POTASSIUM CHLORIDE CAS N°: 7447-40-7

OECD SIDS
POTASSIUM CHLORIDE
Date: 30-MAR-2003
5. Toxicity Substance ID: 7447-40-7
5.1 Acute Toxicity
5.1.1 Acute Oral Toxicity
Type:
LD50
Species:
rat
Strain:
Wistar
Sex:
female
Number of
Animals: 109
Vehicle:
other: none
Value:
3020 mg/kg body weight
Method:
other; acute toxicity
Year: 1961 GLP: no data
Test substance: as prescribed by 1.1-1.4, purity: not stated
Remark:
The animals weighed 200-300 g and were fed ad
libitum. They were placed in metabolism cages, one
animal per cage, and given water for 16 hours
before administration. KCl was given by stomach
tube in doses of 2.1, 2.4, 2.7, 3.3, 3.6 and 3.9
g/kg body weight. Each dose was dissolved in
distilled water and given in a volume of 20 ml/kg
body weight.
Clinical signs were recorded at hourly or other
intervals.
Body weight, food and water intake, urine volume
and urinanalysis, and colonic temperature were
recorded upon survivors at intervals of 24 hours
after drug administration. Autopsies were performed
upon nonsurvivors. Clinical and pathological
parameters were also recorded on 13 survivors and
controls over a period of two weeks following the
treatment period.
The acute oral LD50 +/- SE was determined to be
3020 +/- 0.14 mg/kg body weight. The mean +/- SD
interval to death was 2.2 +/- 3.2 hours. Clinical
signs of intoxication in animals that died included
convulsions followed by exhaustion and respiratory
failure. Autopsy revealed signs of irritant gastroenteritis,
and necrosis appeared in the renal
tubular epithelium. The heart was dilated with
blood at death, and the lung alveoli were
frequently collapsed. Compared to control animals
the organ weight changes in nonsurvivors were;
pyloric stomach – 19.0 % change compared to
controls, kidney – 16.8 % change compared to
controls, lungs – 14.7 % change compared to
controls, jejunum – 14 % change compared to
controls, ileum - 14 % change compared to controls,
colon –9.5 % change from controls, and hearth +
11.3 % change from controls. Survivors recovered
quickly from the toxic effects of KCl.
Animals surviving the LD50 dose had convulsive
movements, diarrhoea or constipation, loss of
appetite, increased thirst and urine excretion and
fever. Measurements of clinical signs were within
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