Reproductive toxicity screen of ammonium dinitramide administered in the drinking water of Sprague-Dawley rats

The Department of Defense is currently considering replacing ammonium perchlorate with ammonium dinitramide (ADN), a class 1.1 explosive oxidizer to be used in solid rocket propellant mixtures and explosives. This study was intended to evaluate the potential of ADN to produce alterations in paternal fertility, maternal pregnancy and lactation, and growth and development of offspring. Male and female rats received drinking water containing 0.0, 0.2, 1.0, or 2.0 g ADN/liter throughout the study. Mating occurred following 14 days of treatment. All dams, one-half the males, and representative pups were maintained for a total of 90 days of treatment. No mortality occurred in parental animals during the study. Treatment with ADN resulted in no adverse effects on mating; 92-100% of the animals mated. No treatment-related effects were seen in parental animals clinically or histopathologically. Adverse treatment-related effects were noted in maternal and paternal fertility indices, gestational indices, and live birth indices in both the mid- and high-dose groups. Litter sizes in the mid- and high-dose groups were significantly smaller than those of the low-dose and control groups. Mean pup weights showed no statistically significant differences between ADN-treated pups and controls. Gross and histopathological examination of the animals failed to identify the cause for the decrease in litter production in the mid- and high-dose dams. This study indicates that ADN is a reproductive toxicant. The no-observable-effect level (NOEL) is 29 mg/kg/day, the median dose of the low level female rats.