2-GENERATION REPRODUCTION STUDY ON COMMERCIAL HEXANE SOLVENT

The reproductive effects of inhalation exposure to commercial hexane v apors were evaluated in Sprague-Dawley rats. Males and females were ex posed to commercial hexane vapor at target concentrations of 0, 900, 3 000 or 9000 ppm for 6 h a day, 5 or 7 days a week, over two generation s. In addition to pre-breed exposures of 10 weeks' duration, exposures continued through mating, gestation and lactation. At both the F-0 br eed to produce F-1 litters and the F-1 breed to produce F-2 litters, r eproductive parameters were unaffected by commercial hexane exposure. The mating, fertility and gestational indices, as well as litter size and postnatal survival, were not significantly different between expos ure groups. However, reductions in body weight and body weight gain we re observed in both F-1 and F-2 litters exposed to 9000 ppm. Effects o n body weight were not observed in offspring exposed to the two lower concentrations of commercial hexane, Histopathological examination of selected tissues revealed hyaline droplet nephropathy in adult F-0 and F-1 males exposed to 9000 ppm. This finding was anticipated and is no t believed to be relevant for the assessment of human health effects. No other treatment-related histopathological lesions were observed. Th us, exposure of rats to commercial hexane for two generations resulted in reduced body weight gains at 9000 ppm but no adverse effects on re production. These findings suggest that occupational exposure to comme rcial hexane vapors at currently recommended threshold limit value con centrations (i.e. TLV for n-hexane is 50 ppm and TLV for other hexane isomers is 500 ppm) should not pose a reproductive hazard.