A QSAR/QSTR study on the human health impact of the rocket fuel 1,1-dimethyl hydrazine and its transformation products: Multicriteria hazard ranking based on partial order methodologies

Abstract

The possible impact of the rocket fuel 1,1-dimethyl hydrazine (heptyl) ( 1) and its transformation products on human health has been studied using (Quantitative) Structure Activity/Toxicity ((Q)SAR/(Q)STR) modelling, including both ADME models and models for acute toxicity, organ specific adverse haematological effects, the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems, the kidneys, the liver and the lungs, as well as a model predicting the biological activity of the compounds. It was predicted that all compounds studied are readily bioavailable through oral intake and that significant amounts of the compounds will be freely available in the systemic circulation. In general, the compounds are not predicted to be acutely toxic apart from hydrogen cyanide, whereas several compounds are predicted to cause adverse organ specific human health effects. Further, several compounds are predicted to exhibit high probabilities for potential carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, teratogenicity and/or embryotoxicity. The compounds were ranked based on their predicted human health impact using partial order ranking methodologies that highlight which compounds on a cumulative basis should receive the major attention, i.e., N-nitroso dimethyl amine, 1,1,4,4-tetramethyl tetrazene, trimethyl, trimethyl hydrazine, acetaldehyde dimethyl hydrazone, 1, 1-formyl 2,2-dimethyl hydrazine and formaldehyde dimethyl hydrazone, respectively.