Tin

Specific investigations: other studies

Link to relevant study record(s)

Reference

Endpoint:

specific investigations: other studies

Type of information:

experimental study

Adequacy of study:

supporting study

Study period:

no data

Reliability:

3 (not reliable)

Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:

significant methodological deficiencies

Remarks:

Brief summaries of experimental data, performed to non-standard methods.

Qualifier:

no guideline followed

Principles of method if other than guideline:

50 mg of tin dust was prepared in saline (to avoid aggregation), and injected into the trachea of rats through a laryngeal tube and blown into their lungs using 50 mg of silica as a control. Mice were injected with 5 mg of tin dust into a tail vein.

GLP compliance:

not specified

Type of method:

in vivo

Endpoint addressed:

basic toxicokinetics

Species:

other: rat and mouse

Strain:

not specified

Sex:

not specified

Details on test animals or test system and environmental conditions:

No details reported

Route of administration:

other: intra-tracheal in rats, intra-venous in mice

Vehicle:

physiological saline

Remarks:

vehicles only reported in the intra-tracheal study

Details on exposure:

To avoid aggregation, dust was prepared in saline for the intra-tracheal exposure. 50 mg of tin dust in saline was injected through a laryngeal tube into the trachea of rats, and blown into their lung using 50 mg of silica as a control. The mice were injected with 5 mg into a tail vein.

Analytical verification of doses or concentrations:

not specified

Details on analytical verification of doses or concentrations:

Not applicable, dosed with dust from the occupational environment.

Duration of treatment / exposure:

Not applicable

Frequency of treatment:

Single exposure

Post exposure period:

1 year (observations also reported at 4 months).

Dose / conc.:

50 other: mg

Remarks:

intra-tracheal administration in rats

Dose / conc.:

5 other: mg

Remarks:

intra-venous study in mice

Control animals:

not specified

Positive control:

Positive control rats dosed with silica in the intra-tracheal study

Details on results:

The animals reportedly withstood the procedure well. In the rats, four months after exposure, the rats showed an extreme density of the minute tin foci, and even in the close-up views the tiny foci appeared immensley desne on the X-rays. The histology showed than many areas had dust cells in them. The dust cells may line an alveolus, and the actual tin particles could easily be seen in the phagocytes, while sometimes the dust cell is in an alveoalr wall itself. Particles of tin were found in the sub-pleural lymphatics and in the mediastinal lymph glands.
In mice, after intra-venous injection, particles of dust were located inthe lungs, spleen and particularly in the liver, the dust was maily found near to a vein though sometimes noted lying amongst the liver cells. No cellular reactions were noted, and the mice were all healthy.

Conclusions:

The experimental portion of this paper showed that in rats and mice exposed to dust from the sampling room in a tin smelter, there was no fibrous response of any kind up to a year.

Description of key information

Dust obtained from a tin smelting works was administered intra-tracheally in rats and via intra-venous injection in mice. In order to examine the fibrous response to occupational exposure in studying a non-fibrous pneumoconiosis. The experimental portion of this paper showed that in rats and mice exposed to dust from the sampling room in a tin smelter, there was no fibrous response of any kind up to a year.

Additional information

Robertson J (1960) was provided for information purposes only. The study, though not performed on tin metal, is relevant to general occupational exposure during the lifecycle of tin. As areas of reporting are lacking in detail, and the experimental portion was performed using non-standard routes of exposure, the study was assigned a reliability score of 3.