Trichlormethine hydrochloride; Evaluation of the carcinogenicity and genotoxicity

At request of the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, the Health Council of the Netherlands evaluates and judges the carcinogenic properties of substances to which workers are occupationally exposed. The evaluation is performed by the subcommittee on Classifying Carcinogenic Substances of the Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Standards of the Health Council, hereafter called the committee. In this report, the committee evaluated trichlormethine hydrochloride. The agent is used as a cytostatic agent in the treatment of cancer and arthritis, and is furthermore used in the production of textile dyes.

Based on the available information, the committee is of the opinion that trichlormethine hydrochloride should be considered as carcinogenic to humans. This recommendation is comparable to the EU classification in category 2. The committee is furthermore of the opinion that trichlormethine hydrochloride acts by a stochastic genotoxic mechanism.

Committee

• G.J. Mulder, emeritus professor of toxicology, Leiden University, Leiden, chairman
• P.J. Boogaard, toxicologist, SHELL International BV, The Hague
• Ms. M.J.M. Nivard, molecular biologist and genetic toxicologist, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden
• G.M.H. Swaen, epidemiologist, Dow Chemicals NV, Terneuzen
• R.A. Woutersen, toxicologic pathologist, TNO Quality of Life, Zeist
• A.A. van Zeeland, professor of molecular radiation dosimetry and radiation mutagenesis, University Medical Center, Leiden
• E.J.J. van Zoelen, professor of cell biology, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen
• J.M. Rijnkels, Health Council of the Netherlands, The Hague, scientific secretary