Ethylene dibromide Disulfiram

Disulfiram Ethylene dibromide Liver Kidney Splean Wong et al.,1982... 

Disulfiram is the generic name for Antabuse, a drug used in the treatment of chronic alcoholism. Disulfiram potentiates the toxic and carcinogenic effects of 1,2-dibromoethane in experimental animals. Presumably, this occurs by blocking conversion of the aldehyde metabolite as with acetaldehyde from ethanol. There is no evidence that similar effects occur in humans. Based on animal data, however, Ayerst Laboratories, producers of Antabuse (disulfiram), recommended the following in the package insert "Patients taking Antabuse tablets should not be exposed to ethylene dibromide or its vapors" (PDR 1991). 

Elliott BM, Ashby J. 1980. Ethylene dibromide and disulfiram Studies in vivo and in vitro on the mechanism of the observed synergistic carcinogenic response. Carcinogenesis 1 1049-1058. 

Ethyiene dibromide Do not expose patients to ethylene dibromide or its vapors. This precaution is based on preliminary results of animal research which suggest a toxic interaction between inhaled ethylene dibromide and ingested disulfiram results in a higher incidence of tumors and mortality in rats. 

In addition to its powerful synergistic action with alcohol by the inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase, Disulfiram exerts an equally strong synergistic toxic effect in the presence of ethylene dibromide (EDB, ref. 179) Laboratory rats exposed to 20 ppm EDB (inhalation)... 

Dietary pretreatment with DDT decreased the incidence of mammary tumors induced by dimethyl benzanthracene (21). Carcinogenicity of ethylene dibromide has been shown (18) to be increased by exposure to disulfiram. Induction of lung benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase by carbaryl paralleled an Increase in lung tumors induced by benzo(a)pyrene (19). In the same experiments, pretreatment with toxaphene decreased the incidence of lung adenomas (19) and this correlated with the inhibition of lung benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase. 

Research conducted to establish the occupational safety of exposure to ethylene dibromide found that the ineidence of malignant tumours in rats exposed to 20 ppm ethylene dibromide (7 hours daily, 5 days weekly), while receiving a diet containing 0.05% disulfiram by weight, is very high indeed. The reasons are not understood. In addition to the precautions needed to protect workers from the toxie effects of ethylene dibromide, it has been strongly recommended that disulfiram should not be given to those who may be exposed to this compound. This information is also summarised in another report. ... 

Plotnick HB (1978) Carcinogenesis in rats of combined ethylene dibromide and disulfiram. JAMA 239 1609 Plotnick H, Birmingham DJ (1993) Disulfiram alcohol facial flush in rubber industry (abstract). Proceedings of the American Contact Dermatitis Society Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C. p 11... 

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