US EPA

64938 

Technical Report 

Reproduction study with beta-chloroprene vapour in rats 

Appelman, LM; Dreef-van der Meulen, HC 

1979 

Central Institute for Nutrition and Food Research (CIVO) 

Zeist, The Netherlands 

6225 

A reproduction study with beta-chloroprene vapor was carried out, in which two successive generations of rats (F0- and F1-generation) were exposed to atmospheres containing 0, 10, 33 or 100 ppm beta-chloroprene. The F0-generation males and females were exposed 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for a period of 13 weeks, and thereafter, mated with untreated females and males respectively. Fl-generation rats were exposed 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for a 10-week period. The actual mean concentrations of beta-chloroprene in the test-atmospheres were 0, 9.80, 32.60 and 100.01 ppm for the F0-generation and 0, 9.85, 32.99 and 100.58 ppm for the F1-generation. Fertility of males and females, number of young born per litter, general condition, appearance, male/female ratio, and mortality of the young were not adversely affected by the exposure to beta-chloroprene. There was no indication of increased intrauterine mortality. Growth retardation was observed in the F0-generation at the high dose level and ln the F1-generatlon at tne mid- and high-dose levels. The relative weights of the liver and the ovaries of the high-level female rats, descendants from untreated females and treated males, were significantly higher than those of the controls. Gross and microscopic pathological examinations did not reveal any treatment-related abnormalities. It was concluded that under the conditions of the present two-generation experiment exposure to beta-chloroprene at levels up to 100 ppm had no adverse effect on the reproductive performance of rats.