) STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTU 
DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1149 
Washington, D. C. T May 9, 1923 
ABSORPTION AND RETENTION OF HYDROCYANIC 
ACID BY FUMIGATED FOOD PRODUCTS. 
By E. L. Griffin, Assistant Chemist, and I. E. Neifert, Junior Chemist, Insecticide 
and Fungicide Laboratory, Miscellaneous Division, Bureau of Chemistry; N. Perrine, 
Assistant in Plant Fumigation, Federal Horticultural Board, and A. B. Duckett, 1 
Scientific Assistant, Stored-Product Insect Investigations, Bureau of Entomology. 2 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Introduction 1 
Review of literature 2 
Purpose of investigation 4 
Page. 
Experimental work 4 
Summary 15 
Bibliography 16 
INTRODUCTION. 
Hydrocyanic acid, in the gaseous form, is used extensively in the 
United States as a fumigant for the destruction of insects and rodents, 
particularly the brown rat (Mus norvegicus). Probably the earliest 
recorded use of this gas for killing insects 3 was that by J. T. Bell 
(4), 4 who in 1877 employed it to rid an insect cabinet of insect pests. 
Credit is given to Dr. D. W. Coquillet for being the first to suggest 
the use of hydrocyanic acid gas for destroying insects on plants. 
In 1886, while employed as an agent of the United States Depart- 
ment of Agriculture, he began experiments with it which later showed 
its value for the destruction of scale insects infesting citrus trees 
Since 1886 the use of hydrocyanic acid gas as a fumigant has been 
extended greatly, until it now includes the fumigation of dwellings, 
barracks, etc. Q.2), for the destruction of certain insects which are 
ordinarily classed as vermin, such as roaches, water bugs, and bed- 
bugs, and the fumigation of warehouses and mills (7, 8) against 
certain insects that destroy food products. More recently this gas 
1 Deceased. 
> H. L. Sanford assisted in the fumigation work and J. J. T. Graham assisted in making the analyses of 
the stored grains. As the plants and plant products coming in at the various ports of entry from foreign 
countries frequently are infested with insects new to the United States, E. R. Sasscer, entomologist In charge 
of the Plant Quarantine Service of the Federal Horticultural Board, outlined the fumigation procedure 
upon which the investigations herein reported were based, with the idea of determining whether or not 
various fruits, vegetables, and stored products fumigated with hydrocyanic acid gas in concentrations 
lethal to insects would be poisonous to consumers. 
8 Reference is made to the use of hydrocyanic acid gas generated rapidly by the action of sulphuric acid 
on potassium cyanide or sodium cyanide, and not to the use of potassium cyanide for killing insects in 
collectors' bottles, which probably is much the older practice. 
* The numbers (italics) in parentheses throughout this bulletin refer to the bibliography on page 16. 
29302— 23— Bull. 1149 1 
