Reproductive and neurobehavioral effects of chlorpropham administered to mice in the diet.

Chlorpropham was given in the diet to provide levels of 0(control), 0.15, 0.30, and 0.60%, from 5 weeks of age of the F0 generation to 9 weeks of age of the F1 generation in mice, and selected reproductive and neurobehavioral parameters were measured. There were no adverse effects of chlorpropham on either litter size or litter weight and sex ratio at birth. The average body weight of offspring was significantly affected in the low-dose group of each sex and in the high-dose group of females, and was increased in the middle-dose group of males during the lactation period. In neurobehavioral parameters, surface righting at postnatal day (PND) 7 was significantly affected in male offspring in a dose-related manner. Swimming head angle at PND 4 was significantly restrained in male offspring in a dose-related manner, and olfactory orientation at PND 14 was significantly depressed in female offspring in a dose-related manner. The dose levels of chlorpropham in the present study produced some adverse effects in reproductive and neurobehavioral parameters in mice.