Toxicity report series最新文献

Wy-14,643 was selected for inclusion in a series of studies on peroxisome proliferators because it is known to produce considerable peroxisome proliferation and hepatocarcinogenicity in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to Wy-14,643 (greater than 98% pure) in feed for up to 3 months; male B6C3F1 mice and male Syrian hamsters were exposed to Wy-14,643 in feed for 2 weeks or up to 3 months. Animals were evaluated for clinical pathology, plasma concentrations of Wy-14,643, reproductive system effects, cell proliferation and peroxisomal enzyme analyses, and histopathology. Single and multiple-dose toxicokinetic studies of Wy-14,643 were conducted in additional groups of male Sprague-Dawley and Wistar Furth rats, B6C3F1 mice, and Syrian hamsters. Genetic toxicology studies were conducted in vivo in Tg.AC mouse peripheral blood erythrocytes. In the 2-week studies, groups of five mice were fed diets containing 0, 10, 50, 100, 500, or 1,000 ppm Wy-14,643 (equivalent to average daily doses of approximately 2 to 184 mg Wy-14,643/kg body weight). Groups of five hamsters were fed diets containing 0, 10, 100, 500, 1,000, or 5,000 ppm Wy-14,643 (equivalent to average daily doses of approximately 1 to 550 mg/kg). All animals survived to the end of the studies. The mean body weight gain of 500 ppm mice was significantly less than that of the controls; hamsters exposed to 100 ppm or greater lost weight during the study. Feed consumption by 500 ppm mice was greater than that by the controls. Liver weights of all exposed groups of mice and hamsters were generally significantly increased. In the 2-week studies, an increase in peroxisomal enzyme activity occurred in 10 ppm mice; increases in peroxisomal $-oxidation, carnitine acetyltransferase, catalase, and acyl CoA oxidase occurred in all exposed mice compared to controls. Significantly increased BrdU-labeled hepatocyte percentages occurred in 100 and 1,000 ppm mice and 500 and 5,000 ppm hamsters; peroxisomal $-oxidation of lipids was increased in all exposed groups of mice and hamsters. Gross lesions in the 2-week studies included liver foci in one 500 ppm mouse and one 1,000 ppm hamster and enlarged livers in one hamster in each of the 100 and 500 ppm groups and two 5,000 ppm hamsters. All 500 and 1,000 ppm mice had hepatocyte hypertrophy of the liver, and 1,000 ppm mice also had widespread individual cell necrosis. Minimal to mild multifocal vacuolation of the liver occurred in hamsters exposed to 500 ppm or greater. In the 3-month core studies, groups of 10 male rats, mice, or hamsters were fed diets containing 0, 5, 10, 50, 100, or 500 ppm Wy-14,643 (equivalent to average daily doses of approximately 0.3 to 34 mg/kg for rats, 0.9 to 135 mg/kg for mice, and 0.4 to 42 mg/kg for hamsters). Groups of 15 male rats, mice, or hamsters designated for special studies received the same concentrations of Wy-14,643 for up to 13 weeks. Groups of six male rats, 36 male mice, or 12 male hamsters designated fo

