Embryotoxicity of industrial chemicals on the chicken embryo: dithiocarbamates.

Seven dithiocarbamates and three acetates were tested for teratogenicity and lethality in three-day chicken embryos. These included: cadmium diethyldithiocarbamate (CdDE), zinc diethyldithiocarbamate (ZnDE), zinc ethylphenyldithiocarbamate (ZnEP), zinc dibutyldithiocarbamate (ZnDB), copper dimethyldithiocarbamate (CuDM), tellurium diethyldithiocarbamate (TeDE), and piperidine pentamethylenedithiocarbamate (PPM), cadmium acetate (CdAC), copper-(II)acetate (CuAC), and zinc acetate (ZnAC). The parameters measured were early deaths, recorded within two days of injection, late deaths of malformed embryos, late deaths of nonmalformed embryos, and malformed survivors. The order of embryotoxicity decreased as follows: CdAC greater than CdDE greater than ZnDE greater than or equal to ZnEP greater than or equal to ZnDB greater than CuDM greater than TeDE greater than CuAC greater than PPM greater than ZnAC. The only exception to this order was the relatively weak teratogenicity of the metal acetates as compared to dithiocarbamates. Cadmium and zinc dithiocarbamates were potent embryotoxic agents eliciting lethality and malformations at doses of 1 to 10 nmole per egg. Most embryonic deaths occurred at stages 29 to 31, and most of the dead embryos were malformed.