Chapter 12 - Wildlife Toxicity Assessment for Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate

Abstract

Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) is an explosive used as the primary ingredient in detonating fuses and as a component in some plastic explosives. As a nitrate ester, PETN is structurally similar to nitroglycerin in its pharmacological (vasodilatory) and explosive properties. The few toxicity studies conducted have shown PETN to be relatively benign, which may be due to its low rate of absorption. Reproductive, developmental, and two-year mammalian oral dosing studies have all been fairly void of adverse effects. Given the high dosing concentrations used in some of the studies reported herein, it is unlikely that further research using traditional laboratory animals would yield different results. However, testing in other mammalian, amphibian, avian, and reptilian species is needed to determine if observations of these species would differ from those of laboratory mammalian models.