IPCS INCHEM Home


    FAO/PL:1967/M/11/1
    WHO/Food Add./68.30

    1967 EVALUATIONS OF SOME PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN FOOD

    THE MONOGRAPHS

    The content of this document is the result of the deliberations of the
    Joint Meeting of the FAO Working Party of Experts and the WHO Expert
    Committee on Pesticide Residues, which met in Rome, 4 - 11 December,
    1967. (FAO/WHO, 1968)

    FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
    WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
    Rome, 1968

    CARBON DISULFIDE

    This pesticide was evaluated for acceptable daily intake by the 1965
    Joint Meeting of the FAO Committee on Pesticides in Agriculture and
    the WHO Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues (FAO/WHO, 1965). Since
    no additional information on the toxicology of this compound has
    become available, the following monograph addendum is confined to
    evaluation for tolerances and a review of methods of analysis.

    EVALUATION FOR TOLERANCES

    USE PATTERN

    Post-harvest treatments

    Carbon disulfide is used as a fumigant to control insects in stored
    bulk grain, bagged grain, dry beans and peas, oilcake and potatoes. It
    is generally used with carbon tetrachloride (with or without ethylene
    dibromide) and in poured on the surface of the grain or in a shallow
    dish on top of the grain in silos and bins.

    The application rates are variable depending upon the type of
    commodity, storage facilities and the temperature.

    RESIDUES RESULTING FROM SUPERVISED TRIALS

    In wheat, 5.8 ppm carbon disulfide was found 5 days after fumigation
    treated at the rate of 275 ml/1000 kg, with a carbon disulfide-carbon
    tetrachloride mixture (20 : 80 per cent by vol) and 13.0 ppm after
    treatment at the rate of 825 ml/1000 kg with the same mixture (Keppel
    and Munsey, 1957). In another experiment the whole wheat, before
    cleaning, contained 1.1 and 1.9 ppm carbon disulfide (5 days after
    fumigation at the two rates mentioned above) and 0.5 and 0.7
    respectively after cleaning and tempering (untreated wheat, before
    cleaning contained 0.6 ppm and after cleaning 0.4 ppm). A residue
    study in commercially fumigated grain (33 samples of wheat, 13 samples
    of corn, 9 of rough rice, 5 of oats and 4 of grain sorghum) showed
    maximum residues in wheat, presumably sampled before any turning, of
    3.7 ppm of carbon disulfide 5 months after fumigation. Maximum
    residues in corn, rough rice, oats and grain sorghum were all lower
    than those in wheat (Lynn and Vorhes, 1957).

    FATE OF RESIDUES

    In storage and processing

    Milling

    Straight flour, shorts and bran milled from wheat containing 5.8 ppm
    carbon disulfide, contained 6.0, 5.9 and 8.3 ppm carbon disulfide
    respectively, and from wheat containing 13.0 ppm, 0.7, 3.4 and 1.6 ppm
    respectively.

    A part of the study mentioned above indicates that in practice the
    loss of residues during the cleaning and tempering process before
    milling will range upwards to 70 per cent at high initial residue
    levels. Only traces of the residue will carry through into the flour.

    In flour, shorts, bran and germ (untreated samples contained 0.4, 0.4,
    0.4 and 0.3 ppm carbon disulfide respectively), milled from wheat
    containing 1.1 ppm residues of 0.5, 0.5, 0.5 and 0.5 ppm respectively
    wore found, and from wheat containing 1.9 ppm, 0.5, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.4
    ppm respectively (Lynn and Vorhes, 1957).

    Baking

    Carbon disulfide added at the rate of 10.6 and 7.0 ppm to commercial
    bakers' flour and bread bases respectively, approximately 10 times the
    maximum levels found in flour after normal fumigation, resulted in
    residues in the baked bread of 0.5 ppm (Munsey et al., 1957).

