Work continued to focus on elements in the boron column of the periodic table. For indium trichloride, a dose-range finding study was performed, followed by the short-term test which identified developmental toxicity. A developmental toxicity study followed which showed fetal killing in the absence of malformations. A disposition study was performed to identify the levels of indium present in selected target and non-target tissues at the time of toxicity. Subsequent in vitro studies were performed that showed that indium is directly fetotoxic. A final study will assess the degree of absorption and body burden of indium after inhalation exposure (the most likely human route). Future studies will assess the toxicity of gallium trichloride and three photovoltaic III-V compounds (CuInSe2, CuGaSe2, and CdTe).
