A comparison of male-mediated effects in rats and mice exposed to 1,3-butadiene.

There is current concern that exposure of men to certain agents such as radiation and smoking can adversely affect their offspring in terms of cancer outcome. Studies in laboratory animals after radiation have supported such an association, and other studies after male exposure to radiation and various chemicals have also resulted in congenital malformations. The present study was undertaken to examine congenital malformations in offspring from males exposed to 1,3-butadiene over a lower dose range than that in an earlier mouse study and to determine if there was a species difference in sensitivity between rats and mice. An earlier extended dominant lethal study of male CD-1 mice exposed by inhalation to 12.5 ppm and 1250 ppm of 1,3-butadiene for 6 h/day, 5 days/wk, for 10 weeks produced an increase in F1 abnormalities and late deaths at 12.5 ppm and in early deaths at 1250 ppm. The present study examined the same reproductive effects after exposure of male CD-1 mice for 6 h/day, 5 days/wk, for 4 weeks to 12.5, 65 and 130 ppm of 1,3-butadiene. There was no increase in early deaths at 12.5 ppm as in the earlier study but there were statistically significant increases in early deaths at 65 and 130 ppm study and these were not dose-related. There was a non-significant increase in F1 gross abnormalities at 130 ppm and no increase in late deaths. The present study also examined male Sprague-Dawley rats after exposure to 65,400 and 1250 ppm for 6 h/day, 5 days/wk, for 10 weeks. There were no effects on early deaths, late deaths, or congenital malformations in the rat study. There was a reduction in implants at 65 ppm but this was not considered to be biologically/genetically significant as there was no corresponding increase in early deaths and the response was not dose-related. The differences observed between the rat and mouse studies would confirm the greater sensitivity to 1,3-butadiene of the mouse by comparison with the rat as reported by other workers for other parameters.