The Effects of Love Canal Soil Extracts on Maternal Health and Fetal Development in Rats

The Effects of Love Canal Soil Extracts on Maternal Health andFetal Development in Rats. SILKWORTH, J.B., TUMASONIS, C, BRIGGS,R.G., NARANG, A.S., NARANG, R.S., REJ, R., STEIN, V., MCMARTIN,D.N., AND KAMINSKY, L.S. (1986). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 7,471-485.The effects of a solvent extract of the surface soil of theLove Canal chemical dump site, Niagara Falls, New York, andof a natural extract, or leachate, which is drained from thecanal for treatment, on the maternal health and fetal developmentwere determined in rats. The solvent extract, which was contaminatedwith 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) at 170ppb and numerous other chlorinated organic compounds with theprimary identified components being the isomers of benzenehexachloride(BHC), was dissolved in corn oil and administered by gavageto pregnant rats at 0,25,75, or 150 mg crude extract/kg/dayon Days 6-15 of gestation. A 67% mortality was observed at thehighest dose. The rats were sacrificed on Day 20. Dose-relatedincreases in relative liver weight accompanied by hepatocytehypertrophy were observed at all dose levels. Fetal birthweightwas decreased at 75 and 150 mg extract/kg/day. No major treatment-relatedsoft tissue or skeletal malformations, except for delayed ossification,were observed. Based on literature values for BHC, all of theobserved toxicity could be accounted for by the BHC contaminantsof the extract. The crude organic phase of the leachate wasadministered to pregnant rats at 0, 10, 100, or 250 mg/kg/dayas described above. Maternal weight gain decreased at 100 and250 mg/kg/day, accompanied by 5 and 14% maternal mortality,and 1 and 3 dead fetuses, respectively. Early resorptions andthe percentage of dead implants increased whereas fetal birthweightswere decreased at 250 mg/kg/day. No major treatment-relatedsoft tissue or skeletal malformations, except for delayed ossification,were observed. The primary components of the complex leachateby mass were tetrachloroethanes; however, 2,3,7,8-TCDD, whichwas present at 3 ppm, probably accounted for all the observedtoxicity.