Dimethylaminopropyl chloride, hydrochloride is used primarily as an industrial and research organic chemical intermediate acting as an alkylating reagent in Grignard and other types of reactions. It is also used as a pharmaceutical intermediate for the synthesis of many types of drugs, as an agricultural chemical intermediate, as a photographic chemical intermediate, and as a biochemical reagent for enzyme and other studies. Human occupational or other accidental exposure can occur by inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption. Male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice received dimethylaminopropyl chloride, hydrochloride (greater than 99% pure) in water by gavage for 2 weeks or 3 months. Genetic toxicology studies were conducted in Salmonella typhimurium and mouse peripheral blood erythrocytes. In the 2-week toxicity studies, groups of five male and five female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were administered doses of 0, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, or 100 mg dimethylaminopropyl chloride, hydrochloride/kg body weight in deionized water by gavage, 5 days per week for 16 days. All dosed male and female rats and mice survived until the end of the 2-week study; one vehicle control female mouse died early. Mean body weights of all dosed groups of rats and mice were similar to those of the vehicle control groups. No gross or microscopic lesions were considered related to dimethylaminopropyl chloride, hydrochloride administration. In the 3-month toxicity studies, groups of 10 male and 10 female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were administered doses of 0, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, or 100 mg/kg in deionized water by gavage, 5 days per week for 3 months. One male rat in the 50 mg/kg group died during week 12 of the study, and one female mouse in the 100 mg/kg group died during week 9 and another during week 13. The final mean body weights of 50 mg/kg male rats and 50 mg/kg female mice were significantly less than those of the vehicle controls. Possible chemical-related clinical findings in rats included lethargy in one 50 mg/kg male and one 100 mg/kg male, tremors in one 100 mg/kg male, and ataxia in one 50 mg/kg male and two 100 mg/kg males. Absolute lung weights in the 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg groups of female mice were significantly less than those of the vehicle controls. Total serum bile acid concentrations were increased in 50 mg/kg male rats and 100 mg/kg male and female rats. The incidence of goblet cell hypertrophy of the nose was significantly increased in 100 mg/kg male rats compared to the vehicle controls. There were no significant histopathologic findings in mice. Dimethylaminopropyl chloride, hydrochloride was mutagenic in the Salmonella typhimurium base substitution strains TA100 and TA1535, with and without hamster or rat liver S9 activation enzymes; no mutagenic activity was seen in TA97 or TA98. No increase in the frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes was seen in peripheral blood of male or female mice administered dimethylaminopropyl chloride, hydroc

Sodium dichromate dihydrate is one of a number of inorganic compounds containing hexavalent chromium (CR VI) found in drinking water supplies as a contaminant resulting from various industrial processes including electroplating operations, leather tanning, and textile manufacturing. Because of the lack of adequate experimental data on the toxicity and carcinogenicity of hexavalent chromium ingested orally, and because hexavalent chromium has been found in human drinking water supplies, the California Congressional delegation and the California Environmental Protection Agency nominated hexavalent chromium to the NTP for study. In study 1, male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were exposed to sodium dichromate dihydrate (greater than 99% pure) in drinking water for 3 months. In study 2, sodium dichromate dihydrate was administered in drinking water to male B6C3F1, BALB/c, and am3-C57BL/6 mice for 3 months. Genetic toxicology studies were conducted in Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, and mouse peripheral blood erythrocytes. In study 1, groups of 10 male and 10 female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were given drinking water containing 0, 62.5, 125, 250, 500, or 1,000 mg sodium dichromate dihydrate/L for 3 months (equivalent to average daily doses of approximately 5, 10, 17, 32, or 60 mg sodium dichromate dihydrate/kg body weight to rats and 9, 15, 26, 45, or 80 mg/kg to mice). On a molecular weight basis, these doses are equivalent to approximately 1.7, 3.5, 5.9, 11.2, and 20.9 mg hexavalent chromium/kg body weight per day to rats and 3.1, 5.2, 9.1, 15.7, and 27.9 mg/kg per day to mice. Additional groups of 10 rats per sex were exposed to the same concentrations of sodium dichromate dihydrate for 4 weeks. All rats and mice survived to the end of the study. Reduced body weights occurred in 500 and 1,000 mg/L male rats, 1,000 mg/L female rats, and in male and female mice exposed to 125 mg/L or greater. Water consumption by male and female rats exposed to 250 mg/L or greater and male and female mice exposed to 125 mg/L or greater was generally less than that by the control groups, and decreases in urine volume and increases in urine specific gravity in rats were related to reduced water consumption. Exposure to sodium dichromate dihydrate caused a microcytic hypochromic anemia in rats and mice, but the severity was less in mice. Serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were decreased in rats. Increased bile acid concentrations in exposed groups of rats may have been due to altered hepatic function. The incidences of histiocytic cellular infiltration were generally significantly increased in the duodenum of rats and mice, the liver of female rats, and the mesenteric lymph node of mice exposed to 125 mg/L or greater. Significantly increased nonneoplastic lesions (focal ulceration, regenerative epithelial hyperplasia, and squamous epithelial metaplasia) occurred in the glandular stomach of male and female rats exposed to 1,000 mg

Cellulose insulation (CI) is a type of thermal insulation produced primarily from recycled newspapers. The newspapers are shredded, milled, and treated with fire-retardant chemicals. The blowing process for installing CI generates a significant quantity of airborne material that presents a potential inhalation hazard to workers. CI was selected for study based upon the high production volume, the potential for widespread human exposure, and a lack of toxicity data; insufficient information was available to determine whether inhalation studies in laboratory animals were technically feasible or necessary. Studies were conducted to characterize the chemical and physical properties of CI aerosols, to evaluate the potential acute pulmonary toxicity of CI, and to assess occupational exposure of CI installers. Workplace exposure assessments were conducted in collaboration with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, 2001).

