Disposition of [ 14C] methyl bromide in fischer-344 rats after oral or intraperitoneal administration

Methyl bromide is used as a disinfectant to fumigate soil. The intent of our study was to determine the diposition of methyl bromide following a single acute administration. Male Fischer-344 rats were given 250 μmol of [ 14C] methyl bromide/kg body wt by either oral or i.p. administration. Urine, feces and expired air were collected and at the end of 72 h the rats were sacrificed and tissues analyzed to determine 14C excretion and tissue distribution. After i.p. administration of methyl bromide, the dominant route of excretion was exhalation of 14CO 2, with 46% of the dose exhaled as 14CO 2. In contrast, urinary excretion of 14C was the major route of elimination (43% of the dose) when methyl bromide was given orally. Very little of the 14C appeared in the feces (