Acute inhalation studies with methyl isocyanate vapor. I. Methodology and LC50 determinations in guinea pigs, rats, and mice.

Groups of male and female Fischer 344 rats, B6C3F1 mice, and Hartley guinea pigs were exposed once for 6 hr to mean concentrations of 10.5, 5.4, 2.4, 1.0, or 0 (control) ppm of methyl isocyanate (MIC) vapor. Rats and mice were also exposed to 20.4 ppm of MIC. No deaths occurred in animals exposed to 2.4 or 1.0 ppm. The majority of deaths for the 20.4- and 10.5-ppm groups occurred during postexposure Days 1 through 3, while at 5.4 ppm deaths were observed throughout the 14-day postexposure period. The 6-hr LC50 values (with 95% confidence limits) were 6.1 (4.6 to 8.2) ppm for rats, 12.2 (8.4 to 17.5) ppm for mice, and 5.4 (4.4 to 6.7) ppm for guinea pigs. Notable clinical observations during and immediately following MIC exposure were lacrimation, perinasal/perioral wetness, respiratory difficulty (e.g., mouth breathing), decreased activity, ataxia, and hypothermia. The frequency of clinical signs decreased during the second postexposure week. Body weight losses were common in all species following MIC exposures of 2.4 ppm or greater. At 1.0 ppm, only female mice had body weight depression. Recovery of body weight loss was observed in the 5.4- (guinea pigs only), 2.4- and 1.0-ppm concentration groups. The lungs of all animals that died were discolored. Following microscopic examination of the respiratory tract, deaths were attributed to pulmonary edema and congestion. In a separate study, Fischer 344 rats and Hartley guinea pigs were exposed once for 4 hr to mean concentrations of 36.1, 25.6, 15.2, or 5.2 ppm of MIC vapor. In general, the results were similar to those of the single 6-hr exposure study.