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      Human Health Effects of Dichloromethane: Key Findings and Scientific Issues

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          Abstract

          Background: The U.S. EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) completed an updated toxicological review of dichloromethane in November 2011.

          Objectives: In this commentary we summarize key results and issues of this review, including exposure sources, identification of potential health effects, and updated physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling.

          Methods: We performed a comprehensive review of primary research studies and evaluation of PBPK models.

          Discussion: Hepatotoxicity was observed in oral and inhalation exposure studies in several studies in animals; neurological effects were also identified as a potential area of concern. Dichloromethane was classified as likely to be carcinogenic in humans based primarily on evidence of carcinogenicity at two sites (liver and lung) in male and female B6C3F 1 mice (inhalation exposure) and at one site (liver) in male B6C3F 1 mice (drinking-water exposure). Recent epidemiologic studies of dichloromethane (seven studies of hematopoietic cancers published since 2000) provide additional data raising concerns about associations with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Although there are gaps in the database for dichloromethane genotoxicity (i.e., DNA adduct formation and gene mutations in target tissues in vivo), the positive DNA damage assays correlated with tissue and/or species availability of functional glutathione S-transferase (GST) metabolic activity, the key activation pathway for dichloromethane-induced cancer. Innovations in the IRIS assessment include estimation of cancer risk specifically for a presumed sensitive genotype (GST-theta-1+/+), and PBPK modeling accounting for human physiological distributions based on the expected distribution for all individuals 6 months to 80 years of age.

          Conclusion: The 2011 IRIS assessment of dichloromethane provides insights into the toxicity of a commonly used solvent.

          Citation: Schlosser PM, Bale AS, Gibbons CF, Wilkins A, Cooper GS. 2015. Human health effects of dichloromethane: key findings and scientific issues. Environ Health Perspect 123:114–119; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1308030

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          Physiologically based pharmacokinetics and the risk assessment process for methylene chloride.

          Methylene chloride (dichloromethane, DCM) is metabolized by two pathways: one dependent on oxidation by mixed function oxidases (MFO) and the other dependent on glutathione S-transferases (GST). A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PB-PK) model based on knowledge of these pathways was used to describe the metabolism of DCM in four mammalian species (mouse, rat, hamster, and humans). Kinetic constants for the model were derived from in vivo experiments or the literature. The model was constructed to distinguish contributions from the two pathways of metabolism in lung and liver tissue, and to permit extrapolation from rodents to humans. Model validation was conducted by comparing predicted blood concentration time-course data in rats, mice, and humans with experimental data from these species. The tumor incidence in two chronic studies of DCM toxicity in mice was correlated with various measures of target tissue dose calculated with the PB-PK model. Tumor incidence correlated well with tissue AUC (area under the concentration/time curve) and amount of DCM metabolized by the GST pathway. However, tumor incidence did not correlate with the amount of DCM metabolized by the MFO pathway. Because of its low chemical reactivity, DCM is unlikely to be directly involved in carcinogenesis. Consequently, metabolism of DCM by GST appears to be important in carcinogenesis. The PB-PK model was used to estimate target doses of presumed toxic chemical species in humans exposed to DCM by inhalation or by drinking water. Target tissue doses in humans exposed to low concentrations of DCM are 140- to 170-fold lower (inhalation) or 50- to 210-fold lower (drinking water) than would be expected from the linear extrapolation and body surface area factors which have been used in conventional risk assessment methods (D. V. Singh, H. L. Spitzer, and P. D. White (1985). Addendum to the Health Assessment Document for Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride). EPA/600/8-82/004F). The PB-BK analysis thus suggests that conventional risk analyses greatly overestimate the risk in humans exposed to low concentrations of DCM. PB-PK considerations provide a scientific basis for risk assessment, improve experimental design in chronic studies, and structure collection of quantitative metabolic constants required for risk assessment.
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            As part of our investigation into mutagenic effects of environmental compounds, we studied chemicals allowed as ingredients of cosmetics according to the guidelines of the Council of the European Communities (27 July 1976). We used three systems, the Salmonella/microsome test, the Basc test on Drosophila and the micronucleus test on mouse bone marrow. Of the 31 chemicals tested, 15 were mutagenic in the Ames test; and of these, 5 were also mutagenic in the Basc test and 2 in the micronucleus test.
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              Metabolism of inhaled dihalomethanes in vivo: differentiation of kinetic constants for two independent pathways.

