&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Technical Fact Sheet -
N-Nitroso-dimethylamine
(NDMA)
May 2012
TECHNICAL FACT SHEET- NDMA
At a Glance
* Yellow liquid with no distinct color.
* Formerly used in the production of
rocket fuel, antioxidants, and
softeners for copolymers. Currently
used only for research.
* Unintended byproduct of
chlorination of wastewater at
wastewater treatment plants that
use chloramines for disinfection,
causing significant concern as a
drinking water contaminant.
* Highly mobile in soil, with potential
to leach into ground water.
* Oral route is the primary human
exposure pathway.
* Classified as a B2 carcinogen,
reasonably anticipated to be a
human carcinogen.
* Listed as a priority pollutant by
EPA, but no federal standards have
been established for drinking water.
* Detection methods include solid
phase extraction, gas
chromatography, and liquid
chromatography.
* Most common treatment method is
via photolysis by ultraviolet
radiation ranging in wavelength
from 225 to 250 nanometers.
Potential for aerobic and anaerobic
biodegradation also exists.
Introduction
This fact sheet, developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO),
provides a brief summary of the contaminant N-Nitrosodimethylamine
(NDMA), including physical and chemical properties; environmental and
health impacts; existing federal and state guidelines; detection and
treatment methods; and additional sources of information.
NDMA is a drinking water contaminant that is of interest to the
environmental community because of its miscibility with water, as well as
its carcinogenicity and toxicity. This fact sheet is intended for use by site
managers and other field personnel who may address NDMA
contamination at cleanup sites or in drinking water supplies.
»> NDMA is a semivolatile organic chemical that is currently on the U.S.
Department of Defense (DoD) Emerging Contaminant Watch List
(Yaroschak 2006).
»> Synonyms include dimethylnitrosamine (DMNA),
nitrosodimethylamine, N-methyl-N-nitrosomethanamine, and N,N-
dimethylnitrosamine (EPA IRIS 1993).
»> NDMA is not currently produced in pure form or commercially used,
except for research. It was formerly used in production of liquid
rocket fuel, antioxidants, and softeners for copolymers (ATSDR
1999; HSDB 2011).
»> NDMA can be produced and released from industrial sources
through chemical reactions, such as those that involve alkylamines
with nitrogen oxides, nitrous acid, or nitrite salts. Potential industrial
sources include byproducts from tanneries, pesticide and rocket fuel
manufacturing plants, rubber and tire manufacturers, alkylamine
manufacture and use sites, fish processing facilities, foundries, and
dye manufacturers (ATSDR 1989).
»> NDMA is also an unintended byproduct of the chlorination of
wastewater and drinking water at treatment plants that use
chloramines for disinfection (Bradley et al. 2005; Mitch et al. 2003).
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response (5106P)
1
EPA 505-F-11-006
May 2012
-------
Technical Fact Sheet - NDMA
Exhibit 1: Physical and Chemical Properties of NDMA
(ATSDR1999)
Property
CAS Number
Physical Description (physical state at room temperature)
Molecular weight (g/mol)
Water solubility (g/L at 25°C)
Boiling point (°C)
Specific gravity (g/mL)
Vapor pressure at 25°C (mm Hg)
Organic carbon partition coefficient (log Koc)
Octanol-water partition coefficient (log Kow)
Henry's Law Constant (atm m3/mol)
Value/Description
62-75-9
Yellow liquid with no distinct odor
74.08
Miscible
154
1.0059
2.7
1.07
-0.57
2.63 x10'7
Notes: g/mol - grams per mole; g/L - grams per liter; °C - degrees Celsius;
atm m3/mol - atmosphere-cubic meters per mole.
g/mL - grams per milliliter; mm Hg - millimeters of mercury;
What are the environmental impacts of NDMA?
NDMA contamination may be found in air, soil,
and water (ATSDR 1989).
When released to the air, NDMA is broken down
quickly by sunlight (ATSDR 1999).
