US EPA

2993046 

Technical Report 

Nitrosamines and pesticides. A special report on the occurrence of nitrosamines as terminal residues resulting from agricultural use of certain pesticides 

Kearney, PC 

1980 

PESTAB/80/1281 

Chem 

2 

PESTAB. The chemistry, determination methods, formation, degradation and metabolism, and risk assessment procedures for nitrosamines associated with pesticides are reviewed. The presence of nitrosamine contaminants has been established in dinitroaniline and some acid herbicides. With the dinitroanilines such contaminants arise during chemical synthesis. In the case of certain halobenzoic acid formulations, these contaminants appear in the product due to nitrite. Current methods for detecting these contaminants are discussed. The formation of nitrosated pesticides in soil or water is discussed, and is concluded not to be a problem of great concern. In vivo studies on the nitrosation of pesticides and dialkylamines are presented. Tumor formation has resulted from the concurrent administration of certain amines and nitrite to laboratory animals. The fate of nitrosamines in the environment is also considered. It is noted that nitrosamines are photolabile and the volatile members of the group are partially dissipated by volatilization and subsequent photodecomposition in the air. Most nitrosamines are stable to hydrolysis in aqueous solutions at the pH normally found in surface and ground waters. They are photodecomposed in solutions. No nitrosated products have been identified in plants or grain of crops treated with 14C labeled nitroso compounds.