              Dihalomethanes are metabolized by two major pathways: an oxidative, cytochrome P-450-mediated pathway that has been previously thought to yield only CO, and a glutathione (GSH)-dependent one that yields CO2. Both give 2 mol of halide ion. We studied the kinetic properties of the two pathways in vivo by exposing male rats to various inhaled concentrations of CH2Cl2,CH2F2, CH2FCl, CH2BrCl, and CH2Br2 and determining end-exposure carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) and plasma bromide (where appropriate). Closed atmosphere gas uptake studies were employed for CH2F2, CH2FCl, CH2Cl2, and CH2BrCl metabolism. A physiologically based kinetic model was used to determine kinetic constants based on gas uptake or plasma bromide data and these constants were used to predict HbCO concentrations. Oxidation was high affinity, low capacity. The maximum metabolic rates for this pathway with CH2Br2, CH2BrCl, and CH2Cl2 were, respectively, 72, 54, and 47 mumol metabolized/kg/hr. CH2FCl did not undergo significant oxidative metabolism and appears more like CH3C1 than a dihalomethane in its metabolic reactivity. The GSH pathway was low affinity, but high capacity and could be described as a single first-order process at all accessible exposure concentrations. The rate constant for this first-order GSH-dependent pathway was related as CH2BrCl greater than CH2Cl2 congruent to CH2FCl greater than CH2Br2 greater than CH2F2. Presumably bromide is a preferred leaving group but steric hindrance in the initial reaction with GSH is important with CH2Br2. We also studied the effects of pyrazole (which inhibits microsomal oxidation) and 2,3-epoxypropanol (which depletes GSH) on dihalomethane metabolism. Pyrazole abolished CO production from CH2Br2, CH2BrCl, and CH2Cl2. GSH depletion did not change the yield of halide ion from the high-affinity pathway; it did increase the steady-state HbCO concentrations with CH2Cl2 and CH2ClBr, but not with CH2Br2. The putative formyl chloride (FC) intermediate from CH2Cl2 or CH2BrCl appears to have a longer life than the formyl bromide from CH2Br2 and a significant portion of the FC (congruent to 20-30%) may react with other cellular nucleophiles instead of spontaneously decomposing to CO. This portion of the oxidative pathway probably yields CO2.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Environ Health Perspect
                Environ. Health Perspect
                EHP
                Environmental Health Perspectives
                NLM-Export
                0091-6765
                1552-9924
                17 October 2014
                February 2015
                : 123
                : 2
                : 114-119
                Affiliations
                [1]National Center for Environmental Assessment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
                Author notes
                Address correspondence to G.S. Cooper, National Center for Environmental Assessment (8601-P), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460 USA. Telephone: (703) 347-8636. E-mail: Cooper.Glinda@ 123456epa.gov
                Article
                ehp.1308030
                10.1289/ehp.1308030
                4314245
                25325283
                45911fea-24d5-41e7-9937-6d2cf40e7003

                Publication of EHP lies in the public domain and is therefore without copyright. All text from EHP may be reprinted freely. Use of materials published in EHP should be acknowledged (for example, “Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health Perspectives”); pertinent reference information should be provided for the article from which the material was reproduced. Articles from EHP, especially the News section, may contain photographs or illustrations copyrighted by other commercial organizations or individuals that may not be used without obtaining prior approval from the holder of the copyright.

                History
                : 18 December 2013
                : 16 October 2014
                : 17 October 2014
                : 01 February 2015
                Categories
                Commentary

                Public health
                Public health

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