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Table 1.
Bis(chloromethyl)ether-induced respiratory tract tumors in male Sprague-Dawley
rats (Kuschner et al., 1975)
Number of exposures
Human equivalent 1
Tumor incidence 2
(6 hours, 0.1 ppm)
(mg/kg/day) -1
0 0 0/240
10 0.00027 11/41
20 0.000541 3/46
40 0.00105 4/18
60 0.00184 4/18
80 0.00347 15/34
100 0.00373 12/20
1. Calculated by US EPA (1991)
2. Incidence of respiratory tract cancers in animals surviving beyond 210 days.
Male Sprague-Dawley rats (Spartan substrain) (120/group) and Ha/ICR mice (144-157/group) were
exposed to 0, 1, 10 or 100 ppb BCME by inhalation for 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for 6 months
(Leong et al., 1981). The animals were then observed for the duration of their lifespan. No significant
increases in mortality were associated with BCME exposure, except for the 100 ppb exposure group;
all animals in this group were dead by 19 months. Significant treatment-related increases in the
incidence of respiratory tract tumors were noted. Tumor types included nasal esthesioneuroepithelomas
and carcinomas, and pulmonary adenomas. Tumor incidence data is listed in Table 2.
Table 2.
Bis(chloromethyl)ether-induced nasal tumors in male Sprague-Dawley rats
(Leong et al., 1981)
Concentration 1 Tumor Incidence 2
(ppb)
0 0/112
1 0/113
10 0/111
100 97/112
1. Animals were exposed to 0, 1, 10, 100 ppb BCME for 6 hours/day, 5 days/week for 6
months.
2. Incidence of nasal tumors as reported by CDHS (1988).
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