Two-week aerosol inhalation study in rats of ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymers.

Previous studies have shown that aerosols of an ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer (UCON 50-HB-5100) produced an inflammatory response in lungs of rats in short-term repeated exposures at relatively low concentrations. This study was carried out on related polyalkylene glycols (EO/PO copolymers) to determine if similar effects would occur upon short-term repeated exposure. Rats were treated by whole body liquid droplet aerosol exposures of six hours per day, five days per week for two consecutive weeks to each of five EO/PO copolymers. The exposure level for the positive control (UCON 50-HB-5100) was 55 mg/m3, while the remaining 4 test copolymers were evaluated at 100 mg/m3. Each exposure group consisted of ten male albino rats. After three exposures, nine of ten rats exposed to UCON 50-HB-5100, and six of ten rats exposed to UCON 50-HB-2000 had died. At necropsy, congestion, consolidation and red discoloration of the lungs were noted. A moderate to severe alveolitis, characterized by intraalveolar edema, hemorrhage and fibrin deposition, was observed after five days of exposure. At necropsy, these rats exhibited elevated lung weights and similar macroscopic and microscopic lesions. Rats exposed to the other test materials (UCON 75-H-1400, Pluronic L17R1, Pluronic L31, and Pluronic L64) survived with essentially no signs of toxicity through the ten exposure days. Body weights, organ weights, hematological evaluation, pharmacotoxic signs, and macroscopic and microscopic evaluation after necropsy were similar between groups and when compared to the negative control group. Only a slight alveolitis was noted after two weeks of exposure which subsided by two-weeks post exposure.

Acute inhalation toxicity studies in several animal species of an ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer (UCON 50-HB-5100).

An acute inhalation toxicity study in several species of animals with an ethylene oxide/propylene oxide copolymer (EO/PO) having a molecular weight of 4000 [UCON-50-HB-5100, CAS #9038-95-3] was designed to determine if any species variation could be shown. Species tested included: rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, and dogs. The test material was administered as a respirable liquid aerosol for 4 hours at target concentrations of 50, 100, 200, and 500 mg/m3. A vehicle control group was exposed to a distilled water aerosol. The 4 hours LC50's were calculated to be 147 mg/m3 [rats], 174 mg/m3 [mice], 293 mg/m3 [guinea pigs] and 511 mg/m [hamsters]. The dog LC50 was determined to be greater than 500 mg/m3 since all the test animals survived exposure to this concentration. These values show that rats and mice were the most sensitive species with a declining response in guinea pigs, hamsters and dogs. Lung weights were increased at all exposure concentrations in rats, mice and hamsters. Lung weights were increased in guinea pigs at exposure concentrations of 100 mg/m3 and above. Lung weights in dogs were increased only at the 500 mg/m3 exposure concentration. Significant pathological changes were limited to the lungs and were more common in animals which died prior to scheduled sacrifice. Grossly, these lung changes consisted of red discoloration, edema, emphysema, and surface irregularities. Microscopic findings in the lungs included acute congestion and hemorrhage and, less commonly, acute interstitial inflammation.