When released to soil, NDMA can be highly
mobile and has the potential to leach into ground
water (ATSDR 1999; HSDB 2011).
In water, NDMA is completely miscible and does
not sorb onto solid particles or sediment (HSDB
2011).
NDMA has been found at high concentrations
(3,000 nanograms per liter [ng/L]) in ground
water near rocket engine testing facilities and
also downgradient of drinking water wells,
especially in locations where wastewater
treatment plant effluent was used for aquifer
recharge (Mitch et al. 2003).
What are the health effects of NDMA?
NDMA exposure may occur through (1)
ingesting food that contains nitrosamines, such
as smoked or cured meats and fish; (2) drinking
beer; (3) drinking contaminated water; and (4)
breathing or inhaling cigarette smoke.
Workplace exposure can occur at tanneries,
pesticide and rocket fuel manufacturing plants,
and rubber and tire plants (ATSDR 1989).
The oral route is the primary human exposure
pathway for NDMA (CAL/EPA 2006).
Exposure to high levels of NDMA may cause
liver damage in humans. Symptoms of
overexposure include headache, fever, nausea,
jaundice, vomiting, and dizziness (ATSDR 1999;
HSDB 2011).
NDMA is classified as a B2 carcinogen -
reasonably anticipated to be a human
carcinogen (ATSDR 1999; DHHS2011; EPA
IRIS 1993).
Are there any federal and state guidelines and health standards for NDMA?
Drinking Water Standards and Guidelines:
• Although NDMA is listed as a priority
pollutant in the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) (40 CFR 136.36), no federal
maximum contaminant level (MCL) has
been established for drinking water. An MCL
is not necessary to determine cleanup
levels.
California has established a public health
goal of 3 nanograms per liter (ng/L) in
drinking water, based on a 1 in 10" lifetime
excess cancer risk (CAL/EPA 2006).
-------
Technical Fact Sheet - NDMA
Are there any federal and state guidelines and health standards
for NDMA? (continued)
• EPA established a cleanup level of 0.7 ng/L
for NDMA in ground water at a Superfund
site in California, based on a 1 in 10~6
lifetime excess cancer risk in drinking water
(EPA 2001).
• EPA has calculated 0.42 ng/L as the non-
enforceable screening level for NDMA in tap
water, based on a 1 in 10"6 lifetime excess
cancer risk (EPA 2011).
Workplace Exposure Limits:
• Although no permissible exposure limits
(PEL) or other occupational exposure limits
have been established by the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),
the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH), or the American
Conference of Industrial Hygienists
(ACGIH), NDMA is regulated along with 13
other chemicals as a "potential occupational
carcinogen" (OSHA 2006).
OSHA regulations promulgated in 29 CFR
1910.1003 and 29 CFR 1910.1116 state that
exposure by all routes to NDMA should be
reduced to the lowest possible levels.
What detection and site characterization methods are available for NDMA?
For drinking water, EPA Method 521 uses solid
phase extraction (SPE) and capillary column gas
chromatography (GC) with large-volume
injection and chemical ionization tandem mass
spectroscopy (MS) (Munch and Bassett 2004).
Forwastewater, EPA Method 607 uses
methylene chloride extraction, GC, and a
nitrogen-phosphorus detector (EPA 2002).
Forwastewater, EPA Method 1625 uses isotope
dilution, GC and MS (EPA 2002).
An analytical method has also been developed
specifically for NDMA precursors such as
alkylamines in waste orwastewater (Mitch,
Gerecke, and Sedlak 2003).
A recently developed method using liquid
chromatography tandem MS (LC/MS/MS)
detects both thermally stable and unstable
nitrosamines (Zhao et al. 2006).
What technologies are being used to treat NDMA?
The most common method to treat NDMA in
drinking water systems is photolysis by
ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the wavelength
range of 225 to 250 nanometers (nm). This
treatment cleaves the N-N bond, yielding nitrite
and small quantities of dimethylamine (Mitch et
al. 2003).
