Inhalation Teratology Studies of n-Butyl Mercaptan in Rats and Mice

Inhalation Teratology Studies of n-Butyl Mercaptan in Rats andMice. THOMAS, W. C., SECKAR, J. A., JOHNSON, J. T., ULRICH,C. E., KLONNE, D. R., SCHARDEIN, J. L., AND KIRWIN, C. J. (1987).Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 8, 170–178. n-Butyl mercaptan (n-BM)is used as a solvent and a chemical intermediate. Pregnant CharlesRiver CD-1 mice and COBS CD rats were randomly assigned to acontrol group and to three n-BM-exposed groups of 25 rats and25 mice each. The animals were exposed by whole-body inhalationto mean n-BM concentrations of 10, 68, or 15 2 ppm on a 6-hrdaily exposure schedule. Rats were exposed on Gestation Days6–19 and mice on Gestation Days 6–16. The controlgroup was exposed to filtered air only on a comparable regimen.Cesarean sections were performed on all surviving mice on GestationDay 17 and on all rats on Gestation Day 20. Seventeen of then-BM-treated mice died: 8 at the 68-ppm level and 9 at the 152-ppmlevel; none of the n-BM-treated rats died. An increased postimplantationloss and increased early resorption occurred in mice exposedat 68 and 152 ppm, indicating embryotoxicity. An increased incidenceof cleft palate was observed in mice exposed to 10 or 68 ppmwhich was not statistically significant. Total fetal abnormalitieswere statistically significantly different from controls at68 ppm where maternal lethality was observed when based on thefetal unit although not when based on the litter unit. Ratsexposed to 152 ppm or less demonstrated no terata.