Evaluation of the chemical composition, particle size, and pulmonary toxicity of cellulose insulation: Chemical analyses were performed on samples of bulk CI from four major United States manufacturers. All samples of the bulk CI were found to contain primarily amorphous cellulose (60% to 65%) with a smaller crystalline component (35% to 40%). The crystalline phase was primarily native cellulose (75% to 85%) with a minor amount of cellulose nitrate (15% to 25%). Elemental analyses of acid digests of CI materials indicated that the major components (>0.1% by weight) included aluminum, boron, calcium, sodium, and sulfur. An acid-insoluble residue present in all four materials (3% to 5% of original sample weight) was found to consist primarily of aluminum silicate hydroxide (kaolinite; approximately 85%) with minor amounts (<5% each) of magnesium silicate hydroxide (talc), potassium aluminum silicate hydroxide (muscovite), and titanium oxide (rutile). Solvent extracts of the bulk materials were analyzed for organic components by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Analyses revealed a mass of poorly resolved peaks. Because of the very low concentrations, further quantitative and qualitative analyses were not performed. An aerosol generation system was designed to separate CI particles based upon aerodynamic size and to simulate the process used during CI installation at work sites. Less than 0.1% of each of the CI samples was collected as the small respirable particle fraction. The mean equivalent diameter of respirable particles ranged from 0.6 to 0.7 mum. The numbers of fibers in the respirable fractions ranged from 9.7 x 103 to 1.4 x 106 fibers/g of CI. The respirable particle fractions did not contain cellulose material and consisted mainly of fire retardants and small quantities of clays. The respirable fraction from one CI sample was administered by intratracheal instillation to male Fischer 344 rats at doses of 0, 0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg body weight; th

Allyl acetate, allyl alcohol, and acrolein are used in the manufacture of detergents, plastics, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals and as agricultural agents and food additives. Male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F(1) mice received allyl acetate, allyl alcohol, or acrolein by gavage for 14 weeks. Genetic toxicology studies were conducted in Salmonella typhimurium, Drosophila melanogaster, cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells, rat bone marrow erythrocytes, and mouse peripheral blood erythrocytes. Groups of 10 male and 10 female rats were administered 0, 6, 12, 25, 50, or 100 mg allyl acetate/kg body weight, 0, 1.5, 3, 6, 12, or 25 mg/kg allyl alcohol, or 0, 0.75, 1.25, 2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg acrolein in 0.5% methylcellulose by gavage, 5 days per week for 14 weeks. Groups of 10 male and 10 female mice were administered 0, 8, 16, 32, 62.5, or 125 mg/kg allyl acetate, 0, 3, 6, 12, 25, or 50 mg/kg allyl alcohol, or 0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg acrolein in 0.5% methylcellulose by gavage, 5 days per week for 14 weeks. In the allyl acetate rat study, all males and females in the 100 mg/kg groups died or were killed moribund by day 8; there were no other deaths. In the allyl alcohol study, all rats survived to the end of the study except one 6 mg/kg female. In the acrolein rat study, eight males and eight females in the 10 mg/kg groups died by week 9 of the study. Two males in the 2.5 and 5 mg/kg groups and one or two females in the 1.25, 2.5, and 5 mg/kg groups also died early; two of these deaths were gavage accidents. In the allyl acetate mouse study, all males and females in the 125 mg/kg group died during the first week of the study. All other early deaths, except five 62.5 mg/kg males and one 32 mg/kg female, were gavage accidents. In the allyl alcohol mouse study, one 50 mg/kg female died due to a gavage accident; all other animals survived to the end of the study. In the acrolein mouse study, all males and females administered 20 mg/kg died during the first week of the study. All other early deaths, except one male and one female administered 10 mg/kg, were unrelated to chemical administration. The concentration of 3-hydroxypropyl mercapturic acid (3-HPM) in the urine of rats and mice was determined after the first dose of chemical and at the end of the 14-week study. At both time points, the concentrations of 3-HPM in the urine of animals that received allyl acetate or allyl alcohol increased linearly with dose. In animals dosed with acrolein, the concentrations of 3-HPM exhibited a nonlinear increase with dose at the first time point. At the end of the study, the concentration of 3-HPM in the urine of animals dosed with acrolein was linear with dose except at the highest concentration administered. Since urine volumes were not recorded during the urine collection, complete quantitation of these data was not possible. The final mean body weights and mean body weight gains of male rats administered 12 or 50 mg/kg allyl acetate and of male and

