URETHANE

also called Ethyl Carbamate, chemical compound used in medicine to treat certain forms of leukemia and multiple myeloma (tumours of bone marrow). Urethane originally was introduced into medicine as a sedative and hypnotic drug, but, because of its feeble and unpredictable action, it is no longer used for those purposes. Its use in the treatment of certain malignancies is based upon its ability to interfere with cell division by acting on the chromosomes of rapidly dividing cells, i.e., cancerous cells. Paradoxically, urethane also is known to produce cancer in certain laboratory animals and, for this reason, is considered to be a potential human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent). Polymerized urethane forms polyurethane, which has various industrial uses.