Summary
When rats were exposed for 30 min to methacrylonitrile at concentrations between 3180 and 5700 ppm, the clinical symptoms observed suggested a toxic activity of metabolically formed cyanide. This is in contrast to the signs of toxicity observed in the same species after inhalation of acrylonitrile where metabolic cyanide formation plays only a minor role. The acute toxicity of methacrylonitrile could be antagonized with cyanide antidotes (4-dimethylaminophenol plus sodium thiosulfate) as well as with N-acetyl-cysteine which directly reacts with α,β-unsaturated nitriles.
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References
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Peter, H., Bolt, H.M. Effect of antidotes of the acute toxicity of methacrylonitrile. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 55, 175–177 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378380
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00378380