Hepatic lesions in mice after continuous inhalation exposure to 1,1,1-trichloroethane

Male CF-1 mice (24 to 34 gm.) were exposed to either 250 p.p.m. or 1000 p.p.m. of 1,1,1-trichloroethane in air continuously for 14 weeks. Control mice were exposed to room air. Serial sacrifice of exposed and control mice from 1 to 14 weeks demonstrated significant changes in the centrilobular hepatocytes of animals in the 1000 p.p.m. group. Moderate liver triglyceride accumulation was evident in the 1000 p.p.m. group and peaked at 40 mg. per gm. of tissue (wet weight) after 7 weeks of exposure. Partial recovery was indicated by a decrease in the hepatic triglyceride level of 16 mg. per gm. by 14 weeks of exposure to 1000 p.p.m. Electron microscopic evaluation revealed that cytoplasmic altertions were most severe in centrilobular hepatocytes in the 1000 p.p.m. group and were mild to minimal in the 250 p.p.m. group. These alterations consisted of vesiculation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, with loss of attached polyribosomes, increased smooth endoplasmic reticulum, microbodies, and triglyceride droplets. Some cells had ballooned cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Necrosis of individual hepatocytes occurred in 40 per cent of the mice exposed to 1000 p.p.m. for 12 weeks. This necrosis was associated with an acute inflammatory infiltrate and hypertrophy of Kupffer cells. Comparison of these findings to the results obtained by other investigators studying dichloromethane indicates that the pathologic alterations observed with 1,1,1-trichloroethane were similar to those observed with dichloromethane, except for different time courses of the effects and different degrees of recovery. The toxic effects of 1,1,1-trichloroethane were of a type similar to those produced by carbon tetrachloride, but they appeared to be much less severe.