TESTICULAR TOXICITY EVALUATION OF ARSENIC-CONTAINING BINARY COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTORS, GALLIUM-ARSENIDE AND INDIUM ARSENIDE, IN HAMSTERS

The testicular toxicities of gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium arsenide (InAs) and arsenic trioxide (As2O3) were examined by repetitive intrat racheal instillation using hamsters. GaAs (7.7 mg/kg) and As2O3 (1.3 m g/kg) were instilled twice a week a total of 16 times and InAs (7.7 mg /kg) was instilled a total of 14 times. GaAs caused testicular spermat id retention and epididymal sperm reduction, though the degrees were l ess severe than those in rats shown in our previous experiment. InAs a nd As2O3 did not show any testicular toxicities. Serum arsenic concent ration in GaAs-treated hamsters was less than half of that in As2O3-tr eated hamsters in which no testicular toxicities were found. Serum mol ar concentration of gallium was 32-times higher than that of arsenic i n GaAs-treated hamsters. Therefore gallium may play a main role in the testicular toxicity of GaAs in hamsters.