What is dichloroacetic acid used for?
Dichloroacetic Acid is a highly corrosive, colorless liquid with a pungent odor. It is used as a fungicide, as a chemical intermediate in pharmaceuticals, and as a medication.
Is dichloroacetic acid strong?
As an acid with a pKa of 1.35, pure dichloroacetic acid is classed as a strong organic acid; it is very corrosive and extremely destructive to tissues of the mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract via inhalation.
Where is dichloroacetic acid found?
Dichloroacetic acid is a chemical that occurs in drinking-water and swimming pools as part of a mixture of disinfection by-products. The chemicals in water-disinfection by-products do not occur in an isolated manner and there is no epidemiological evidence on risk of cancer associated specifically with them.
What is DCA made of?
Classification. Dicholoroacetates are salts of dichloroacetic acid. Both the salt and acid are man-made chemicals. DCA is a by-product of the chlorine disinfection of water.
What is haloacetic acids in drinking water?
Haloacetic acids (HAA) are a group of disinfection byproducts that form when chlorine compounds that are used to disinfect water react with other naturally-occurring chemicals in the water.
What is Bromodichloromethane used for?
Bromodichloromethane has formerly been used as a flame retardant, and a solvent for fats and waxes and because of its high density for mineral separation. Now it is only used as a reagent or intermediate in organic chemistry.
What is the pH of dichloroacetic acid?
The statistical analysis also indicates reduced algal growth at 104.5 mg/L dichloroacetic acid with a test solution pH of 6.55 (LOEC).
What are the side effects of DCA?
DCA was discovered to be a safe drug with no cardiac, pulmonary, renal or bone marrow toxicity[4]. The most serious common side effect consists of peripheral neuropathy, which is reversible[6]. Delirium has been reported, and is reversible after discontinuation of DCA[7].
Why is DCA toxic?
DCA appears to inhibit its own metabolism, which may influence the duration of its pharmacologic actions and lead to toxicity. DCA can cause a reversible peripheral neuropathy that may be related to thiamine deficiency and may be ameliorated or prevented with thiamine supplementation.
Are haloacetic acids harmful?
Exposure and Risk When people consume haloacetic acids at high levels over many years, they increase their risk of developing bladder cancer. Other health effects that may be associated with haloacetic acids include rectal and colon cancer, and adverse developmental and reproductive effects during pregnancy.
What is chloroform in drinking water?
The chloroform found in tap water is one of the trihalomethanes, a class of contaminants that form as byproducts when chlorine or other disinfectants are added to drinking water. Chlorine is essentially a biocide – a powerful, poisonous substance that kills or inactivates bacteria and other disease-causing pathogens.