Toxicology Studies on Lewisite and Sulfur Mustard Agents: Two-Generation Reproduction Study of Lewisite in Rats Final Report

Toxicity of vesicant agents scheduled for destruction by the Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program.

“…The active arsenical group in Lewisite is thought to react with proteins and could thus affect developing offspring (110,111). Several experiments designed to examine aspects of reproduction have been recently completed by the U.S. Army Biomedical Engineering Research and Development Laboratory (USABRDL) (99,112). Examination of maternal and fetal effects was accomplished by exposing pregnant rats and rabbits to Lewisite by gastric intubation at a daily dose range of 0-1.5 mg/kg for rats and 0-0.6 mg/kg for rabbits.…”

“…Sasser et al (99) have studied the reproductive effects of Lewisite exposure in a two-generation reproductive study in rats (Table 6). There were no adverse effects of Lewisite exposure on reproductive performance, fertility, or reproductive organ weights observed in this study.…”

Mustards and Vesicants

“…Multigeneration reproductive studies in rats (Sasser et al, 1989b) and teratology studies in rats and rabbits (Hackett et al, 1987) given lewisite by gastric intubation were negative or compromised by concurrent maternal toxicity.…”

Wildlife Toxicity Assessment for Lewisite

“…No effects level could be determined in rats as mortality was found in the F 0 generation [13,14]. Rats of each sex per group were gavaged with 0, 0.1, 0.25, or 0.6 mg lewisite/ kg/day in sesame oil, 5 days/week, for 13 weeks prior to mating.…”

“…Several toxicological studies [11][12][13][14] contain data relevant to the determination of lewisite toxicity reference values (TRVs). The subchronic study of lewisite in Sprague Dawley rats [11] identified the primary effect of lewisite to be necrotic lesions of the forestomach that occurred in animals receiving 1.0 mg/kg/day, equivalent to an average 7-day dose LOAEL of 0.71 mg/kg/day.…”