Acute toxicity of 2-butyne-1,4-diol in laboratory animals.

Acute toxicity of 2-butyne-1,4-diol (BYD) was evaluated in laboratory animals. The evaluation involved acute oral and dermal toxicity in rats, dermal and ocular irritation in rabbits and skin sensitization in guinea pigs. The oral LD50 values for BYD were 132 mg kg-1 in male rats and 176 mg kg-1 in female rats. Post-mortem histology showed severe damage in lungs, liver and kidneys. In surviving rats, moderate to severe degenerative changes were observed in the liver but only mild lesions in the kidneys. In acute dermal toxicity studies the test chemical was applied either as a solid substance or as 40% aqueous solution at a dose of 5 g kg-1 for 24 h. Within 48 h of application of the diluted test material, half of the rats died. Liver and kidneys were the primary targets and different stages of degeneration, including necrosis, were observed. No deaths occurred after application of the solid substance. In rabbits, BYD was slightly irritant to skin and eyes. No allergic contact dermatitis was observed in guinea pigs.