Body burden of hexachlorbenzene in suckling rats and its effects on various organs and on liver porphyrin accumulation.

The hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and porphyrin accumulation in the ograns of 18-day-old Wistar rats, whose mothers were fed a diet containing 80 ppm HCB, were studied. Among the organs examined, the highest HCB residue was in the liver larger than kidney larger than or equal to lung larger than brain larger than spleen larger than heart. The porphyrin level in the liver of the HCB-treated. On the contrary, the weights of the kidney, brain, spleen and heart were significantly reduced. Sex did not influence the organ weight except that of the brain. The results suggested that accumulation of HCB in different organs and porphyrin in the liver of suckling Wistar rats was about equal for the males and females.