NTP Technical Report on Toxicity Studies of Methylene Bis(thiocyanate) (CAS No.6317-18-6) Administered by Gavage to F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice

摘要

Methylene bis(thiocyanatel) is used as a biocide in a number of applications.Methylene bis(thiocyanate) was selected for study because of the potential for human exposure to the compound and because of the interest in organothiocyanates as a chemical class. Toxicity studies of methylene bis(thiocyanate) (approximately 98% pure) were conducted with male and female F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice; the compound was administered to the animals by gavage in an aqueous methyl cellulose vehicle for two weeks or 13 weeks. In the 2-week studies, groups of five rats and five mice per sex were administered methylene bis(thiocyanate) at concentrations of 0, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 mg/kg body weight. All animals in the two highest dose groups (80 and 160 mg/kg) died by Day 2 of the studies. Except for one female rat, all animals receiving 40 mg/kg methylene bis(thiocyanate) also died before the end of the studies. Cinical observations were similar to those reported for cyanide toxicity and included dyspnea, tremors, and ataxia. The stomach, which was identified as the target organ in rats and mice surviving for at least 24 hours, had necrotic inflammatory lesions of the mucosal surface of both glandular and nonglandular portions.