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Simple and flexible methods have been designed for the determination of pentachlorophenol in animal tissue, blood plasma, urine, and aerosol. The isolation of the pesticide is achieved through its extraction with benzene or hexane after acidification, derivatization, and its subsequent purification through florosil columns. A brief describption of the sampling methods is included. The described procedures are especially suited for exposure experiments where different types of samples with a large variety of PCP concentrations are encountered.

It appears that in the rat repeated respiratory exposures to PCP do not result in an increase in the body burden of this compound as would be suspected from the 24 hour half-life determined from a single inhalation exposure. These results suggest some mechanism induced by prior exposure to PCP that increases the ability of the animals to remove this compound from its body. Increased excretion may be a factor in this activity, however, it cannot account for the total effect. Storage appears unlikely, since the elimination rate and time period remain unchanged after five doses as compared to after one. Increased matebolism may be the explanation, although this mechanism can only be inferred from these data. Quantitative metabolic results will be necessary to support this hypothesis.

This study examined the effects on PCP binding to BSA by varying the temperature, pH ionic strength, PCP concentration and BSA concentration. It also compared the albumin binding of PCP to the plasma binding of PCP for the rat and human.

An exposure system has been designed which is applicable for short time, acute exposures of rats to the aerosol of pesticides. The aerosol is generated by compressed air aspiration. Larger droplets are removed by a cyclone separation. The exposure chamber has 12 inhalation sites separated from the animal containers by rubber seals which insure inhalation as the only route of exposure.

An LD50 study of inhaled pentachlorophenol has been conducted. Seven groups of rats, consisting of 12 animals each, were exposed to the aerosol of sodium pentachlorophenate. The LD50 was 11.7 mg/kg body weight as shown on a probit curve.