Cabral J R, Shubik P
IARC Sci Publ. 1986(77):411-6.
Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) has been used as a fungicide, is a contaminant of various pesticides and is a by-product in the manufacture of many other chlorinated hydrocarbons. In Turkey, HCB caused an epidemic of toxic porphyria involving several thousand people between 1955 and 1959. The aim of the present studies was to determine the chronic toxicity of HCB after prolonged oral administration and we report here that HCB is carcinogenic in mice and hamsters. Mice and hamsters were given dietary HCB at doses of 50, 100 and 200 ppm for life, with deaths due to toxic manifestations of HCB occurring in group HCB 200. All survivors were killed after 120 weeks. In both mice and hamsters, exposure to HCB increased the incidence of liver-cell tumours but no such tumours were observed in the controls. A significant increase in the incidence of thyroid tumours and liver haemangioendotheliomas was observed in hamsters treated with HCB. Our findings that HCB is carcinogenic in mice and hamsters, together with other results showing the same effect in rats, provide sufficient experimental evidence to recommend great caution in the use of this material.
六氯苯（HCB）曾用作杀真菌剂，是多种农药的污染物，也是许多其他氯代烃制造过程中的副产物。在土耳其，1955年至1959年间，六氯苯导致了一场涉及数千人的中毒性卟啉症流行。本研究的目的是确定长期口服六氯苯后的慢性毒性，我们在此报告六氯苯对小鼠和仓鼠具有致癌性。给小鼠和仓鼠终生喂食剂量分别为50、100和200 ppm的六氯苯，六氯苯200组出现了因六氯苯毒性表现导致的死亡。120周后处死所有存活动物。在小鼠和仓鼠中，接触六氯苯均增加了肝细胞肿瘤的发生率，但对照组未观察到此类肿瘤。在用六氯苯处理的仓鼠中，甲状腺肿瘤和肝血管内皮瘤的发生率显著增加。我们关于六氯苯对小鼠和仓鼠具有致癌性的研究结果，以及其他显示对大鼠有相同作用的结果，提供了充分的实验证据，建议在使用这种物质时要极其谨慎。