Biological treatment, microfiltration, and reverse
osmosis treatment may be used to remove
NDMA precursors from wastewater before
chlorination (Mitch et al. 2003).
Recent studies have shown that aerobic and
anaerobic biodegradation of NDMA in water may
be possible (Bradley et al. 2005).
Where can I find more information about NDMA?
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 1989. "Toxicological Profile
for n-Nitrosodimethylamine."
www.atsdr.cdc.qov/toxprofiles/tp141.pdf
Bradley, P.M., S.A. Carr, R.B.Baird, and F.H.
Chappelle. 2005. "Biodegradation of N-
nitrosodimethylamine in soil from a water
reclamation facility." Bioremediation Journal.
Volume 9. Pages 115 to 120.
-------
Technical Fact Sheet - NDMA
Where can I find more information about NDMA? (continued)
* ATSDR. 1999. ToxFAQs - N-
Nitrosodimethylamine. www.atsdr.cdc.gov/
toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=883&tid=173
»> California Environmental Protection Agency
(Cal/EPA). Office of Environmental Health
Hazard Assessment. 2006. Public Health Goals
for Chemicals in Drinking Water - N-
Nitrosodimethylamine.
•:« Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). 2001. Title
40, Chapter 1, Part 136.36. July 1 edition.
•:« Hazardous Substance Data Bank (HSDB). 2011.
Information generated for N-
Nitrosodimethylamine on November 4.
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov.
•:« Mitch, W.A., A.C. Gerecke, and D.L. Sedlak.
2003. "A N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)
precursor analysis for chlorination of water and
wastewater." Water Research. Volume 37.
Pages 3733 to 3741.
* Mitch, W.A., J.O. Sharp, R.R. Trussell, R.L.
Valentine, L. Alvarez-Cohen, and D.L. Sedlack.
2003. "N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) as a
Drinking Water Contaminant: A Review."
Environmental Engineering Science. Volume 20
(5). Pages 389 to 404.
»> Munch, J.W. and M.V. Bassett. September
2004. "U.S. EPA Method 521: Determination of
Nitrosoamines in Drinking Water by Solid Phase
Extraction (SPE) and Capillary Column Gas
Chromatography with Large Volume Injection
and Chemical lonization Tandem Mass
Spectrometry (MS/MS)." Version 1.0. National
Exposure Research Laboratory, Cincinnati,
Ohio. EPA 600-R-05-054.
»> Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA). 2006. Chemical Sampling Information -
N-Nitrosodimethylamine.
www.osha.gov/dts/chemicalsampling/data/CH 2
58000.html.
Contact Information
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS). 2011. Report on Carcinogens. Public
Health Service, National Toxicology Program.
12th edition.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
2001. "Record of Decision for the Western
Ground Water Operable Unit OU-3, Aerojet
Sacramento Site."
EPA. 2002. Methods for Organic Chemicals
Analysis. In: Guidelines Establishing Test
Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants Under
the Clean Water Act; National Primary Drinking
Water Regulations; and National Secondary
Drinking Water Regulations; Methods Update;
Final Rule.
EPA. 2011. Regions 3,6, and 9. Regional
Screening Levels Table.
www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/risk/human/index.htm
EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS).
1993. "N-Nitrosodimethylamine; CASRN 62-75-
9." www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0045.htm.
Yaroschak, P. 2006. "Emerging Contaminants-
The New Frontier." Presentation at the
December 2006 Federal Remediation
Technologies Roundtable (FRTR) Meeting.
www.frtr.gov/pdf/meetings/dec06/yaroschak120
606.pdf
Zhao, Y-Y., J. Boyd, S.E. Hrudey, and X-F. Li.
2006. "Characterization of New Nitrosoamines in
Drinking Water Using Liquid Chromatography
Tandem Mass Spectrometry." Environmental
Science & Technology. Volume 40. Pages 7636
to 7641.
If you have any questions or comments on this fact sheet, please contact: Mary Cooke, FFRRO, by phone at
(703) 603-8712 or by email at cooke.maryt@epa.gov.
------- |