Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons used in the foods industry: the comparative pharmacokinetics of methylene chloride, 1,2 dichloroethane, chloroform and trichloroethylene after I.V. administration in the rat.

the pharmacokinetics of methylene chloride, CH2Cl2, 1,2-dichloroethane, CH2ClCH2Cl, chloroform, CHCl3 and trichloroethylene, CHCl.CCl2 were determined, after i.v. administration to male Wistar rats, at five dose levels ranging from 3 to 15 mg/kg. The elimination of chloroform followed a three compartment model at all dose levels. The remaining compounds gave data that fitted a two compartment model at low doses which changed to a three compartment model at higher dose levels. All data were fitted to a two and three compartment model and the model that gave the best fit was selected on the basis of the smallest residual mean squared error. Very few differences, apart from the change in the nature of the pharmacokinetic model, were seen in the rate coefficients over the dose range tested. At the highest dose level, the rates of uptake and elimination for the major tissues were similar to those observed for the blood but were much slower for the perirenal fat.