Maternal toxicity of methacrylonitrile in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Methacrylonitrile (MeAN) is used in the preparation of plastics, elastomers, homoand copolymers and coatings (Windholz, 1983; Sax and Lewis, 1987) and as a chemical intermediate in the preparation of numerous organic chemicals (Windholz, 1983). MeAN is also used as a replacement for acrylonitrile in the manufacture of carbonated beverage containers (Cosidine, 1974) and is identified as a component of the main stream smoke of unftltered cigarette made from air-cured, flue-cured, or a blend of these tobaccos (Baker et al., 1984). Occupational exposure to MeAN has also been reported (ACGIH, 1986; Amoore and Hautala, 1983).