1. Exposure Data

1.1. Chemical and physical data

1.1.1. Nomenclature

• Chem. Abst. Serv. Reg. No.: 75-55-8
• Systematic name: 2-Methylaziridine
• Synonym: Propylene-1,2-imine

1.1.2. Structural and molecular formulae and relative molecular mass

1.1.3. Physical properties (for details, see IARC, 1975)

• (a) Melting-point: −65°C
• (b) Boiling-point: 66–67°C
• (c) Conversion factor: mg/m³ = 2.34 × ppm

2. Studies of Cancer in Humans

No data were available to the Working Group.

3. Studies of Cancer in Experimental Animals

2-Methylaziridine was administered to male and female rats by gavage at doses of 0, 10 and 20 mg/kg bw. Treatment-related toxicity was found at both doses and increased mortality was seen at the high dose, which was discontinued after 28 weeks. Animals were killed at week 60. The treatment produced mammary adenocarcinomas in females at both doses, gliomas in both sexes at both doses, squamous-cell carcinomas of the ear duct in both sexes, leukaemia in males and a small number of intestinal tumours in males (IARC, 1975; Weisburger et al., 1981).

4. Other Data Relevant to an Evaluation of Carcinogenicity and its Mechanisms

4.4. Genetic and related effects

4.4.1. Humans

No data were available to the Working Group.

4.4.2. Experimental systems (see Table 1 for references)

Table 1

Genetic and related effects of 2-methylaziridine.

2-Methylaziridine is mutagenic to bacteria and induces mitotic recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In Drosophila melanogaster, it induced somatic mutations of several different types in feeding experiments and sex-linked recessive lethal mutations in an inhalation experiment using repair-deficient genotype of D. melanogaster. While transformation was not induced in mouse C3H 10T½ cells when the standard assay was used, transformed colonies did arise if the treated cells were replated.

5. Evaluation

No epidemiological data relevant to the carcinogenicity of 2-methylaziridine were available.

There is sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity in experimental animals of 2-methylaziridine.

6. References

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