Lack of mutagenic activity of dimethylformamide

Different test systems have been utilized to evaluate the mutagenic and carcinogenic properties of dimethylformamide (DMF), an aliphatic amide used as a solvent in chemical industry. The Ames test was performed on different strains of Salmonella typhimurium, whereas the ability of DMF to induce structural aberrations in eukaryotic chromosomes was tested by in vitro observations on human lymphocytes and in vivo experiments on mouse bone marrow. Furthermore, male mice were treated with DMF for the induction of sperm abnormalities. The negative results obtained in all test systems as well as the absence of positive reports in man or in experimental animals with respect to induction of cancers suggest strongly that DMF is devoid of mutagenic or carcinogenic properties.