Trifluoroethanol (TFE) and trifluoroacetaldehyde (TFALD) produced a reduction in testis weight 3 days after a single oral dose of 10 mg/kg. In contrast, administration of trifluoroacetic acid (TFAA) caused no observable testicular effects. Reduction in testis weight was accompanied by morphological changes, involving specific damage to pachytene and dividing spermatocytes, and round spermatids. In an in vitro Sertoli/germ cell co-culture system, only TFALD was found to produce dose-related effects at concentrations of 10(-3) and 10(-4) M. There was increased germ cell loss from the cultures, particularly loss of pachytene and dividing spermatocytes, accompanied by leakage of the pachytene spermatocyte marker enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase-X. TFE and TFAA did not produce these effects in the culture system at concentrations equimolar with TFALD. These results suggest that TFALD may play a critical role in the development of the testis lesion seen with TFE in vivo. The effects seen both in vivo and in vitro were remarkably similar to those previously reported for another substituted alcohol and its metabolites, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether. It is postulated that the two series of compounds may have a similar mode of action on rat testis.