Impact Assessment of Potential Risks From Enviromental Temperature Decrising of Laboratory Animals (Mice, Rats, Guinea Pigs) Outside the Recommended Range for Main Biological Parameters
Risks are the possibility of an adverse situation attracts various losses. There are risks in all spheres of activity including the work of vivariums and sources. It is important to observe the necessary environmental conditionals (room temperature, air humidity and air exchange) and light cycle. It may be deviations from the established standards for these microclimate indicators that, in turn, might severely effects on animal health and trigger inaccurate study results in case emergency situations in the vivarium. In previous work study was conduct to assess the potential risks resulting from elevation of environmental temperature of laboratory animals (mice, rats and guinea pigs). It was found, that an environmental temperature increase by 4°C above the upper limit of the recommended ranges didn’t effect on vital indicators of laboratory animals. In current study we researched risks emerging by decrease of the environmental temperature 3°C above lower recommended range influence main health indicators like: general animal state, body weight, hematological and blood biochemical parameters and weight of internal organs to body weight ratio. Mice, rats and guinea pigs were housed at the temperature: 19, 18 and 17°C for week. Other animals were housed for 3 weeks at the initial temperature 19°C with gradual lowering by 1°C weekly until 17°C. The study found that the small lowering of environmental temperature (between 19 and 17°C) didn’t effect on animal vital signs and risks in case of emergency situations related to the provision of the recommended content temperature are minimal.