To determine the nature and extent to which neurobehavioral changes occur in association with the toxicity resulting from exposure to excess dietary iron (Fe), Sobotka et al. (A-55) used weanling male Sprague-Dawley rats as experimental subjects. The researchers randomly assigned the animals, according to ranked body weights, to one of five diet groups differentiated on the basis of amount of Fe present: Control—35 (1), 350 (2), 3500 (3), 4 (iron deficient) (4), and 20,000 (5) ppm, respectively. The following are the body weights of the animals (grams) at the end of 10 weeks.

Diet Weight Diet Weight Diet Weight 1 396 1 335 1 373 2 368 2 349 4 292 3 319 3 302 5 116 4 241 4 220 4 291 5 138 5 118 5 154 1 331 1 394 4 281 2 325 2 300 5 118 3 331 3 285 4 250 4 232 4 237 5 119 5 116 5 113 4 242 1 349 1 377 5 118 2 364 2 366 4 277 3 392 3 269 5 104 4 310 4 344 5 120 5 131 5 Dead 5 102 1 341 1 336 2 399 2 379 3 274 3 195 4 319 4 277 5 131 5 148 1 419 1 301 2 373 2 368 3 Dead 3 308 4 220 4 299 5 146 5 Dead Source: Data provided courtesy of Dr. Thomas J. Sobotka.