Toxicologic and Reproductive Effects of Inhaled 1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane in Rats

Toxicologic and Reproductive Effects of Inhaled 1, 2-Di-bromo-3-chloropropanein Rats. Rao, K.S., Burek, J.D., Murray, F.J., John, J.A., Schwetz,B.A., Bell, T J., Potts, W.J. and Parker, CM. (1983). Fundam.Appl. Toxicol. 3:104-110. Groups of 30 male and 30 female Sprague-Dawleyrats were exposed by inhalation to 0, 0.1, 1.0 or 10 ppm of1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) vapor for 6 hr/day, 5 days/weekfor 14 weeks followed by recovery periods of up to 32 weeks.The fertility of male rats was evaluated by mating trials withunexposed females. The exposed female rats were mated to unexposedmale rats at the end of the 14-week exposure period and againduring post-treatment and were allowed to deliver. Five rats/sex/exposure level were killed after 4 weeks and after 14 weeksof exposure; remaining rats were sacrificed at the end of therecovery period. DBCP did not affect the ability of males toimpregnate females; however, a dominant lethal effect was evidentat 10 ppm which tended to reverse by 5 weeks after terminationof exposure. Moderate testicular atrophy (males) and focal aggregatesof altered cells in the adrenal cortex (males and females) wereobserved in rats sacrificed immediately after exposure to 10ppm for 14 weeks, but not in those exposed to 1.0 or 0.1 ppm.Pathologic evaluation of the rats from the recovery portionof the study showed treatment-related alterations in males andfemales In the 10 and 1.0 ppm exposure groups, but not in thegroups exposed to 0.1 ppm. The testicular alterations that werepresent in the 10 ppm males after the 14-week exposure periodwere tending to reverse by the end of the recovery period. Lesionswere observed in the adrenal cortex of recovery males and femalesfrom the 10 ppm exposure level; females exposed to 1 ppm hadslight adrenal cortical lesions at the end of the recovery period.In addition, increased numbers of ovarian cysts were presentin recovery females from the 10 ppm exposure level. Brain effectsconsisting of focal or multifocal mineralized deposits werepresent in males and females in the 10 ppm exposure level. Notreatment-related alterations were recognized in any of therats from the 0.1 ppm recovery groups.