TOXICOLOGY AND CARCINOGENICITY OF OIL SHALE PRODUCTS.

Reported are the results of carcinogenic animal studies of shale oil and shale oil products. These materials showed to be relatively low in acute toxicity. However, there is great concern about the long term effects of these products. One such concern is the carcinogenic properties of shale oil. It has been clearly demonstrated that raw shale oils, produced by a number of retort methods, are carcinogenic for the mouse's skin, though the content of benzo(a)pyrene in these oils was quite low and could not account for the carcinogenic activity.