A repeated dose study of the toxicity of inhaled 2-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) aerosol in three species of laboratory animal.

The repeated dose inhalation toxicity of 2-chlorobenzylidene maloninitrile (CS) was investigated in male mice, rats, and guinea-pigs. Exposure was 1 h X day-1 for 120 days surviving animals being killed approximately 1 year after the start of exposure. Excess mortality was noted in the high dose groups of all three species but at exposure concentrations below 30 micrograms X 1(-1) mortality varied little between the control and test groups. Death during the experiment was related to concentration of exposure rather than total dose (Ct). No case of a dose-response relationship between tumours in a particular site, and total dose of CS was noted.