Acute inhalation toxicity of some halogenated and non-halogenated hydrocarbons.

1 The relative potency of effect of a wide range of halogenated and unsubstituted hydrocarbons on the central nervous system (CNS) and the heart of experimental animals have been determined. 2 The chemicals used caused either stimulation or depression of the rat CNS after 10 minutes' inhalation of concentrations ranging from 0.24% to greater than 80% (v/v), and cardiac sensitization in dogs after 5 minutes' inhalation of 0.12% to approximately 80% (v/v). 3 The toxicity could not be correlated with chemical structure, molecular weight, the presence or absence of various halogen atoms or the degree of saturation, but it was inversely related to the saturated vapour pressure. When the results were expressed on a thermodynamic scale the chemicals had similar potencies at relative saturations of 0.004 to 0.04 4 It is suggested that the effects of these chemicals on the CNS and the heart are probably structurally non-specific, and the chemicals may be regarded as physical toxicants whose effects are predictable from their physico-chemical properties.