Two Methods for Testing Cumulative Toxicity of Pesticides in Rats and Mouse

Objective To develop a method for evaluating the cumulative toxic effects of these widely used organophosphate and carbamate pesticides exposed to rats and mice.Methods Wistar rats and ICR mice were treated with four kinds of organophosphorus pesticides and four kinds of carbamate pesticides at a fixed dosage during 20 days experiment period or an increased dosage with increase every four days during the same experiment days,respectively.After 20 days consecutive administration,the animal death rates were calculated and the toxicity of the pesticides were evaluated.Results the number of dead animals in each group is less than 50% of the total;the cumulative coefficient K is more than 5(K5).Conclusion The procedure described in the present study is simple and easy to deal with.Both the organophosphate and carbamate pesticides are weak cumulative toxicity.