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ASSESSMENT OF OFFSPRING DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR FOLLOWING GESTATIONAL EXPOSURE TO INHALED METHANOL IN THE RAT
Citation:
Stanton, M., K. Crofton, C. Gordon, W. Boyes, P. Bushnell, L. Gray, M. Mole, AND D. Peele. ASSESSMENT OF OFFSPRING DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR FOLLOWING GESTATIONAL EXPOSURE TO INHALED METHANOL IN THE RAT. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-95/549, 1995.
Description:
The prospect of widespread human exposure associated with its use as an alternative fuel has sparked concern about the toxic potential of inhaled methanol (MeOH). revious studies have revealed congenital malformations in rats following inhaled MeOH (Nelson et al., Fundamental & Applied Toxicology, 1985, 5:727-736) but these studies did not include postnasal behavioral assessment. n the present study, pregnant Long-Evans rats were placed in exposure chambers containing 15,000 ppm MeOH or air for 7 hr/day on Gestational Days (GD) 7-19. aternal body weights (BW) were recorded daily and blood methanol concentrations were determined at the end of exposure of GD7, 10 14, and 18. ollowing birth (Postnatal Day 0 [PNDO]), a number of tests were performed at various points in development, including: ffspring mortality and BW (PND1, 3), motor activity (PND13-21, 30, 60), olfactory learning (PND18), behavioral thermoregulation (PND160). aternal blood MeOH levels from about 3800 to 3100 ug/ml across days of exposure. eOH transiently reduced maternal BW (4-7%) on GD8-10, and offspring BW (5%) on PND1. o other test revealed significant effects of MeOH. ased on this broad battery of tests, prenatal exposure to high levels of inhaled MeOH appears to have little effect beyond PND1 in the rat.