Fertility, Reproduction and Postnatal Survival in Mice Chronically Exposed to Halothane

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Abstract
Reproductive studies were performed in Swiss/ICR mice chronically exposed to subanesthetic and anesthetic halothane concentrations. Male and female mice were treated 5 or 7 days/wk for 9 wk prior to mating; exposure of females was continued daily throughout pregnancy. Halothane exposures were 0.025, 0.1, 0.4, 1.2 and 4.0 MAC [minimum anesthetic concentration] h/day. No adverse effect on reproduction was observed at the lowest 2 exposure levels studied. Exposures to 0.4 MAC h/day or more were associated with decreased maternal weight gain, fetal length and weight and early postnatal weight gain. Pregnancy rate, implantation rate and number of live fetuses per litter were significantly decreased at 1.2 MAC h/day. Percentage of resorptions or fetuses dead in utero was not increased, and postnatal survival of offspring was unaltered. Subsequent matings between untreated females and males exposed to halothane, 1.2 MAC h/day for 17 wk, resulted in normal reproductive performance; adverse reproductive changes observed when males and females were exposed apparently represented a primary effect on females. The least exposure at which effects were seen is approximately 40 .times. greater than the level of human occupational exposure in unscavenged operating rooms.

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