In order to ascertain the minimum induction time, minimum treatment period and total dose required for development of renal cell tumors, KBrO3 at a concentration of 500 ppm was administered in the drinking water to a total of 232 male F344 rats divided into 14 experimental groups and the development of tumors was examined by two different approaches. In a continued-treatment study, administration of KBrO3 was stopped at week 13, 26, 39, 52 or 104 and rats were immediately sacrificed for comparison with controls given distilled water (DW) alone. Renal cell adenomas were found as early as after 26 weeks of treatment with KBrO3. The yields of dysplastic foci, adenomas and adenocarcinomas of the kidney, follicular cell tumors of the thyroid and mesotheliomas of the peritoneum increased with treatment, the final incidences all being statistically significant after administration of KBrO3 for 104 weeks. To examine the effect of discontinued treatment, on the other hand, the rats were given KBrO3 for the first 13, 26, 39 or 52 weeks and were subsequently maintained on DW alone until sacrifice at week 104. The incidences of tumors in these groups were compared with that of a group continuously administered KBrO3 for 104 weeks. The yields of renal dysplastic foci, adenomas and adenocarcinomas in all discontinued-treatment groups were approximately equal to or even higher than those in the group given KBrO3 continuously for 104 weeks. It is concluded that, under the conditions of this study: the minimum induction time for the development of renal adenomas was 26 weeks and the minimum treatment period and total dose for the induction of renal adenomas and adenocarcinomas were 13 weeks and 4 g/kg, respectively, when the rats were maintained thereafter on DW for 2 years.