Malachite green chloride is a triphenylmethane dye used in the fish and dye industries. Leucomalachite green is prepared by the reduction of malachite green chloride. Malachite green chloride was nominated for toxicity and carcinogenicity testing by the Food and Drug Administration and selected by the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences for carcinogenicity testing by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) due to the potential for significant worker and consumer exposure and lack of carcinogenicity data. The current 28-day studies were conducted as part of an overall effort by the NTP to determine the toxicity and carcinogenicity of malachite green chloride. Male and female F344/N Nctr BR rats and B6C3F1/Nctr BR (C57BL/6N x C3H/HeN MTV-) mice were exposed to malachite green chloride (95% pure) or leucomalachite green (99% pure) (male rats and female mice only) in feed for 28 days. Animals were evaluated for clinical pathology and histopathology. Genetic toxicity studies formalachite green chloride were conducted in vitro in Salmonella typhimurium and in vivo in rat bone marrow erythrocytes and in mouse peripheral blood erythrocytes. Genetic toxicity studies for leucomalachite green were conducted in vivo in mouse peripheral blood erythrocytes. Groups of eight male and eight female rats and mice were fed diets containing 0, 25, 100, 300, 600, or 1,200 ppm malachite green chloride for 28 days. Additional groups of eight male and eight female rats designated for thyroid hormone assays were fed diets containing 0 or 1,200 ppm malachite green chloride. Groups of eight male rats and eight female mice were fed diets containing 0, 290, 580, or 1,160 ppm leucomalachite green for 28 days. Additional groups of eight male rats designated for thyroid hormone assays were fed diets containing 0 or 1,160 ppm leucomalachite green. All rats and mice survived to the end of the studies. In the malachite green chloride study, the body weight gain of males rats in the 1,200 ppm group was significantly less than that of the controls. The final mean body weight of female rats and mice in the 1,200 ppm groups and the body weight gains of female rats and mice in the 600 (rats only) and 1,200 ppm groups were significantly less than those of the controls. In the leucomalachite green study, the final mean body weight of male rats and female mice in the 1,160 ppm groups and the mean body weight gains of male rats and female mice in the 580 and 1,160 ppm groups were significantly less than those of the control groups. In the malachite green chloride study, feed consumption by all exposed groups of male and female rats and mice was generally similar to that by the control groups. Exposure concentrations of 25, 100, 300, 600, and 1,200 ppm resulted in average daily doses of 3 to 190 mg malachite green chloride/kg body weight to male and female rats and 5 to 250 mg/kg to male and female mice. In the leucomalachite green study, feed consumption by all groups o

