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The mammalian oral toxicity of fluoroacetamide
Author(s) -
Phillips M. A.,
Worden Alastair N.
Publication year - 1957
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740081109
Subject(s) - acetamide , antidote , chemistry , urine , toxicity , sodium , pharmacology , toxicology , biology , biochemistry , organic chemistry
The oral LD 50 of fluoroacetamide for two strains of laboratory rat has been found to be 15 mg./kg. The simultaneous administration of sodium acetate is without effect, but when acetamide or L‐cysteine hydrochloride are dosed in the proportions by weight of 4: 1 or 9: 1 parts of fluoroacetamide, the LD 50 of the latter is raised to 25–30 mg./kg. Acetamide dosed at the rate of 200 mg./kg. has been found to prevent fatalities when given 30–40 minutes after doses of 35 mg./kg. of fluoroacetamide and up to 65 minutes after doses of 20 mg./kg. Repeated sub‐lethal dosage suggests that fluoroacetamide does not have any marked cumulative effect, and that the bulk is excreted unchanged in the urine. Fluoroacetamide may be absorbed percutaneously by the rat with fatal results, but even when decontamination is delayed for 30 minutes, and an antidote is not given, doses corresponding to 100 mg. for an adult human (65 kg.) do not produce symptoms. Solutions containing 1% and 2% w/v fluoroacetamide have not been found to give off detectable fluoroacetamide into the atmosphere even at 45°. It is concluded that fluoroacetamide is a much safer substance to handle than either sodium fluoroacetate or the fluoroacetic esters.