Toxicity Profile for tert-Butyl hydroquinone (1989)

Abstract

tert-Butyl hydroquinone (tBHQ) has caused skin sensitization reactions in a small number of individuals. It was of moderate acute toxicity when administered orally to rodents. Repeated oral administration caused cell proliferation in the forestomach lining and increased liver weight in rats, produced increases in liver weight and in various enzyme activities in mice, and induced slight blood effects in dogs. There was no convincing evidence of reproductive toxicity in single- or multi-generation feeding studies in rats. An inadequate long-term feeding study in rats has provided no indication of carcinogenic activity. Chromosomal effects have been seen in mammalian cells in culture and have been claimed in mice treated orally or by injection. The Ames bacterial test has given no evidence of mutagenic activity.