment as a result of its manufacture and use as a solvent for dyes and resins, as a flavoring agent and other uses. Furfuryl alcohol has been qualitatively detected in mixtures of volatile compounds from numerous foods, which suggests that the compound may be formed naturally. If released to soil, it will be expected to exhibit very high mobility, based upon the reported infinite solubility of the compound in water and an estimated Koc of 34. It may, therefore, leach through soil to ground water if it does not biodegrade or otherwise decompose first. It may be subject to biodegradation in soil based upon results observed in a laboratory aqueous aerobic biodegradation screening test. It should not be subject to volatilization from moist near surface soil based upon an estimated Henry's Law constant, which has been calculated from the water solubility and vapor pressure.
