Cytotoxic effects of cobalt chloride on mouse bone marrow cells in vivo.

Various dilutions (1/10, 1/20, 1/40) of the lethal toxic dose of cobalt chloride, a non-carcinogenic salt, were found to be clastogenic to bone marrow cells of mice when administered orally in vivo. The clastogenic effects, mainly chromosome breaks, increased significantly with increasing concentration. The frequency of cell division was affected only by higher concentrations of the salt.