ABSTRACT
Soluble silicates represent a broad range of chemical substances, which, to meet EEC laws, must be classified and labelled to identify their toxicological hazards. The wide range of this type of substance which can be manufactured, and the potentially severe effects which can be produced in standard eye irritation tests, means that classification by standard animal procedures is undesirable. One of the most reliable in vitro assays for assessing eye irritation potential is the rabbit enucleated eye test. This procedure has been used to test a range of soluble sodium silicates to enable these materials to be classified for eye hazard. The experimental approach demonstrates an important example of how an in vitro procedure can be used to propose classification for materials in a reasonable, scientifically valid way, taking account of the nature of the potential hazards and the intrinsic limitations of the in vitro methods used.
ABSTRACT
The route of absorption, tissue distribution, metabolism route of excretion, and excretion rate of the anionic detergent sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) in goldfish was investigated using [35-S] or [1-14-C] SLS. It has been shown that goldfish absorb SLS from solution principally through the gills, and that SLS is rapidly distributed throughout the body tissues, the highest concentration being found in the gall bladder. SLS was metabolised by the fish to butyric acid-4-sulphate, and was excreted by the kidney. Over a 24-h period 68% and 38% of a prescribed dose was excreted from freely fed and unfed fish, respectively.
