Chronic toxicity and oncogenicity of picloram in Fischer 344 rats

The chronic toxicity and oncogenicity of the herbicide picloram was studied in male and female Fischer 344 rats administered 0, 20, 60, or 200 mg/kg.d technical-grade picloram via their feed for 2 yr. A comprehensive set of in-life and clinical pathology parameters was measured and an extensive list of tissues was examined grossly and by light microscopy from control and treatment groups of animals. The primary treatment-related effect observed in the study was hepatocellular swelling and altered tinctorial properties in the central regions of the liver lobules of both sexes of rats ingesting 60 or 200 mg/kg.d picloram. Males were more affected than females. Increases in liver weights accompanied these changes in both sexes of rats ingesting the high dose level of picloram. All other histopathologic lesions observed were typical of those that normally occur in aged Fischer 344 rats. There were no treatment-related increases in the incidence of any particular tumor type or in total tumors. No treatment-related effects were observed in rats ingesting 20 mg/kg.d of the test material.