Abstract
Decabromodiphenyl oxide (DBDPO) is a highly effective flame retardant that is primarily used in electrical and electronic equipment with a secondary, but important, application in upholstery textiles. DBDPO, the second largest volume brominated flame retardant in use today, has undergone a wide range of toxicology tests in mammalian species with the results indicating a no-adverse-effect level of ∼1000 mg/kg/day in oral repeated-dose studies. An oral prenatal developmental toxicity study of the commercial DBDPO product (97% purity) was performed under current EPA OPPTS and OECD guidelines. Female Sprague-Dawley rats (25 mated females/group) received 0, 100, 300 or 1000 mg DBPDO/kg/day via gavage in corn oil during gestation days 0 through 19. All females survived until scheduled sacrifice. No clinical signs of toxicity were observed. Pregnancy rates in the control and treated groups ranged from 96% to 100% and provided 23 or more litters in each group for evaluation on gestation day 20. No effect of treatment was seen in maternal gestational parameters (body weight, body weight gain, and food consumption), uterine implantation data, liver weight, or necropsy findings. Likewise, no effect of treatment was seen in fetal body weights, fetal sex distribution, or during the fetal external, visceral, or skeletal examinations. The NOEL (noobservable-effect level) for maternal and developmental toxicity was 1000 mg DBPDO/kg/day, the highest dose level administered on gestation days 0 to 19.