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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

DISULFOTON 

CAS#: 298-04-4 

Division of Toxicology August 1995 

This Public Health Statement is the summary 

chapter from the Toxicological Profile for 

Disulfoton. It is one in a series of Public Health 

Statements about hazardous substances and their 

health effects. A shorter version, the ToxFAQsTM is 

also available. This information is important 

because this substance may harm you. The effects 

of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on 

the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, 

personal traits and habits, and whether other 

chemicals are present. For more information, call 

the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737. 

This Statement was prepared to give you 

information about disulfoton and to emphasize the 

human health effects that may result from exposure 

to it. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

has identified 1,408 hazardous waste sites as the 

most serious in the nation. These sites make up the 

National Priorities List (NPL) and are the sites 

targeted for long-term federal clean-up activities. 

Disulfoton has been found in at least 7 of the sites 

on the NPL. However, the number of NPL sites 

evaluated for disulfoton is not known. As EPA 

evaluates more sites, the number of sites at which 

disulfoton is found may increase. This information 

is important because exposure to disulfoton may 

cause harmful health effects and because these sites 

are potential or actual sources of human exposure to 

disulfoton. 

When a substance is released from a large area, 

such as an industrial plant, or from a container, such 

as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment. This 

release does not always lead to exposure. You can 

be exposed to a substance only when you come in 

contact with it. You may be exposed by breathing, 

eating, or drinking substances containing the 

substance or by skin contact with it. 

If you are exposed to substances such as disulfoton, 

many factors will determine whether harmful health 

effects will occur and what the type and severity of 

those health effects will be. These factors include 

the dose (how much), the duration (how long), the 

route or pathway by which you are exposed 

(breathing, eating, drinking, or skin contact), the 

other chemicals to which you are exposed, and your 

individual characteristics such as age, gender, 

nutritional status, family traits, life-style, and state 

of health. 

1.1 WHAT IS DISULFOTON? 

Disulfoton is a manufactured substance used as a 

pesticide to control a variety of harmful pests that 

attack many field and vegetable crops. Disulfoton 

does not occur naturally. The common trade names 

for disulfoton are Di-syston®, Disystox®, Frumin 

AL®, and Solvirex®. Pure disulfoton is a colorless 

oil with no identifiable odor and taste. The technical 

product is dark yellowish, and has an aromatic odor. 

It does not easily dissolve in water or evaporate to 

air. It is most likely to be present in hazardous 

waste sites with other wastes, either in drums or 

mixed with soil. Disulfoton is used to protect small 

grains, sorghum, corn, and other field crops; some 

vegetables, fruit, and nut crops; and ornamental and 

potted plants against certain insects. Although it is 

used primarily in agriculture, small quantities are 

used on home and garden plants. Small quantities 

also are used for other purposes, such as mosquito 

control in swamps. The use of disulfoton has 

decreased in recent years. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

DISULFOTON 

CAS#: 298-04-4 

Division of Toxicology August 1995 

1.2 WHAT HAPPENS TO DISULFOTON 

WHEN IT ENTERS THE 

ENVIRONMENT? 

Disulfoton enters the environment principally when 

it is applied as a spray or as granules on field crops, 

vegetables, potted plants, and home gardens. 

Disulfoton also can enter the environment when it 

accidentally spills or leaks during storage and 

transport. Disulfoton may also enter the 

environment from hazardous waste sites. 

Environmental contamination by disulfoton mainly 

affects soil and water. Natural chemical reactions 

and bacterial attack remove disulfoton from soil and 

water. Such reactions form some by-products that 

are more toxic than disulfoton. Fish accumulate 

disulfoton in their bodies. The levels of disulfoton 

in fish can be hundreds of times higher than the 

level in water. Disulfoton binds moderately well to 

soil and typically does not travel deep into soil with 

rainwater. Disulfoton has been detected infrequently 

in groundwater from agricultural soil in California 

and Virginia. The estimated amount of time 

required for the concentration of disulfoton in river 

water to decrease to half of its initial level (half-life) 

is 7 days. The estimated half-life in soil ranges from 

3.5 to 290 days, depending on the nature of the soil 

and climatic conditions. 

