A simple environmentally friendly one-step synthetic procedure was developed for S- and N-methylcarbamoylation of amino acids their derivatives in buffered aqueous solutions. N-Succinimidyl N-methylcarbamate (SNMC) N,S-dimethylthiocarbamate (DMTC) were used as equivalents to replace highly hazardous methyl isocyanate (MIC). SNMC reacted rapidly both N-methylcarbamoylations affording nearly quan...

B6C3F1 mice were exposed by inhalation to 0, 3, 10, and 30 ppm methyl isocyanate for 2 hr followed by a 90-day recovery period. Sixteen of eighty (20%) male mice in the 30 ppm group died following exposure. There were no other unscheduled deaths in the mice. Five mice/sex/group were examined at 2 hr or at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, 49, or 91 days following exposure. Chemical-related changes were restrict...

Cell cycle comprises the vital mechanism exposed to environmental toxic chemicals resulting in imbalance of cell cycle and finally ends with cancer. Cancer is a multistage process, which involves a series of genetic alterations that begins with genomic instability provoked by certain factors such as DNA damage, deregulation of CDKs, cyclins and end with the development of cancer. Key transition...

On December 3 1984, more than 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, immediately killing at least 3,800 people and causing significant morbidity and premature death for many thousands more. The company involved in what became the worst industrial accident in history immediately tried to dissociate itself from legal responsibility. Eventually it reached ...

Chemical incidents such as the methylisocyanate release at Bhopal and the aluminium sulphate incident in Lowermoor, Cornwall, are uncommon. However, five chemical incidents occurred in Somerset in 12 months between 1990 and 1991, and District Health Authorities are required to have plans to deal with such events. A survey of the plans held by the Consultants in Communicable Disease Control in S...

In the two weeks immediately after the Bhopal disaster a community based survey was carried out in a series of eight exposed and two non-exposed clusters of households. The primary concern was the effect of the gas (subsequently identified as methyl isocyanate) on the eyes of the victims but data were also sought on respiratory status and the first symptoms of the exposure. No case of blindness...

the reaction between vinylene trithiocarbonate and chlorosulfonyl isocyanate proceeds by initial attack of thiocarbonyl on the isocyanate carbon.