Reproduction, growth, and development of rats during exposure to electric fields at multiple strengths

Technical Report · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5996031

Anderson, L E ^[1]

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1. Battelle Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)

A study with multiple exposure groups and large group sizes was performed to establish whether exposure to 60-Hz electric fields would result in reproductive and development toxicity. Female rats were mated, and sperm-positive animals randomly distributed among four groups: sham-exposed, or exposed to 10, 65, or 130 kV/m, 60-Hz vertical electric fields. During gestation, exposure to the higher field strengths resulted in slightly depressed weight gains of dams. Numbers ofpups per litter and pup mortality did not differ among the exposure groups. Dams exposed at 65 kV/m lost slightly more weight through the lactation period than the control group. Male pups exposed to high field strengths gained slightly less weight from 4 to 21 days of age than did sham exposed animals. At weaning, two F{sub 1} females per litter continued on the same exposure regimen, were mated at 11 weeks of age to unexposed males, and sacrificed at 20 days of gestation. Fertility and gestational weight gain of F{sub 1} females were not affected by exposure, nor was prenatal viability or fetal body weight. No significant increase in the incidence of litters with malformations was observed. Although no developmental toxicity was detected, exposures produced physical changes in the dams, evidenced as a rust-colored deposit on the muzzle and ears (chromodacryorrhea) that increased in incidence and severity at 65 and 130 kV/m. Incidence of chromodacryorrhea was not significantly different between sham-exposed rats and those exposed at 10 kV/m. 29 refs., 10 figs., 7 tabs.

• Research Organization: Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States); Battelle Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: EPRI; Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 5996031
• Report Number(s): EPRI-EN-6847
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560400* -- Other Environmental Pollutant Effects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMAL GROWTH
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHRONIC EXPOSURE
CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ENERGY RANGE
FREQUENCY RANGE
GENETIC EFFECTS
GROWTH
HZ RANGE
KEV RANGE
LITTER SIZE
MALFORMATIONS
MAMMALS
MORTALITY
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
PREGNANCY
RATS
REARING
REPRODUCTION
RODENTS
SCREENING
TERATOGEN SCREENING
VERTEBRATES