Abstract
Deposition, clearance, retention, and durability of inhaled particles from lungs are known to be important factors for induction of pulmonary fibrosis or lung cancer. To study the deposition and clearance of alumina silicate ceramic fibres from the lung, male Wistar rats were exposed to ceramic fibre particles with a mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of 4.2 micron, for six hours a day, five days a week for two weeks. The average exposure concentration was 20.7 (standard deviation (SD) 4.5) mg/m3. The rats were killed at one day, three months, and six months after the end of exposure, and the fibre numbers and dimensions were measured with a scanning electron microscope. No significant differences in number and geometric mean length of residual ceramic fibres in the lungs were found between the groups. The geometric mean diameter, however, decreased according to the duration of the clearance period. These findings suggest that solubility of fibre contributes most in the clearance of the inhaled ceramic fibres from the lungs.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bernstein D. M., Drew R. T., Kuschner M. Experimental approaches for exposure to sized glass fibers. Environ Health Perspect. 1980 Feb;34:47–57. doi: 10.1289/ehp.803447. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Morgan A., Holmes A., Davison W. Clearance of sized glass fibres from the rat lung and their solubility in vivo. Ann Occup Hyg. 1982;25(3):317–331. doi: 10.1093/annhyg/25.3.317. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Morgan A., Holmes A. Solubility of rockwool fibres in vivo and the formation of pseudo-asbestos bodies. Ann Occup Hyg. 1984;28(3):307–314. doi: 10.1093/annhyg/28.3.307. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tanaka I., Akiyama T. A new dust generator for inhalation toxicity studies. Ann Occup Hyg. 1984;28(2):157–162. doi: 10.1093/annhyg/28.2.157. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tanaka I., Akiyama T. Fibrous particles generator for inhalation toxicity studies. Ann Occup Hyg. 1987;31(3):401–403. doi: 10.1093/annhyg/31.3.401. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Timbrell V. Deposition and retention of fibres in the human lung. Ann Occup Hyg. 1982;26(1-4):347–369. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]