EFFECTS OF LEAD-POISONING OF RATS DURING PREGNANCY ON THE REPRODUCTIVE-SYSTEM AND FERTILITY OF THEIR OFFSPRING

1 The effects of lead poisoning during pregnancy were tested on female Sprague-Dawley rats that inhaled 5 mg m(-3) lead oxide for 13 days du ring gestation, At the end of gestation, the respective blood lead lev els of dams and fetuses were 71.1 and 83.2 mu g 100 ml(-1), indicating lead poisoning. 2 In the 90 day-old male offspring of the exposed dam s, testis weight and histology, and epididymal weight and sperm reserv e, were all similar to those of control males, Spermatozoa mobility an d morphology were normal. 3 Also similar to control values were the pi tuitary weight in these male offspring, their plasma FSH, LH and testo sterone levels, and the weight of their ventral prostate and seminal v esicles, the targets of the sexual hormones. 4 When male and female of fspring of exposed dams were mated, their fertility was normal, with n o increase in prenatal death or malformations, and no changes in the s ize or sex ratio of litters. 5 These results indicate that, under our experimental conditions, lead oxide inhalation by rats during pregnanc y did not perturb reproductive function in their male offspring.