The carcinogenicity of creosote oil: its role in the induction of skin tumors in mice.

Although exposure to creosote1 was recognized 35 years ago as a carcinogenic hazard to man (5), it is only recently that its carcinogenic effect on mice has been noted and investigated. Cabot et al. (4) observed that tumors developed more rapidly in mice treated with a basic fraction of creosote oil and benzpyrene concurrently than in mice treated with benzpyrene alone. Woodhouse (13) found creosote a more potent carcinogen than a number of petroleum fractions tested. While the experiments reported here were carried out, Poel and Kammer (8) and Lijinsky, Saffiotti, and Shubik (7) demonstrated the carcinogenicity of creosote for mouse skin. In the present paper the carcinogenicity of creosote for mouse skin is confirmed, and its ability to initiate tumor formation when applied for a limited period prior to croton oil treatment is demonstrated.