CARCINOGENICITY OF BENZOTRICHLORIDE ADMINISTERED TO MICE BY GASTRIC INTUBATION

Epidemiological studies suggest that benzotrichloride (BTC) is a human carcinogen. In the present study, BTC was tested to evaluate its abil ity to induce lung tumors as a result of systemic exposure. Administra tion of BTC by gastric intubation, 2.0-0.0315 mu l/mouse (4 doses), tw ice a week for 25 weeks, in female ICR mice, produced forestomach tumo rs (squamous cell carcinoma and papilloma), lung tumors (adenocarcinom a and adenoma) and tumors of the hematopoietic system (thymic lymphosa rcoma and lymphatic leukemia) with dose-related response by 18 months. The present and previous studies indicate that the target organs of B TC carcinogenesis in mice are the local; tissue which is primarily exp osed, and the lung and hematopoietic tissue when BTC is administered s ystemically.