title: Fluoroacetate-mediated toxicity of fluorinated ethanes.
abstract: A series of 1-(di)halo-2-fluoroethanes reported in the literature to be nontoxic or of low toxicity were found to be highly toxic by the inhalation route. Experiments were performed that showed the compounds, 1,2-difluoroethane, 1-chloro-2-fluoroethane, 1-chloro-1,2-difluoroethane, and 1-bromo-2-fluoroethane to be highly toxic to rats upon inhalation for 4 hr. All four compounds had 4-hr approximate lethal concentrations of < or = 100 ppm in rats. In contrast, 1,1-difluoroethane (commonly referred to as HFC-152a) has very low acute toxicity with a 4-hr LC50 of > 400,000 ppm in rats. Rats exposed to the selected toxic fluoroethanes showed clinical signs of fluoroacetate toxicity (lethargy, hunched posture, convulsions). 1,2-Difluoroethane, 1-chloro-2-fluoroethane, 1-chloro-1,2-difluoroethane, and 1-bromo-2-fluoroethane were shown to increase concentrations of citrate in serum and heart tissue, a hallmark of fluoroacetate intoxication. 19F NMR analysis confirmed that fluoroacetate was present in the urine of rats exposed to each toxic compound. Fluorocitrate, a condensation product of fluoroacetate and oxaloacetate, was identified in the kidney of rats exposed to 1,2-difluoroethane. There was a concentration-related elevation of serum and heart citrate in rats exposed to 0-1000 ppm 1,2-fluoroethane. Serum citrate was increased up to 5-fold and heart citrate was increased up to 11-fold over control citrate levels. Metabolism of 1,2-difluoroethane by cytochrome P450 (most likely CYP2E1) is suspected because pretreatment of rats or mice with SKF-525F, disulfiram, or dimethyl sulfoxide prevented or delayed the toxicity observed in rats not pretreated. Experimental evidence indicates that the metabolism of the toxic fluoroethanes is initiated at the carbon-hydrogen bond, with metabolism to fluoroacetate via an aldehyde or an acyl fluoride. The results of these studies show that 1-(di)halo-2-fluoroethanes are highly toxic to rats and should be considered a hazard to humans unless demonstrated otherwise.
authors.affiliation: Haskell Laboratory for Toxicology and Industrial Medicine, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, Newark, Delaware 19711, USA.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Roe
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Lieder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002951:Citrates / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006845:Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D018675:Toxicity Tests
chemical_list: D002951:Citrates; D006845:Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated; C007744:fluorocitrate