Daminozide facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Daminozide |
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Preferred IUPAC name
4-(2,2-Dimethylhydrazin-1-yl)-4-oxobutanoic acid
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| Other names | N-(Dimethylamino)succinamic acid; Butanedioic acid mono (2,2-dimethyl hydrazine); Succinic acid 2,2-dimethyl hydrazide |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | |
| PubChem | |
| EC number | 216-485-9 |
| KEGG | C10996 |
| MeSH | |
| RTECS number | WM9625000 |
| SMILES | CN(C)NC(=O)CCC(O)=O |
| Beilstein Reference | 1863230 |
| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | |
| Molar mass | 0 g mol-1 |
| Appearance | White crystals |
| Melting point | |
| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) | |
Daminozide, also known as Alar, is a special chemical that helps plants grow. It was sprayed on fruits like apples to make them ripen better, look redder, and stay firm. It also helped stop apples from falling off trees too early.
This chemical was first approved for use in the U.S. in 1963. It was mainly used on apples. It was also used on cherries, peaches, pears, grapes, tomato plants, and peanut vines. However, in 1989, the company that made Alar stopped selling it for food use in the U.S. This happened because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was worried it might cause cancer.
Contents
What is Daminozide?
Daminozide is a white, solid chemical that can dissolve in water. It is known as a plant growth regulator. This means it helps control how plants grow and develop.
When daminozide is sprayed on fruit trees, it helps with many things:
- It affects when flower buds start to form.
- It helps fruits set properly.
- It makes fruits firmer and gives them better color.
- It stops fruits from dropping off the tree before they are ready to be picked.
All these effects make it easier to harvest fruits. They also help fruits stay fresh and good quality during storage.
How Daminozide Works and Its Effects
When people or animals eat fruit with daminozide on it, the chemical breaks down inside their bodies. It turns into two simpler chemicals:
- Succinic acid: This is a harmless substance that is naturally found in living things.
- 1,1-dimethylhydrazine (UDMH): This chemical has been studied for a long time. Some studies have linked it to cancer in animals.
This breakdown into UDMH can also happen when the chemical stays on stored fruit, especially if the fruit is kept at warmer temperatures or for a long time.
Because of concerns about UDMH, the EPA made it illegal to use daminozide on food crops in the U.S. in 1989. However, it can still be used on plants that are not eaten, like ornamental plants.
The Campaign to Ban Alar in the U.S.
In 1985, the EPA looked into daminozide's effects. They thought about banning it for food crops because of possible health risks.
Later, in 1989, a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) raised serious concerns. This report suggested that young children who ate daminozide in amounts allowed by law might be at a very high risk of cancer. The report said that the risk for preschoolers could be much higher than what the EPA usually considers safe over a lifetime.
In February 1989, the TV show 60 Minutes broadcast a story about Alar. This story featured the NRDC report and highlighted the problems with the chemical. The news story caused many people to worry about eating apples.
Soon after, the EPA decided to ban Alar because they believed that long-term exposure to it could be harmful to public health. Even before the ban officially started, Uniroyal, the company that made Alar, agreed to stop selling it for food use in the U.S. This shows how much public concern and pressure from the 60 Minutes report affected the market.
Even though Alar was removed from the U.S. food market, it was still sold in other countries. However, as of 2022, daminozide is listed as "severely restricted" for export by the Export-Import Bank of the United States. This means it's harder to ship it to other countries.
After the Ban: Lawsuit and Different Views
After the 60 Minutes report, many apple growers in Washington state faced big financial losses. They believed the report had unfairly damaged their business. In 1990, these apple growers filed a lawsuit against CBS (the network that aired 60 Minutes) and the NRDC. They claimed that the report had unfairly hurt their product's reputation. However, a judge later ruled that the apple growers had not proven their case, and the lawsuit was dismissed.
Some groups, like the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), had a different view. They argued that daminozide and UDMH had not been proven to cause cancer. They pointed out that the amount of a substance matters when it comes to harm. They said it was wrong to call something "cancer-causing" based only on studies using very high doses in animals.
Current Understanding of Daminozide
Even today, there are different opinions about how safe daminozide is. Scientists have looked at many things, like how much risk there is from exposure early in life, and how the breakdown product UDMH affects health.
In 2005, the EPA still classified daminozide as a "probable human carcinogen." This means they believe it probably can cause cancer in humans. Also, in California, daminozide is listed as a known carcinogen under Prop 65. This law requires warnings about chemicals that can cause cancer or birth defects.
Images for kids
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Skeletal formula of daminozide
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Ball and skill formula of daminozide
