Particle Exposure Causes Lung Inflammation in Laboratory Animals
Researchers used a concentrating device to test whether short-term exposures to ambient air particles from Boston, MA caused pulmonary inflammation in normal rats and in rats with chronic bronchitis.
Inflammation was assessed by washing the lungs and measuring concentrations of white blood cells, a marker for inflammation. Concentrated particles were associated with an increase in inflammation in both the normal and the bronchitic animals.
The concentrations used in this study were comparable to cumulative 24-hour concentrations of PM2.5 found in developing countries.
The researchers conclude, “this work demonstrated that short-term exposures to PM2.5 concentrated from Boston’s atmosphere induce an inflammatory reaction in the lungs of rats…The magnitude of pulmonary inflammation was associated with elements originating from combustion sources.”
Saldiva, P.H.N., Clarke, R.W., Coull, B.A., Stearns, R.C., Lawrence, J., Murthy, G.G.K, Diaz, E., Koutrakis, P., Suh, H., Tsuda, A., and Godleski, J.J. Lung Inflammation Induced by Concentrated Ambient Air Particles is Related to Particle Composition. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. Vol. 165, pp. 1610-1617, 2002.
The American Thoraic Society [ajrccm.atsjournals.org] offers the abstract online.
