Some Physiological Responses of New Hampshire Chickens to a Mixture of Penta- and Hexachloronaphthalenes

THE use of chlorinated naphthalenes in electrical insulation and as additives to some lubricating greases used in feed processing and farm machinery has exposed farm animals to the inadvertent ingestion of these compounds. One causative agent of hyperkeratosis (X-disease) in cattle has been reported to be chlorinated naphthalene (Bel, 1952; Sikes et al., 1952). Cotter (1944) reported several deaths among workers who had been in prolonged contact with these compounds. Schwartz (1936) was the first to report that chlorinated naphthalenes caused acute yellow atrophy of the liver. Pudelkiewicz et al. (1958) in a study of physiological responses of Broad Breasted Bronze poults to a mixture of penta- and hexachloronaphthalenes reported that 5 p.p.m. was definitely toxic while 100 p.p.m. was fatal to all poults within 33 days. They also reported that octachloronaphthalene showed no toxic effects at a dietary level of 125 p.p.m. No other reports could be found in …