Safety assessment based on irrelevant toxicologic data: an extraordinary case of bromomethane used as a fumigant.
Bromomethane (BM) is a fumigant used in agriculture; it readily breaks down to bromide ion. WHO assessed the ADI of BM, at 1 mg/kg, using data on the toxicity of bromide. On the other hand, U.S. EPA used the observation of hyperplasia in the forestomach of rats given BM by gavage and arrived at a value of 0.0014 mg/kg. The validity of EPA's assessment is thus subject to question because of the data involved by (1) direct introduction of this volatile and reactive chemical to the GI by gavage and (2) using lesions in the rat forestomach which is absent in humans.
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Food Additive Unit, World Health Organization, (Ret.) Miami, Florida 33183, USA.
Coulston
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D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005651:Fumigation; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated / Q000633:toxicity*; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000139:chemically induced; D051381:Rats; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013270:Stomach / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D014481:United States; D014484:United States Environmental Protection Agency; D014944:World Health Organization
D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated; C005218:methyl bromide