A toxicology evaluation of postnatal maternal exposure to cesium

The effect of postnatal maternal exposure to CsCl on the newborn was studied in the mouse. Maternal ingestion of 1 mEq CsCl solution as the only drinking fluid began immediately after birth and the offspring were breast-fed until weaning. They were then separated from the nursing dams and remained Cs free for a subsequent 2 weeks prior to sacrifice. Maternal Cs exposure decreased the weanling body weight from controls and they attained normal body weight after 2 weeks of Cs-free period during development. Maternal Cs ingestion caused a reduction in offspring brain weight of both sexes compared to controls. The kidney weight of the developing female, but not male, offspring was also decreased from controls as a consequence of maternal Cs exposure. The offspring's hepatic alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase were not altered from controls as a function of maternal exposure to Cs salt. Little changes occurred in offspring heart lactate dehydrogenase by the maternal Cs treatment. The results suggest that maternal Cs exposure during breast-feeding affected body weight and the CNS of the offspring. The change noted in weanling kidney weight was sex dependent. These gross pathological changes in weanling organ weight were not apparent when maternal breast-feeding was eliminated. The data indicates that Cs adversely affected the newborn which was eliminated after cessation of the Cs exposure.