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The information in this profile may be out-of-date. It was last revised in 1996. EXTOXNET no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

Please visit the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) to find updated pesticide fact sheets. If you don't find a fact sheet related to your question, feel free to call 1-800-858-7378. NPIC is open five days a week from 8:00am to 12:00pm Pacific Time.

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E X T O X N E T

Extension Toxicology Network

Pesticide Information Profiles

A Pesticide Information Project of Cooperative Extension Offices of Cornell University, Oregon State University, the University of Idaho, and the University of California at Davis and the Institute for Environmental Toxicology, Michigan State University. Major support and funding was provided by the USDA/Extension Service/National Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program.

EXTOXNET primary files maintained and archived at Oregon State University

Revised June 1996

Daminozide

Trade and Other Names: Trade names include Alar, Aminozide, B-995, B-Nine, Dazide, and Kylar and SADH.

Regulatory Status: All use of daminozide on food crops was voluntarily canceled by the manufacturer in November, 1989. It is currently registered only for use on ornamental and bedding plants. Classified toxicity III - slightly toxic, products containing daminozide bear the Signal Word CAUTION.

Chemical Class: Not Available

Introduction: Daminozide is a plant growth regulator formerly used on certain fruit crops to improve the balance between vegetative growth and fruit production, to improve fruit quality, and to synchronize fruit maturity.

Unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine (UDMH) is a contaminant of commercial daminozide and a metabolite of daminozide which is formed in the body, during food processing, or when spray mixes containing daminozide are left standing in the mixing tank. Commercial daminozide contains 0.005% (50 mg/L) UDMH. It is available as a water soluble powder.

Formulation: It is available as a water soluble powder.

Toxicological Effects:

• Acute toxicity: Daminozide is practically nontoxic to mammals [168]. It may cause skin or eye irritation [168]. Changes in liver function have been observed in animals given very high single doses [168]. The oral LD50 for daminozide is 8400 mg/kg in rats, and 6300/mg/kg in mice. Its dermal LD50 in rabbits is greater than 1600 mg/kg. The inhalation LC50 in rabbits is greater than 0.15 mg/L [168].
• Chronic toxicity: Effects observed at higher doses included atrophy of ovaries and enlargement of the liver bile duct (hyperplasia) [169]. No effects were seen in dogs fed 7.5, 75, or 187.5 mg/kg/day daminozide for 1 year [169].
• Reproductive effects: Daminozide does not appear to affect reproduction. A three-generation study with rats fed 300 mg/kg/day showed no significant effects on fertility or reproductive capacity [8].
• Teratogenic effects: Daminozide may be teratogenic, but only at very high doses. No birth defects occurred in the offspring of pregnant rats fed 500 mg/kg/day [8]. When pregnant rats were given 1800 mg/kg/day, ossification of the bones of the sternum and spine occurred in offspring. No teratogenic or developmental effects occurred in the offspring of pregnant rabbits given 50, 150, or 300 mg/kg/day [169].
• Mutagenic effects: Several in vivo and in vitro tests have shown that daminozide is not mutagenic [170].
• Carcinogenic effects: Both daminozide and UDMH, a metabolite, have caused increases in the incidence of benign and malignant tumors in test animals at high doses [171]. Malignant tumors were found in female rats given dietary doses of 714 mg/kg/day and 1428 mg/kg/day [8]. Malignant and benign blood vessel tumors also occurred in treated UDMH mice [168]. When rats were given UDMH in their drinking water at concentrations of 50 or 100 mg/L for 2 years, there was a significant, but slight, dose-related increase in liver tumors in females, and bile duct hyperplasia and inflammation of the liver in males receiving 100 mg/L and in females receiving 50 and 100 mg/L [168]. Mice given UDMH in their drinking water for 2 years at 1.3 mg/kg/day for males and 2.6 mg/kg/day for females showed a significant increase in the incidence of lung tumors [170,171]. The data suggest that daminozide is weakly or noncarcinogenic.
• Organ toxicity: Some animal studies have identified the liver and lungs as target organs.

• Fate in humans and animals: At 96 hours after administration of a single oral dose of 5 mg/kg to miniature swine, daminozide was detected in all body tissues at levels up to 0.073 mg/kg. The highest levels were found in the liver and kidney. About 84% of the dose was eliminated in the urine, and 1% of the dose was metabolized to UDMH [170]. The majority of daminozide residues ingested by milk animals is rapidly excreted in the urine and feces [168].

Ecological Effects:

• Effects on birds: Daminozide is practically nontoxic to birds. Its 96-hour LC50 in quail is 5620 mg/kg [168]. The eight-day dietary LC50 in mallard ducks and bobwhite quail is 10,000 mg/kg [168].
• Effects on aquatic organisms: Daminozide is practically nontoxic to fish. Its 96-hour LC50 in rainbow trout is 149 to 306 mg/L, and in bluegill is 423 to 552 mg/L [168]. The 48-hour LC50 in Daphnia, a small freshwater crustacean, is 98.5 mg/L [168]. Daminozide does not bioconcentrate in fish. The concentration of this compound in the bluegill was only 3 times the ambient water concentration [168].
• Effects on other organisms: Daminozide is of low toxicity to terrestrial wildlife; it is nontoxic to bees [168].

Environmental Fate:

• Breakdown in soil and groundwater: Daminozide resists photodegradation, but it is subject to degradation by soil microorganisms [168]. It has a low soil persistence. The half-life of daminozide in soil is approximately 21 days [53]. In field tests, 50% of applied Alar disappeared within 1 week. Daminozide is soluble in water and very mobile in soils [53]. It appears to leach, but because it does not persist in soil, it is unlikely to contaminate groundwater [168].
• Breakdown in water: In water, daminozide degrades to UDMH [168].
• Breakdown in vegetation: Daminozide is rapidly absorbed through the leaves, roots, and stems of plants. It is translocated within plants and can accumulate in roots, fruits, and other plant parts [168].

Physical Properties:

• Appearance: Daminozide is a colorless to white, stable crystalline solid [1].
• Chemical Name: N-dimethylaminosuccinamic acid [1]
• CAS Number: 1596-84-5
• Molecular Weight: 160.20
• Water Solubility: 100,000 mg/L at 25 C [1]
• Solubility in Other Solvents: v.s. in methanol and acetone; i.s. in aliphatic hydrocarbons
• Melting Point: 157-154 C [1]
• Vapor Pressure: 22.7 mPa @ 23 C
• Partition Coefficient: 0.031 @ 21 C [1]
• Adsorption Coefficient: 30 (estimated) [53]

Exposure Guidelines:

• ADI: 0.5 mg/kg/day [12]
• MCL: Not Available
• RfD: 0.15 mg/kg/day [13]
• PEL: Not Available
• HA: Not Available
• TLV: Not Available

Basic Manufacturer:

Uniroyal Chemical Co., Inc.
Benson Road
Middlebury, CT 06749

• Phone: 203-573-2000
• Emergency: 203-723-3670
  

References:

References for the information in this PIP can be found in Reference List Number 10

DISCLAIMER: The information in this profile does not in any way replace or supersede the information on the pesticide product labeling or other regulatory requirements. Please refer to the pesticide product labeling.