    Cooking

    Quick-cooking rolled oats, treated with 10.4 ppm carbon disulfide,
    after cooking for one minute, resulted in average residues of 1.2 ppm,
    thus loss in cooking was 88 per cent. It is unlikely that any
    measurable amount of carbon disulfide would be left in cooked
    commercial rolled oats which had hem treated at normal dosages (Munsey
    et al., 1957).

    Comments

    From the available data it appears that initial residues are fairly
    high and that these residues decrease up to 70 per cent during
    cleaning and processing. During baking and cooking much of the
    remaining residue disappears.

    METHODS OF RESIDUE ANALYSIS

    Martens and Nangniot (1963) refer to a polarographic method originally
    developed by Zuman. The method is suitable for determination of carbon
    disulfide residues in foodstuffs up to a concentration of 2 × 10-4M.
    Berck developed a gas chromatographic method suitable for
    determination of carbon disulfide alone and a multidetection method
    for microgram amounts of 34 fumigant gases (Berck, 1965).

    Bielorai and Alumot (1966) developed an electron-capture gas
    chromatographic method for determination of residual fumigants in
    cereal grains.

    NATIONAL TOLERANCES

                                                                    
    Country                Tolerance, ppm        Crop
                                                                    

    Bulgaria                    0 ppm            Cereals

    Brazil                     exempt            Cereals

    India                      exempt            Cereals

    Netherlands                 0 ppm            Grains

    U.S.A. (established)       exempt            Barley, oats, corn
                                                 popcorn, rice, rye,
                                                 sorghum (milo), wheat.
                                                                    

    RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TOLERANCES

    None recommended because of lack of recommendation for an acceptable
    daily intake (FAO/WHO, 1965).

    FURTHER WORK

    Further work required before acceptable daily intakes and tolerances
    can be recommended.

    It the use of carbon disulfide for the fumigation of certain types of
    food proved to be essential, then research would have to be carried
    out :

    1.   on the nature and quantity of the residues present in the treated
         food.

    2.   on the long-term effects in at least two animal species of carbon
         disulfide and the products to which it may give rise by reaction
         with the protein constituents of food.

    REFERENCES PERTINENT TO EVALUATION FOR TOLERANCES

    Berck, B. (1965) Determination of fumigant gases by gas
    chromatography. J. Agr. Food Chem. 13: 373-377.

    Bielorai, R., Alumot, E. (1966) Determination of residues of a
    fumigant nature in cereal grain by electron-capture gas
    chromatography. Jour. Agr. Food Chem. 14: 622-625.

    FAO/WHO. (1965) Evaluation of the hazards to consumers resulting from
    the use of fumigants in the protection of food. FAO Mtg. Rpt.
    PL/1964/10/2; WHO/Food Add./28.65.

    Keppell, G.E., Munsey, V.E. (1957) A second adaptation of Lowen's
    dithiocarbamate method. Jour. Assoc. Off. Agr. Chem. 40 : 171-174.

    Lynn, G.E., Vorhes, F.A. (1957) Symposium: Residues in food and foods
    resulting from fumigation of grains with the commoner liquid
    formulations of carbon disulfide, carbon tetrachloride, ethylene
    dichloride and ethylene dibromide. Jour. Assoc. Off. Agr. Chem. 40:
    163-209.

    Martens, P.H., Nangniot, P. (1963) La détermination de résidus
    d'insecticides et de fongicides par la méthode polarographique.
    Residue Rev. 2: 26-50.

    Munsey, V.E., Mills, P.A., Klein, A.K. (1957) Effect of cooking on
    fumigant residues. Jour. Assoc. Off. Agr. Chem. 40: 201-202.
    


    See Also:
       Toxicological Abbreviations
       Carbon disulfide (EHC 10, 1979)
       Carbon disulfide (ICSC)
       Carbon disulfide (PIM 102)
       Carbon disulfide (FAO Meeting Report PL/1965/10/2)
       Carbon disulfide (FAO/PL:1968/M/9/1)
       Carbon disulfide (WHO Pesticide Residues Series 1)
       Carbon Disulfide (CICADS 46, 2002)