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41*P4 <br />f rat F"? <br />a, <br />r . <br />f <br />Q. How safe is rotenone to people? <br />A. In 1973, a Spanish investigator claimed that rotenone <br />fed to 6 rats resulted in mammary tumors in 3 of <br />the animals. Many investigators have since tested <br />rotenone on large numbers of animals; some using the <br />very same approach as the Spanish study. None has <br />observed any tumor-inducing effects. EPA has ruled <br />that the Spanish study was not valid and that the <br />allegations are not supported by sound scientific <br />evidence. <br />Q. Just how well was rotenone studied before EPA <br />reached its conclusion that it does not cause cancer? <br />A. Rotenone was fed daily to rats, mice and dogs in <br />studies that ranged from 6 months to two years. In <br />two studies, high levels were fed daily through three <br />generations with no evidence of significant adverse <br />effects. No tumor induction was observed, even when <br />75 ppm was fed daily to rats or when 1,200 ppm was <br />fed to mice. In the tests with both males and females <br />of each species, there was no firm evidence that <br />rotenone caused any increase in the incidence of <br />tumors. In some lots, treated animals had significantly <br />fewer tumors than untreated groups. <br />Q. Might rotenone affect fertility or the ability to have <br />offspring? <br />A. Extensive testing using levels up to 75 ppm in the <br />daily diet of rats through 2 generations showed no <br />effects on sexual performance, fertility, pregnancy,