The aim of the study was to assess the general toxic effects of dermally applied
carbaryl, based on histological and ultrastructural examinations of internal
organs and to relate these effects to earlier own studies where ¹⁴C
carbaryl was used for determining the pesticide penetration. The pesticide was
applied in doses of 1/5 and 1/10 LD₅₀, administered to the tail skin
of male Wistar rats 4 hours daily, for 4 weeks except Saturdays and Sundays.
After the experiment, the animals were anaesthetized and the following organs
were taken for histological study: brain, lung, heart, liver, kidney, skin from
the site of exposure and skin from a place at least 2 cm distant from the
exposure site. Lung, liver, kidney, heart and skin were used for ultrastructural
studies. Dermal application of carbaryl resulted only in slight histological
changes in skin, liver, brain and lung. Even in brain and liver, where large
amounts of ¹⁴C carbaryl, compared to other organs (lung, kidney,
heart), where the intensity of histologic changes was earlier stated to below.
Ultrastructural changes were observed in skin, liver, lung, heart and kidney.