Behavioral effects on juvenile rats from perinatal exposure to low levels of toxaphene, and its toxic components, toxicant A, and toxicant B.

Behavioral effects of toxaphene, and its toxic components, toxicant A and toxicant B, were studied by perinatally exposing juvenile rats. Toxaphene was given daily to pregnant rats (and their offspring) at 50 microgram/kg body weight via their diet. The daily dietary levels of toxicants A and B were 2.0 microgram/kg body weight. Behavioral tests were performed on the offspring. All rats fed toxaphene, as well as toxicants A and B, showed retarded maturation as judged by the swimming test during their early development. However, the treated rats eventually attained normal swimming ability. The maze retention test demonstrated significant differences between the toxicant A group and all other groups. The toxicant A animals had no difficulty in learning the test problems but were inferior to the other groups in retaining that knowledge.