Safety evaluation of toothpaste containing chloroform. II. Long term studies in rats

The results of a preliminary rangefinding 13-wk oral toxicity study and of two longer term studies on chloroform in toothpaste base are reported. Significant changes in serum enzymes and certain haemotological parameters were seen at the higher dose-levels in the rangefinding study. Intercurrent disease made it necessary to terminate the first long-term experiment prematurely after 1 yr. No evidence of serious toxicity was recorded. In the second long-term experiment, groups of 50 caesarian-derived SPF Sprague-Dawley rats of each sex received either the equivalent of 60 mg CHCl3/kg/d in toothpaste base or the vehicle only, by gavage on 6 d/wk for 80 wk and were then observed for up to a further 15 wk. Chloroform-treated rats of both sexes survived better than the controls, though both groups had a high incidence of non-neoplastic respiratory and renal disease. Female rats gave a consistent finding of decrease in plasma cholinesterase, shown to be related to activity against butyrylcholine but not acetyl-beta-methylcholine. Tumours of various sites were seen in 39 percent of chloroform-treated rats of both sexes examined histologically, compared with 38 percent of vehicle controls. There were no treatment-related effects on the incidence of liver or kidney tumours. Histologically-malignant mammary tumours were reported in more treated than control rats, but the difference in incidence was not statistically significant.