Skip to main content
Log in

Carcinogenicity of sulfuric acid in rats and mice

  • Article
  • Published:
Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

An International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) committee recognized aerosol of sulphuric acid as a human carcinogen on the basis of epide-miological studies. No experimental studies on the carcinogenicity, either of sulfuric acid aerosol or of sulfuric acid itself was available. Our aim was to determine whether sulfuric acid is a causal or modifying factor in carcinogenesis, especially in the respiratory tract. We used two species of laboratory animals (both sexes) - 315 Wistar rats and 219 CBAxC57Bl mice in a long term experimental study. The rats were treated with sulfuric acid (maximal tolerated doses, by chronic intratracheal instillations or by gastric intubations) and/or benzo(a)pyrene (by intratracheal instillations). The mice were treated with sulfuric acid (by chronic gastric intubations) and/or urethane (by intraperitoneal injections). We observed the animals throughout their lives and performed gross and microscopic examination of all organs. The results of the first year of study did not provide clear evidence either for sulfuric acid carcinogenicity or for co-carcinogenicity. However, in the second year tumors appeared in those organs where sulfuric acid acted directly. A modifying (stimulating) effect of sulfuric acid on carcinogenesis induced with benzo(a)pyren was observed in rats. Sulfuric acid did not influence lung carcinogenesis induced with urethane in mice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Barauskaite S: Modifying effect of some chemical factors on car- cinogenesis, induced with urethane or N-nitrosodiethylamine in mice: M.D. thesis (In Russ.), Vilnius, 1987.

  2. Gurevicius R: Methological aspects of descriptive epidemiology of lung cancer (according to the material of Lithuania): M.D. thesis (In Russ.), Vilnius, 1987.

  3. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Vol. 54, Lyon, France, 41–119, 1992,

  4. Methodological recommendations for the investigation of carcinogenic effects of chemical substances and biological products in long term studies on animals (In Russ.)bl], Moscow-Leningrad, 1981.

  5. Shabad LM, Pylev LN, Kolesnichenko TS: Importance of the deposition of carcinogens for cancer induction in lung tissue. J Nat Cancer Inst 33:135–141, 1964.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Shimkin MB, Stoner GD: Lung tumors in mice: application to carcinogenesis bioassay. Advan Cancer Res 21:1–58, 1975.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Shimkin MB, Weisburger JH, Weisburger EK, et al: Bioassay of 29 alkylating chemicals by the pulmonary-tumour responses in strain A mice. J Nat Cancer Inst 36:915–935, 1966.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Soskolne CL, Zeighami EA, Hants NM, et al: Laryngeal cancer and occupational exposure to sulfuric acid. Am J Epidemiol 120:358–369, 1984.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

UleckienÉ, S., GriciutÉ, L. Carcinogenicity of sulfuric acid in rats and mice. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 3, 38–43 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02893351

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02893351

Key words

Navigation