Effects of DDT on reproduction in multiple generations of beagle dogs

Abstract

The effects of chronic oral exposure to 1, 5, and 10 mg of technical DDT/kg/day on: 1) age at puberty, length of gestation, fertility, success of pregnancy, litter size, and lactational ability of dams; 2) viability, survival to weaning, sex distribution and growth of pups; and 3) morbidity, mortality, organ/body weight ratios, gross and histologic abnormalities in all animals were studied through three generations of Beagle dogs. There were a total of 135 adult female and 63 adult male dogs in the project which produced 650 pups. There were no statistically significant differences among control and DDT-treated dogs in any of the reproductive variables, with the exception of age at puberty of the females. DDT-treated females had their first estrous cycles 2 to 3 months earlier (P less than .001) than the control dogs. Selected DDT-treated females, held for a second breeding period, had normal anestrous periods between their first and second estrous cycles. There was no effect of DDT on survival, growth, and sex distribution of pups, nor was there any influence on morbidity, mortality, gross or histologic findings in any of the dogs. All organ/body weight ratios were normal, with the possible exception of an increase in liver/body weight ratio in some DDT-treated animals.

Statement Regarding OSHA's Proposed Federal Cancer Policy

“…This conclusion has been held for many years by Dr. Wayland Hayes [2]. It is supported by a number of recent observations such as those of Dr. Alice Ottoboni who found no tumors in beagle dogs at high levels of DDT through three generations [3]. It is also supported by the absence of evidence of industrially-o r occupationallyinduced cancer in workers exposed to high levels of DDT and dieldrin o r in many thousands of spraymen who have acquired heavy body loads of DDT, and by studies by the National Cancer Institute [ 121.…”

Body Burden of Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethene (DDE) and Childhood Pulmonary Function

“…Such dysregulations involving IL-4 can induce epithelial cell proliferation, fibrosis, and mucus secretion in the lungs [ 9 , 30 ]. Thus, DDE-related immune changes may add to the remodeling of both smaller and larger airways, which may explain a higher risk of asthma in children exposed to DDE [ 13 , 14 , 16 , 31 ]. Hence, in addition to the mediating effect of height (growth), future investigations should additionally integrate immune markers in the path-analytical models.…”

Alterations in male reproductive hormones in relation to environmental DDT exposure

“…In vivo DDE exposure resulted in significantly increased estradiol and T, but decreased FSH concentrations (O'Connor et al 2002). Multigenerational in vivo reproductive toxicity studies using DDT in mice (Tarjan and Kemeny 1969;Turusov et al 1973), rats (Ottoboni 1969;1972) and dogs (Ottoboni et al 1977) were not contributing to a clearer understanding of DDT effects.…”