1.3 HOW MIGHT I BE EXPOSED TO 

DISULFOTON? 

You may be exposed to disulfoton by breathing 

contaminated air, drinking contaminated water, and 

eating contaminated food. Disulfoton is rarely 

detected in air. In 1980, a low level of disulfoton 

was detected in 1 of 123 air samples collected from 

10 locations in the United States. The average 

concentration at this site was 0.1 nanogram (ng) in 1 

cubic meter of air (1 ng = 1/1,000,000,000th [one 

billionth] of a gram). Disulfoton has not been 

detected in drinking water. Low levels of disulfoton 

(0.05–1.0 milligram in a kilogram [mg/kg] of food) 

(1 mg = 1/1,000 [one thousandth] of one gram) are 

sometimes found in some grains, fruits, and 

vegetables treated with this pesticide. Because the 

levels in food are higher than levels in air and 

water, you are more likely to be exposed to 

disulfoton by eating contaminated food. The Food 

and Drug Administration (FDA) estimated that the 

average intake of disulfoton in food per day for a 

14- to 16-year-old male in the United States from 

1986 to 1991 was 0.2 ng/kg (nanograms per 

kilogram) of body weight. The FDA estimate for 

disulfoton intake from foods is 0.07% or less than 

1/1,000th of the Food and Agriculture 

Organization/World Health Organization 

(FAO/WHO) acceptable daily intake (ADI) value of 

300 ng/kg. The FAO/WHO ADI value is the 

maximum amount of a chemical which if ingested 

over a person's lifetime appears to be without 

appreciable health risk. Workers in industries that 

manufacture and formulate disulfoton are at a 

higher risk of exposure. Workers who spray the 

pesticide in fields and some farm workers who enter 

the fields following spraying also are at a higher 

risk of exposure than the general population. 

Among the general population, people who 

frequently use the pesticide in their homes and 

gardens are potentially at higher risk. People who 

live near hazardous waste sites that contain 

disulfoton also are potentially at a higher risk of 

exposure. Children playing at or near these 

hazardous waste sites may be exposed by touching 

and eating soil that contains disulfoton. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

DISULFOTON 

CAS#: 298-04-4 

Division of Toxicology August 1995 

1.4 HOW CAN DISULFOTON ENTER AND 

LEAVE MY BODY? 

Disulfoton can easily enter your body when you 

breathe it in, swallow it, or have skin contact with 

it. The amount of disulfoton that enters your body 

depends on the amount in air, food, and water, and 

the length of time you are exposed to it. In an oily 

mixture, disulfoton may enter the body through the 

skin, lungs, or stomach more easily than it would in 

a water mixture. After disulfoton enters your body, 

the blood carries it to your organs and tissues. 

Disulfoton generally does not build up in your 

organs and tissues, but is initially changed to more 

harmful substances, which quickly break down to 

harmless by-products. The harmful breakdown 

products inhibit important enzymes 

(cholinesterases) in the nervous system, and this 

action can cause neurological effects. The harmless 

breakdown products do not have any known effects 

on the body. Studies in animals show that disulfoton 

and/or the breakdown products completely leave the 

body through the urine, feces, and exhaled air in 

about 10 days or less. 

1.5 HOW CAN DISULFOTON AFFECT MY 

HEALTH? 

In people, disulfoton mainly causes harmful effects 

to the nervous system. The harmful breakdown 

products of disulfoton inhibit cholinesterase activity 

in the nervous system, which results in neurological 

effects. Depending on the amount of disulfoton that 

enters the body, neurological effects, such as 

inhibited cholinesterase activity, narrowing of the 

pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, difficulty in 

breathing, tremors, convulsions, and even death 

may occur. These effects can occur if you breathe 

in, swallow, or have skin contact with disulfoton. 

Exposure to small amounts of disulfoton can 

sometimes inhibit cholinesterase activity without 

causing obvious neurological effects. If you take in 

disulfoton from food or water for long periods, you 

may also become nearsighted. You are less likely to 

die from skin contact with disulfoton than from 

swallowing it, but you may become weak and tired 

after skin contact. 

