Abstract
Authors investigated the effect of toluene exposure on food and water consumption and the body weight gain in rats. Donryu strain male rats were used in the experiments. Fourty eight rats of nine weeks old were divided into two groups, 24 rats each: 2, 000 ppm group and the control group. Fourty eight rats of eight weeks old were divided into three groups, 16 rats each: 100 ppm group, 200 ppm group and the control group. All animals were maintained in gas chambers all day long. The animals of each exposed to the aimed concentration of pure toluene vapor for eight hours a day, six days a week, for four weeks, and those of the control group to only fresh air. Vapor concentrations of toluene in the chamber are shown in Table 1. Consumption of food was more in the 2, 000 ppm group, and less in 100 and 200 ppm groups than in the control group (Figs. 1 and 2). Consumption of water was more in the 2, 000 ppm group than in 100 and 200 ppm groups (Figs. 1 and 2). Increase of body weight was smaller in the 2, 000 ppm group, and lager in 100 and 200 ppm groups than in the control group (Figs, 1 and 3). Relative increase of body weight in each group correlated to that of the amount of food consumed.
