United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
4601
EPA811-F-95-003k-T
October 1995
National Primary Drinking
Water Regulations
Dinoseb
CHEMICAL/ PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
CAS NUMBER: 88-85-7
COLOR/ FORM/ODOR:
Yellow/orange crystals; pungent odor
M.P.: 38-42° C B.P.: N/A
VAPOR PRESSURE: 1 mm Hg at 151.1° C
OCTANOL/WATER PARTITION (Kow): N/A
DENSITY/SPEC. GRAV.: 1.26 at 45° C
SOLUBILITY: 0.052 g/L of water at 25° C;
tends to form salts which are highly
soluble in water
SOIL SORPTION COEFFICIENT:
Koc =124 (measured); high mobility in
soil
ODOR/TASTE THRESHOLDS: N/A
BlOCONCENTRATION FACTOR:
BCF = 68 (est.); not expected to
bioconcentrate in aquatic organisms.
HENRY'S LAW COEFFICIENT:
5.04x10-* atm-cu m/mole (est.)
TRADE NAMES/SYNONYMS:
2,4-dinitro-6-(1 -methyl-propyl) phenol;
Dinitrobutylphenol; Aatox; Chemox;
Gebutox; Knox-weed; Basantte; BNP
20; Butaphene; Dibutox; Dinitrall;
Dinitro; Desicoil; Dow Selective Weed
Killer; Hivertox; Ladob; Laseb;
Nitropone C; Dytop; Premerge; Hel-fife;
Caldon; Kiloseb; Sinox General;
Subitex.
DRINKING WATER STANDARDS
MCLG: 0.007 mg/L
MCL: 0.007 mg/L
HAL(child): 1 to 10 day: 0.3 mg/L
Longer-term: 0.01 mg/L
HEALTH EFFECTS SUMMARY
Acute: EPA has found dinoseb to potentially cause the
following health effects from acute exposures at levels
above the MCL: sweating, headache, mood changes.
Drinking water levels which are considered "safe" for
short-term exposures: For a 10-kg (22 Ib.) child consum-
ing 1 liter of water per day, a one- to ten- day exposure to
0.3 mg/L or tip to a 7-year exposure to 0.01 mg/L.
Chronic: Dinoseb has the potential to cause the
following health effects from long-term exposures at
levels above the MCL: decreased body and thyroid
weight, degeneration of testes; thickening of intestinal
lining.
Cancer: There is inadequate evidence to state whether
or not dinoseb has the potential to cause cancer from
lifetime exposure in drinking water.
\JSAGE PATTERNS
Dinoseb is a contact herbicide used as the ammonium
oramine salt for post-emergence weed control in cereals,
undersown cereals, seedling lucerne and peas.
Oil solutions of dinoseb are used for pre-emergence
control of annual weeds in beans, peas and potatoes, for
pre-harvest dessication of hops, leguminous seed crops,
potatoes and for control of runners and suckers in straw-
berries and raspberries.
Dinoseb is also used as a com yield enhancer and an
insecticide and miticide.
1982 production of dinoseb was reported as 6.2 million
Ibs., with consumption estimates as follows: as an herbi-
cide for soybeans, 32%; vegetable, 23%; deciduous
fruits and nuts, 11%; peanuts, 8%; citrus, 3%; grain
crops, 2%; other field crops, 6%; industrial/commercial
uses, 15%.
RELEASE PATTERNS
Release of dinoseb has resulted primarily from its use
as an herbicide on a variety of weeds.
Since dinoseb is not a listed chemical in the Toxics
Release Inventory, data on releases during its manufac-
ture and handling are not available.
ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
Dinoseb is expected to biodegrade in slowly and bind
weakly to soil. Therefore, leaching in soil is possible and
dinoseb has been detected in groundwater. However, it
may bind more strongly to clay soils, especially at acidic
pH. Photolytic degrdration of dinoseb from soil surface
may be important. Volatilization is not expected to be
significant. The laboratory-measured evaporation half-
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life for dinoseb from a soil surface was 26 days. In the
absence of volatilization, the half-life of dinoseb in the
vadose zone sandy loam soil was estimated to be about
100 days.
Dinoseb may photodegrade in surface water with a
half-life of 14-18 days. The estimated Henry's Law con-
stant of 5.04X10-4 atm cu m/mol suggests that volatiliza-
tion of dinoseb from water will be slow. It is unlikely to
undergo significant biodegradation in most natural wa-
ters. Volatilization from water is expected to be slow. .
The half-life for the reaction of vapor phase dinoseb
with photochemically generated hydroxyl radicals in the
atmosphere was estimated to be 14.1 days. Wet deposi-
tion may remove some of the compound from air.
Bioconcentration is expected to be insignificant. A
bioconcentration factor (BCF) of 68 for dinoseb was
estimated from its water solubility (50 mg/L).
Exposure to dinoseb in humans is expected to occur
primarily in workers using the herbicide.
OTHER REGULATORY INFORMATION
MONITORING:
FOR GROUND/SURFACE WATER SOURCES:
INITIAL FREQUENCY- 4 quarterly samples every 3 years
REPEAT FREQUENCY- If no detections during initial round:
2 quarterly per year if serving >3300 persons;
1 sample per 3 years for smaller systems
TRIGGERS - Return to Initial Freq. if detect at > 0.0002 mg/L
ANALYSIS:
REFERENCE SOURCE METHOD NUMBERS
EPA 600/4-88-039 515.1; 515.2; 555
TREATMENT:
BEST AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIES
Granular Activated Charcoal
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
* EPA can provide further regulatory and other general information:
• EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline - 800/426-4791
4 Other sources of lexicological and environmental fate data include:
• Toxic Substance Control Act Information Line - 202/554-1404
• Toxics Release Inventory, National Library of Medicine - 301/496-6531
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - 404/639-6000
• National Pesticide Hotline - 800/858-7378
October 1995
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