Short-Term Toxicity of Bitumen Upgrading Products in the Rat Following Repeated Dermal Exposure

Light gas oil (B-LGO), heavy gas oil No. 1 (B-HGOI), and heavygas oil No. 2 (B-HGOII) fractions of bitumen upgrading products(BUPs) were applied on the dorsal skin of rats at 25 mg/kg bw/day(low dose), 100 mg/kg bw/day (intermediate dose), and 400 mg/kgbw/day (high dose) for 4 weeks. Control animals received normalsaline while positive controls received a medium boiling coalliquefaction product (CLP) at 100 and 400 mg/kg bw/day. Reducedfood consumption and growth suppression were observed in malesand females treated with B-HGOI, B-HGOII, and CLP, but onlyin males receiving B-LGO. Increased relative spleen, kidney,and liver weights were observed in animals treated with B-HGOI,B-HGOII, and CLP, but not in control or LGO groups. A dose-relatedincrease in absolute and relative liver weight was most markedin animals receiving B-HGOII where a significant increase wasobserved starting at the low dose, followed by those receivingB-HGOI and CLP. Appearance of pale foci on the splenic capsuleand increases in spleen/body weight ratio were limited to animalsreceiving B-HGOI and B-HGOII. Decreases in hematocrit and RBCand increase in percentage of reticulocytes were observed inanimals of both sexes receiving B-HGOI and B-HGOII. Female ratsappeared to be more severely affected because significant decreasesin hemoglobin and RBC were observed in animals receiving thelow dose of B-HGOII and the intermediate dose of B-HGO-I. Increasedserum cholesterol was observed in B-HGOII-treated females atall dose levels, and in males starting at the intermediate dose.Histological changes were observed in the thymus gland, wheremoderate to marked cortical atrophy was noted in male and femalerats receiving the high dose of B-HGOI and B-HGOII, and in thebone marrow, where the most significant abnormality was thepresence of focal myelofibrosis in some male rats treated withB-HGOI and B-HGOII. Mild to moderate histological changes werefound in the thyroid, liver, and spleen of rats of all treatmentgroups. Changes in the skin included moderate hyperkeratosisin fe males receiving high doses of B-LGO and in animals ofboth sexes receiving high doses of B-HGOI, and moderate to markedepidermal hyperplasia in rats receiving high doses of B-HGOI.Based on these multiple endpoints, the severity of systemictox icity was B-HGOII > B-HGOI > CLP B-LGO. The NOEL wasabout 25 mg/kg bw/day for B-LGO and lower than 25 mg/ kg bw/dayfor B-HGOI and B-HGOII.