Subchronic oral toxicity of BaCl2 in rats.

Groups of young adult rats of both sexes were exposed to 0, 10, 50, or 250 mg/liter (ppm) of barium as barium chloride in drinking water for 4, 8, or 13 weeks. No adverse effects related to barium ingestion were observed in food consumption, clinical signs, body weight, hematologic parameters (i.e., hemoglobin, hematocrit, red cell count, leukocyte count, prothrombin time, and fibrinogen), serum enzyme activities (i.e., SGOT, SGPT, and blood urea nitrogen), serum ions (i.e., Na, K, and Ca), gross pathology, and histopathology. Water consumption was slightly depressed in the highest dose group. A slight decrease in the relative weight of adrenals of treated vs. control animals was observed. Increasing dose, but not duration of exposure, produced related increases in barium concentrations in liver, skeletal muscle, heart, and bone, with the highest concentrations observed in bone.