Studies on the male reproductive toxicity of Freon 22.

Freons have been used extensively as refrigerants and as propellants in household products, and yet their possible effects on male reproduction have received little attention. In the present study, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (nine weeks of age) were exposed to 50 000 ppm Freon 22, five hrs per day for eight weeks. The control group received filtered air at an identical flow rate. At the end of the eight week exposure period, body and organ weights, hematology, blood chemistry, plasma gonadotropins, and fertility parameters were not significantly different from controls, with the exception of serum cholesterol levels, which were slightly higher, and glucose and triglyceride levels which were lower. The weight of coagulating glands was also lower than those of controls, but did not interfere with fertility function.