Results of a short-term toxicity study for three organic chemicals found in Niagara River drinking water

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology 1988-10, Vol.41 (4), p.515-522
• Main Authors: KOMSTA, E, CHU, I, SECOURS, V. E, VALLI, V. E, VILLENEUVE, D. C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aldehydes - toxicity; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight - drug effects; Drinking - drug effects; Eating - drug effects; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Female; Furans - toxicity; Hydrocarbons, Brominated - toxicity; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase - blood; Male; Medical sciences; Ontario; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Toxicology; Water; Water Pollutants - toxicity; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Water Supply - analysis
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02020995

Male and female rats were administered dibromomethane, hexanal or tetrahydrofuran in the drinking water (1, 10, 100, 1000 mg per litre) for 4 weeks. No overt signs of toxicity were observed, and there were no treatment related effects on body weight gain, food and water consumption, haematology or hepatic mixed function oxidase activity. Dibromomethane (100, 1000 mg per litre) and hexanal (10-1000 mg per litre) significantly decreased lactate dehydrogenase activity in females but, in the absence of microscopic changes in the target organs, this was not considered biologically significant. Histopathology (control and top dose rats only) revealed mild morphological changes in the thyroid, liver and kidney of treated rats (more severe in males). However, these effects could not be related to any functional changes. Reported levels of the 3 chemicals in Niagara drinking water were 0.2-0.8 ug per litre, 1000-fold lower than the lowest dose tested in this study.