Abstract |
2-Chlorotoluene was tested for developmental toxicity in groups of 25 bred Charles River CD rats receiving whole body exposure to nominal vapor concentrations of 0, 1, 3, and 9 mg/L, for 6 hours/day on days 6-19 inclusive of gestation. At 9 mg/L, all parent animals showed brown fur staining and slight to moderate ataxia, and some showed lacrimation and/or salivation during exposure. Food consumption and mean body weight gain were significantly reduced at 9 mg/L. At 9 mg/L, litter and fetal weight were significantly reduced. There was no significant effect upon litter size, or pre- or post implantation loss. In the high-dose group, skeletal ossification was reduced, providing an increased incidence of fetuses with sternal variants and contributing to a significant increase in fetuses with skeletal anomalies; the authors implied that these effects were directly related to the lower fetal weights observed in the high- dose group. |