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Absorption, metabolism and elimination of N,N-dimethylformamide in humans

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Summary

Excretion of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and DMF metabolites N-hydroxymethyl-N-methylformamide (“MF”), N-hydroxymethyl-formamide (“F”) and N-acetyl-S-(N-methylcarbamoyl)cysteine (AMCC) has been monitored in the urine of volunteers during and after their 8-h exposure to DMF vapour at a concentration of 10, 30 and 60 mg · m−3. The pulmonary ventilation in these experiments was typically about 101 · min−1 and the retention in the respiratory tract was 90%. After exposure to 30 mg DMF · m−3, the yield of compound determined in the urine represented 0.3% (DMF), 22.3% (“MF”), 13.2% (“F”) and 13.4% (AMCC) of the dose absorbed via the respiratory tract. The excretion curves of the particular compounds attained their maximum 6–8h (DMF), 6–8h (“MF”), 8–14h (“F”) and 24–34h (AMCC) after the start of the exposure. The half-times of excretion were approximately 2, 4, 7 and 23 h respectively. In contrast to slow elimination of AMCC after exposure to DMF, AMCC was eliminated rapidly after AMCC intake. This discrepancy could be explained by rate-limiting reversible protein binding of a reactive metabolic intermediate of DMF, possibly methylisocyanate.

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Mráz, J., Nohová, H. Absorption, metabolism and elimination of N,N-dimethylformamide in humans. Int. Arch Occup Environ Heath 64, 85–92 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00381474

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00381474

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