Reproductive and developmental toxicity of potassium perfluorohexanesulfonate in CD-1 mice.

Potassium perfluorohexanesulfonate (KPFHxS) was evaluated for reproductive/developmental toxicity in CD-1 mice. Up to 3 mg/kg-d KPFHxS was administered (n = 30/sex/group) before mating, for at least 42 days in F males, and for F females, through gestation and lactation. F pups were directly dosed with KPFHxS for 14 days after weaning. There was an equivocal decrease in live litter size at 1 and 3 mg/kg-d, but the pup-born-to-implant ratio was unaffected. Adaptive hepatocellular hypertrophy was observed, and in 3 mg/kg-d F males, it was accompanied by concomitant decreased serum cholesterol and increased alkaline phosphatase. There were no other toxicologically significant findings on reproductive parameters, hematology/clinical pathology/TSH, neurobehavioral effects, or histopathology. There were no treatment-related effects on postnatal survival, development, or onset of preputial separation or vaginal opening in F mice. Consistent with previous studies, our data suggest that the potency of PFHxS is much lower than PFOS in rodents.