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Denatonium Benzoate
Dateline: 07/05/99
By Alan Bruzel
Adding as little as thirty parts of denatonium benzoate to one million parts of a liquid makes that liquid too bitter to be tolerated by most human subjects. This denaturant (trade name = Bitrex) has been thus described as the bitterest compound known.
Chemically, denatonium benzoate is a close relative of the local anesthetic lidocaine – its structure differs from lidocaine by the addition of a single benzyl group.
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Denatonium benzoate |
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Lidocaine benzoate |
Because its taste provokes such an aversive reaction, denatonium benzoate is commonly added to household items such as toiletries and to outdoor products such as pesticides to prevent accidental poisonings. In 1995, Oregon's legislature required antifreeze and windshield washer fluid to contain denatonium benzoate, and the adoption of this policy by other states should reduce the number of cases of ethylene glycol and methanol poisonings. Denatonium treatment may discourage swallowing substantial amounts of noxious materials, but doesn't prevent problems incurred from ingestion of smaller quantities. The best method of reducing childhood poisoning is still the child-resistant closure.
The negative response to denatonium's nasty taste (although the pocket gopher, Thomomys talpoides, appears to be an exception) makes this bittering agent ideal for discouraging browsing by deer and crib biting by horses. Also, its ability to be tasted at extremely low levels allows an aerosol of diluted denatonium to prove the proper fitting of gas masks and other respiratory protective apparatus.
Recommended Web resources for additional information:
Counseling to Prevent Household
and Recreational Injuries
Preventative measures for children, adolescents, and adults. From the US National Library
of Medicine.
Improving the Hedonic and Gustatory
Qualities of Sublingual Naloxone with Various Flavoring Agents
Using denatonium benzoate as a substitute for the bitter compound naloxone, a drug used
orally in treating opiate dependence.
IPMnet News
Pocket gophers not deterred by denatonium benzoate. From the Consortium for International
Crop Protection.
Lidocaine
Article from the Clinical Toxicology Review of the Massachusetts Poison Control
System describing pharmacology and clinical use of this anesthetic.
OSHA Standard on Respiratory
Protection
Use of bittering agents to test fit of gas masks and other protective devices. From the US
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Taste
Researchers Savor Fruits of Work in Stimulating Times
Article by Karen Young Kreeger in The Scientist explores signal transduction
pathways in bitter taste sensation.
Use of Aversive Agents in Poison Prevention
A warning concerning possible sensitivity and long-term effects of denatonium benzoate.
From the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
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