Acute toxicity of 1,4-butanediol in laboratory animals.

Acute toxicity of 1,4-butanediol (BAD) was evaluated in laboratory animals. The evaluation involved acute oral and dermal toxicity in rats, dermal and ocular irritation in rabbits, and skin sensitization in guinea pigs. The oral LD50 values for BAD were 1.83 g/kg and 2.00 g/kg, respectively for male and female rats. The histopathological changes were observed in the liver and kidneys. No mortality was observed in female rats after dermal application of BAD at a dose of 5 g/kg. The histopathological lesions were comparable to those observed in rats after oral gavage. BAD was slightly irritant to the skin and eye of rabbits. No allergic contact dermatitis was observed in guinea pigs.