Alkyl and aryl neoalkanamides: highly effective insect repellents.

Alkyl and aryl neoalkanamides with a total carbon number between 11 and 14, or within a molecular weight range between 185 and 227, were highly effective repellents of male German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.). Comparison with known repellents showed that members of this unique family of secondary amides are among the most effective and long-lasting repellents of cockroaches examined to date. In assays with females and nymphs of the German cockroach, male American cockroaches, Periplaneta americana (L.), and carpenter ant workers, Camponotus pennsylvanicus (De Geer) methyl neodecanamide, propyl neodecanamide, and methyl neotridecanamide were found highly repellent. Because of their broad spectrum of activity, longevity, and safety, these compounds, along with several other members of this family, have important applications as repellents of nuisance pests and of arthropods of public health importance.

Cinnamic aldehyde: a survey of consumer patch-test sensitization.

The potential for cinnamic aldehyde, an important fragrance and flavour ingredient, to induce or to elicit delayed contact hypersensitivity reactions in man was evaluated by analysing patch-test data. Results of studies involving a total of 4117 patch tests on various consumer products and fragrance blends containing cinnamic aldehyde and on the material itself were collected from fragrance and formulator companies. The data indicate that cinnamic aldehyde contained in consumer products and fragrance blends at concentrations up to 6 X 10(-1)%, and patch-tested at concentrations up to 8 X 10(-3)%, has no detectable potential to induce hypersensitivity. Cinnamic aldehyde when tested alone induced a dose-related hypersensitivity response. According to published reports, cinnamic aldehyde elicited positive delayed hypersensitivity responses in dermatitic patients. However, results of the current survey show that when cinnamic aldehyde was tested alone or as part of a mixture in subjects in the general population, no pre-existing hypersensitivity reactions to the fragrance material were observed in any of the 4117 patch tests which constituted the survey. Cinnamic aldehyde at the concentrations contained in consumer products and fragrances, has a very low potential to induce hypersensitivity ('induced' reactions) or to elicit sensitization reactions ('elicited' reactions) in the general population.

Isoeugenol: a survey of consumer patch-test sensitization.

The potential of isoeugenol, an important fragrance and flavour ingredient, to induce delayed contact hypersensitivity or to elicit pre-existing sensitization reactions in man was evaluated by analysing patch-test data from dermatitic and non-dermatitic subjects. Results from a total of 6512 patch tests (involving approximately 5850 subjects) on isoeugenol alone and on various consumer products and fragrance blends containing isoeugenol, were collected from fragrance and formulator companies. Hypersensitivity induced by isoeugenol was concentration dependent. All but two of the reactions occurring in this survey were at exposure concentrations greater than or equal to 0.8% isoeugenol. No induced reactions occurred in the 1004 patch tests reported at isoeugenol concentrations between 0.03 and 0.5%. One induced reaction in 32 patch tests was attributable to isoeugenol at a concentration of 0.02% while another induced reaction in 23 patch tests conducted at the same concentration was resolved to an isoeugenol-eugenol mixture. One elicited reaction at an isoeugenol concentration of 0.04% occurred in the 6512 patch tests reported in this survey. This single elicitation was resolved to an isoeugenol-eugenol mixture, but the specific causative agent was not identified. The results of this survey indicate that isoeugenol has a very low potential for either eliciting pre-existing sensitization reactions ('elicited' reactions) or inducing hypersensitivity ('induced' reactions) in subjects exposed to consumer products containing this ingredient.

Eugenol and clove leaf oil: a survey of consumer patch-test sensitization.

The potential of eugenol and of clove leaf oil, which contains a high concentration of eugenol, to induce delayed skin hypersensitivity or to elicit reactions due to pre-existing skin sensitization in man was evaluated by analysing patch-test data. Results from a total of 11,632 patch tests on eugenol itself, on various consumer products containing eugenol and/or clove leaf oil, and on fragrance blends containing eugenol and/or clove leaf oil were collected from fragrance and formulation companies. One instance of induced hypersensitivity and one instance of pre-existing sensitization were observed at eugenol patch-test concentrations of 5 X 10(-2) and 9 X 10(-2)% respectively. In both cases, subsequent patch testing showed skin responses to mixtures of eugenol and isoeugenol, but no further attempt was made to define the causative agent. The survey indicates that, at the concentrations present in consumer products, eugenol alone or as part of clove leaf oil has a very low potential either to elicit pre-existing sensitization ('elicited' reactions) or to induce hypersensitivity ('induced' reactions).

Benzyl salicylate: a survey of consumer patch-test sensitization.

The potential of benzyl salicylate, an important fragrance and flavour ingredient, to induce hypersensitivity or to elicit reactions to pre-existing hypersensitivity in the general population was evaluated by analysing patch-test data. Results obtained from fragrance and formulator companies for a total of 10,538 patch tests on benzyl salicylate alone, on a variety of household and personal care consumer products and on fragrance blends containing benzyl salicylate were analysed as part of this survey. No induced or elicited responses directly attributable to benzyl salicylate were observed in the 35 patch tests on benzyl salicylate alone, or in the 10,503 patch tests on consumer products or fragrance blends containing benzyl salicylate. The highest concentration of benzyl salicylate tested in the consumer-product tests was 2 X 10(-1)%, and benzyl salicylate alone was tested at 10% in ethanol. This study indicates that benzyl salicylate has a very low potential to induce hypersensitivity ('induced' reactions) or to elicit reactions presumably attributable to pre-existing sensitization ('elicited' reactions) and thus supports the safe use of benzyl salicylate in consumer products and fragrance blends.

Quantitative analysis of tribromsalan in blood and urine.

Tribromsalan can be quantitatively measured in whole blood and urine by a technique involving extraction with ethyl acetate, treatment with silica gel, separation by TLC, and quantitative measurement by fluorescent spectrophotometry. This method has a sensitivity down to 125 ng (25 ppb in 5.0 ml of sample) of free tribromsalan and shows an average 90% recovery of tribromsalan in blood and urine with standard deviations of 9.7 and 7.4%, respectively.

Quantitative analysis of triclocarban in blood.

A method is presented for quantitatively determining triclocarban in blood. Triclocarban is extracted from blood with ether, isolated by TLC, and measured through its UV absorption at 265 nm in methanol. This method is sensitive to 250 ng (50 ppb in 5 ml of blood) of free triclocarban with a relative standard deviation of 5.2%, correlated with a radiotracer analysis of 14C-labeled triclocarban. It has been applied successfully to the analysis of triclocarban in human and rabbit blood.