title: Epistemology of screening for behavioral toxicity.
abstract: A method is described for the assay of the behavioral effects of volatile solvents on mice and illustrated with pilot results on trichlorethylene. A dose-effect curve has been determined for the effects on schedule controlled responding and compared with the dose-lethality curve and the TLV for man. The OR50 for behavioral effects was 1/5 of the LD50 and 50 times the TLV for long-term exposure of man. An analysis of the errors involved in determination of effects on whole animals leads to the conclusion that subtle effects, representing a few per cent change, will not be detectable in routine screening. It is suggested nevertheless that information on the midrange, knowable, part of the dose-effect curve may prove useful in predicting safe levels for man.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008452:Maximum Allowable Concentration; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014116:Toxicology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D014241:Trichloroethylene / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D014241:Trichloroethylene