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Cytogenetic analyses of mice exposed to dichloromethane

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6358047
Chromosome damage was studied in female B6C3F1 mice exposed to dichloromethane (DCM) by subcutaneous or inhalation treatments. No increase in either the frequencies of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) or chromosome aberrations (CAs) in bone marrow cells was observed after a single subcutaneous injection of either 2,500 or 5,000 mg/kg DCM. Inhalation exposure to DCM for 10 days at doses of 4,000 or 8,000 ppm resulted in significant increases in frequencies of SCEs in lung cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes, CAs in lung and bone marrow cells, and micronuclei (MN) in peripheral blood erythrocytes. Lung cell CAs and blood erythrocyte MN reached frequencies of approximately two times control levels. Following a 3-month inhalation exposure to 2,000 ppm DCM, mice showed small but significant increases in lung cell SCEs and peripheral blood erythrocyte MN. These findings suggest that genotoxicity may play a role in the carcinogenicity of DCM in the lungs of B6C3F1 female mice.
Research Organization:
Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (USA). Health Effects Research Lab.
OSTI ID:
6358047
Report Number(s):
PB-91-115824/XAB; EPA--600/J-90/168
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English