[Structure-see text] 2-Methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole are intermediate/starting materials or components in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, photographic and photothermographic chemicals, dyes and pigments, agricultural chemicals, and rubber; these chemicals have been identified as undesirable by-products in several foods and have been detected in mainstream and sidestream tobacco smoke. The National Cancer Institute nominated 2- and 4-methylimidazole as candidates for toxicity and carcinogenicity studies. Toxicity studies were carried out in male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice. Animals were exposed to 2- or 4-methylimidazole in feed for 15 days or 14 weeks; clinical pathology studies were conducted in the 14-week studies on days 8, 29, and 86 and at week 14. Genetic toxicity studies were conducted in Salmonella typhimurium, rat and mouse bone marrow, and mouse peripheral blood. Groups of five male and five female rats and mice were fed diets containing 0, 1,200, 3,300, or 10,000 ppm 2-methylimidazole (equivalent to average daily doses of approximately 115, 290, or 770 mg 2-methylimidazole/ kg body weight to rats; 220, 640, or 2,100 mg/kg to male mice; 300, 800, or 2,400 to female mice) for 15 days. Groups of five male and five female rats and mice were fed diets containing 0, 300, 800, or 2,500 ppm 4-methylimidazole (equivalent to average daily doses of approximately 30, 80, or 220 mg/kg for rats and 65, 170, or 500 mg/kg for mice) for 15 days. In the 15-day 2-methylimidazole studies, all animals survived to the end of the studies. The mean body weights of 10,000 ppm male rats and female mice were significantly less than those of the controls. Feed consumption by 10,000 ppm male and female rats was reduced. Enlarged thyroid glands were observed in 3,300 and 10,000 ppm male and female rats. The incidences of diffuse hyperplasia of follicular cells of the thyroid gland in 3,300 and 10,000 ppm male and female rats and pars distalis hypertrophy of the pituitary gland in 3,300 and 10,000 ppm males and 10,000 ppm females were increased compared to the controls. In all exposed groups of male and female mice, the incidences and severities of follicular cell hypertrophy of the thyroid gland and the severities of hematopoietic cell proliferation of the spleen generally increased with increasing exposure concentration. In the 4-methylimidazole studies, all animals survived to the end of the studies, and there were no significant differences in mean body weights, clinical findings, organ weights, or gross or microscopic lesions between exposed and control groups. Groups of 10 male and 10 female rats and mice were fed diets containing 0, 625, 1,250, 2,500, 5,000, or 10,000 ppm 2- or 4-methylimidazole (equivalent to average daily doses of approximately 40, 80, 160, 300, or 560 mg/kg 2- or 4-methylimidazole to rats; and 100, 165, 360, 780, or 1,740 mg/kg 2-methylimidazole or 100, 240, 440, 915, or 1,840 mg/kg 4-methylimidazole to male mi

Background: 1,1 ,2,2-Tetrachloroethane was widely used in the production of solvents and pesticides. Its production ended in the 1990s, but it is a major component of waste sites. We studied the effects of 1,1 ,2,2-tetrachloroethane on male and female rats and mice to identify potential toxic hazards to humans.

Methods: Because 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane can evaporate easily, we enclosed it in starch microcapsules and placed them in the feed of rats and mice for 14 weeks. Male and female rats received up to 4,600 parts per million (ppm) 1,1 ,2,2-tetrachloroethane (equivalent to 0.46%) and mice received up to 9,100 ppm (0.91%). Control animals received empty starch microcapsules in their feed. Tissues from more than 40 sites were examined in all control and high-dose animals; tissues with lesions were examined in the lower exposure groups until no lesions were observed.

Results: Rats receiving 1,180 ppm or more 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane and mice receiving 2,300 ppm or more weighed less than the control animals. Male and female rats given 1,1 ,2,2-tetrachloroethane had pale and diseased livers and also had atrophy of the bone marrow and of the genital systems. Male and female mice given 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane had lesions of the liver and the bile duct.

Conclusion: We conclude that 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane at doses greater than 590 ppm in the feed was toxic to the liver of male and female rats. In mice, 1,1 ,2,2-tetrachloroethane was already known to cause cancer after long-term exposure. In these 14-week studies, 1,1 ,2,2-tetrachloroethane was toxic to the livers of male and female mice.

