Toxicity of methylmercury chloride in rats. II. Reproduction study

A reproduction study over 3 generations of rats was carried out in which groups of 20 female and 10 male rats received in the diet 0, 0.1, 0.5 and 2.5 ppm MeHgCl. The parameters studied included growth, food intake, haematology, serum and urinalysis, organ weights and reproductive performance, No effect was exerted on fertility index, lactation index or on the 21-day body weights of pups but the viability index was impaired at 2.5 ppm in the F1 and F2 generations. Weight gain reductions observed at 12 weeks for the 2.5 ppm level were not accompanied by reductions in food intake. At 6 months, Fla females on 2.5 ppm showed a reduced leucocyte count whilst P males on 0.5 and 2.5 ppm showed an increase in neutrophils and a decrease in lymphocytes. The relative weights of the kidneys, heart, spleen brain and thyroid were increased at 2.5 ppm and in some cases the increases of kidney weights were inconsistently seen at the 0.1 and 0.5 ppm levels. No significant histological changes were seen at any level. In a special 7-week study involving the F3a generation, weanling rats obtained from the four different F2a groups, each comprising 20 females and 10 males, were all transferred to diets containing 25 ppm MeHgCl. Toxicity signs were evident at 7 weeks. No evidence was obtained of increased susceptibility to the toxicity of MeHgCl in successive generations.