Breathing in, swallowing, or having skin contact 

with high levels of disulfoton can cause similar 

neurological effects in animals. The neurological 

effects of disulfoton are the most common effects. 

Animals that swallowed disulfoton for long periods 

became nearsighted, and the structures of their eyes 

were further damaged. Results of animal studies 

suggest that female rats and mice are more sensitive 

to disulfoton than male rats and mice. 

We do not know whether disulfoton causes 

reproductive or birth defects, or cancer in people. 

However, some studies suggest that disulfoton may 

cause reproductive effects in animals. Some animals 

that swallowed disulfoton during pregnancy had 

newborns with underdeveloped bones, damaged 

livers and kidneys, and underdeveloped testes. 

Animals that swallowed disulfoton for long periods 

did not develop cancer. Disulfoton has not been 

classified for carcinogenic effects by the 

Department of Health and Human Services 

(DHHS), the International Agency for Research on 

Cancer (IARC), or the EPA. 

1.6 IS THERE A MEDICAL TEST TO 

DETERMINE WHETHER I HAVE BEEN 

EXPOSED TO DISULFOTON? 

Disulfoton and its breakdown products can be 

measured in the blood, urine, feces, liver, kidney, or 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

DISULFOTON 

CAS#: 298-04-4 

Division of Toxicology August 1995 

body fat of exposed people. In cases of occupational 

or accidental exposure to disulfoton, the breakdown 

products are often measured in the urine. The 

breakdown products are relatively specific for 

disulfoton and a few other similar organophosphate 

pesticides and can be detected in urine for up to one 

week after people were last exposed. Because 

disulfoton inhibits cholinesterase in blood and in 

blood cells, inhibition of this enzyme activity may 

also suggest exposure to disulfoton. Cholinesterase 

activity in blood and in blood cells may remain 

inhibited for as long as 1–2 weeks after the last 

exposure. Because other organophosphate 

pesticides also inhibit cholinesterase activity in 

blood and blood cells, this test is not specific for 

disulfoton. The measurement of cholinesterase in 

blood and blood cells and the amount of disulfoton 

breakdown products in the urine cannot always 

predict how much disulfoton you were exposed to. 

Your doctor can send samples of your blood or 

urine to special laboratories that perform these tests. 

1.7 WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS HAS THE 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MADE TO 

PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH? 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and 

Health (NIOSH) recommends an exposure limit of 

0.1 mg disulfoton/m3 of air for a 10-hour workday 

within a 40-hour workweek. 

EPA recommends that no more than 10 parts of 

disulfoton per billion parts (ppb) of water be present 

in drinking water that children drink for periods of 

up to 10 days. Disulfoton in drinking water should 

not exceed 3 ppb for children or 9 ppb for adults if 

they drink the water for longer periods, and should 

not exceed 0.3 ppb for adults who will drink the 

water during an average lifetime. EPA has 

designated disulfoton as a hazardous substance, but 

it does not intend to cancel or restrict registration of 

pesticide products containing disulfoton. Federal 

regulations limit the amount of disulfoton that 

factories can release into waste water. EPA requires 

industries to report releases or spills of 1 pound or 

more. 

1.8 WHERE CAN I GET MORE 

INFORMATION? 

If you have any more questions or concerns, 

please contact your community or state health or 

environmental quality department or: 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

Division of Toxicology 

1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32 

Atlanta, GA 30333 

Information line and technical assistance: 

Phone: 888-422-8737 

FAX: (770)-488-4178 

ATSDR can also tell you the location of 

occupational and environmental health clinics. 

These clinics specialize in recognizing, evaluating, 

and treating illnesses resulting from exposure to 

hazardous substances. 

To order toxicological profiles, contact: 

National Technical Information Service 

5285 Port Royal Road 

Springfield, VA 22161 

Phone: 800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov 
 

 

 

 

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PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT 

DISULFOTON 

CAS#: 298-04-4 

Division of Toxicology August 1995 

Reference 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

(ATSDR). 1995. Toxicological profile for 

disulfoton. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services, Public Health Service. 

DEPARTMENT of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Public Health Service
 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 

www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-422-8737 Fax: 770-488-4178 E-Mail: atsdric@cdc.gov