Butanal oxime is used as a volatile antiskinning agent in paints, inks, and similar products. Butanal oxime was chosen for toxicology testing as a representative of the aldoxime class. Male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice received butanal oxime (99 percent pure) in drinking water for 15 days or by gavage in 0.5 percent methylcellulose for 14 weeks. Animals were evaluated for clinical pathology, reproductive system effects, and histopathology. Genetic toxicology studies were conducted in Salmonella typhimurium, cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells, and mouse peripheral blood erythrocytes. In the 15-day studies, groups of five male and five female rats and mice received 0, 312, 625, 1,250, 2,500, or 5,000 ppm butanal oxime in drinking water, resulting in average daily doses of approximately 40, 70, or 100 mg butanal oxime/kg body weight to male and female rats; 45, 90, 130, 200, or 300 mg/kg to male mice; and 45, 85, 100, 130, or 170 mg/kg to female mice. Due to body weight loss and lack of water consumption, all male and female rats receiving 2,500 or 5,000 ppm were removed from the study on day 9; average daily doses were not calculated for these groups. All other rats and mice survived until the end of the studies. Mean body weights of 1,250 ppm male and female rats and 2,500 and 5,000 ppm male and female mice were significantly less than those of the controls. Male mice receiving 5,000 ppm and females receiving 2,500 or 5,000 ppm lost weight during the study. Water consumption by rats and mice receiving 1,250 ppm or greater was less than that by the controls. Thinness in 2,500 and 5,000 ppm rats and mice was the only clinical finding of toxicity. Spleen weights were significantly decreased in 2,500 and 5,000 ppm female mice. No chemical-related lesions were observed grossly; histologic examinations were not performed. In the 14-week studies, groups of 10 male and 10 female rats and mice received butanal oxime by gavage at doses of 0, 25, 50, 100, 200, or 600 mg/kg, 5 days per week for 14 weeks. All 600 mg/kg rats died or were killed moribund during the first week of the study; in the 600 mg/kg mouse groups, seven males and nine females died, were killed moribund, or were killed accidentally before the end of the study. Mean body weights of 100 and 200 mg/kg male rats, 600 mg/kg male mice, and female mice administered 50 mg/kg or greater were less than those of the controls. Clinical findings of toxicity in 600 mg/kg rats included loss of coordination, wobbly gait, shaking, blinking, constant grooming and scratching of the face, head weaving, burying of the face in bedding, lethargy, and prostration; in 600 mg/kg mice, clinical findings included ataxia, loss of balance after rearing, squinting, and burying of the face in the bedding. Hematology results of the 14-week gavage studies indicate that butanal oxime induces a methemoglobinemia and a responsive anemia in rats and mice. Spleen weights of 100 and 200 mg/kg male rats, female r

[molecular structure: see text] p-tert-Butylcatechol is used as an antioxidant, stabilizer, and polymerization inhibitor for styrene, butadiene, neoprene, and other olefins and reactive monomers. p-tert-Butylcatechol was nominated by the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for testing based on reports of its increasing levels of production and use and to compare the toxicity of p-tert-butylcatechol with that of similar antioxidants, butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene, which are added to food. Male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were exposed to p-tert-butylcatechol (greater than 99% pure) in feed for 15 days or 14 weeks. Genetic toxicology studies were conducted in Salmonella typhimurium, rat bone marrow cells, and mouse peripheral blood erythrocytes. In the 15-day studies, groups of five male and five female rats and mice were fed diets containing 0, 3,125, 6,250, 12,500, 25,000, or 50,000 ppm p-tert-butylcatechol (equivalent to average daily doses of approximately 290 to 2,470 mg p-tert-butylcatechol/kg body weight to rats and 590 to 8,200 mg/kg to mice). All animals in the 50,000 ppm groups were killed moribund on day 8 (rats) or by day 7 (mice). Mean body weights of all groups of rats exposed to 6,250 ppm or greater were significantly less than those of the controls. Mean body weights of male mice exposed to 12,500 or 25,000 ppm and of 25,000 ppm female mice were significantly less than those of the controls. Female rats, male and female mice in the 25,000 ppm groups, and 12,500 ppm male mice lost weight during the studies. Feed consumption by exposed rats generally decreased with increasing exposure concentration; feed consumption by exposed mice was similar to that by the controls. Thymus weights of 25,000 ppm rats and mice were significantly less than those of the controls. Gross findings noted at necropsy included thin carcasses for three male and all female rats in the 12,500 ppm groups and all male and female rats and mice in the 25,000 and 50,000 ppm groups. No exposure-related lesions were observed microscopically. In the 14-week studies, groups of 10 male and 10 female rats and mice were fed diets containing 0, 781, 1,562, 3,125, 6,250, or 12,500 ppm p-tert-butylcatechol (equivalent to average daily doses of approximately 70 to 1,030 mg/kg to rats and 135 to 2,815 mg/kg to mice). All animals survived to the end of the studies. Mean body weights of male rats exposed to 1,562 ppm or greater, female rats exposed to 3,125 ppm or greater, male mice exposed to 12,500 ppm, and female mice exposed to 6,250 or 12,500 ppm were significantly less than those of the controls. Feed consumption by male and female rats in the 6,250 and 12,500 ppm groups at week 1 and the 12,500 ppm groups at week 14 was less than that by the controls; feed consumption by exposed and control mice was similar. An erythrocytosis, indicated by increased hematocrit values, hemoglobin concentrations, and eryt