ISOPROTURON

Isoproturon (CAS No. 34123-59-6) is a selective, systemic herbicide used in the control of annual grasses and broad-leaved weeds in cereals. It can be photodegraded, hydrolysed and biodegraded and persists for periods ranging from days to weeks. It is mobile in soil. There is evidence that exposure to this compound through food is low. Provisional guideline Value Occurrence 0.009 mg/litre Has been detected in surface water and groundwater, usually at concentrations below 0.1 g/litre; levels above 0.1 g/litre have occasionally been detected in drinking-water 3 g/kg of body weight based on a NOAEL of approximately 3 mg/kg of body weight in a 90-day study in dogs and a 2-year Feeding study in rats, with an uncertainty factor of 1000 (100 for inter- and intraspecies variation and 10 for evidence of non-genotoxic carcinogenicity in rats) 10100 ng/litre by reverse-phase HPLC followed by UV or electrochemical detection 0.1 g/litre should be achievable using ozonation 10% of TDI 60-kg adult 2 litres/day

TDI

Limit of detection Treatment achievability Guideline derivation allocation to water weight consumption

Toxicological review Isoproturon is of low acute toxicity and low to moderate toxicity following short- and long-term exposures. It does not possess significant genotoxic activity, but it causes marked enzyme induction and liver enlargement. Isoproturon caused an increase in hepatocellular tumours in male and female rats, but this was apparent only at doses that also caused liver toxicity. Isoproturon appears to be a tumour promoter rather than a complete carcinogen. History of guideline development The 1958 and 1963 WHO International Standards for Drinking-water did not refer to isoproturon, but the 1971 International Standards suggested that pesticide residues that may occur in community water supplies make only a minimal contribution to the total daily intake of pesticides for the population served. Isoproturon was not evaluated in the first edition of the Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, published in 1984, but the 1993 Guidelines calculated a health-based guideline value of 0.009 mg/litre for isoproturon in drinking-water. Assessment date The risk assessment was originally conducted in 1993. The Final Task Force Meeting in 2003 agreed that this risk assessment be brought forward to this edition of the Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality. Principal reference WHO (2003) Isoproturon in drinking-water. Background document for preparation of WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality. Geneva, World Health Organization (WHO/SDE/WSH/03.04/37).