skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Potential Technology for Studying Dosimetry and Response to Airborne Chemical and Biological Pollutants

Journal Article · · Toxicology and Industrial Health

Advances in computational, and imaging techniques have enabled the rapid development of 3-dimensional (3-D) models of biological systems in unprecedented detail. Using these advances, 3-D models of the lungs and nasal passages of the rat and human are being developed to ultimately improve predictions of airborne pollutant dosimetry. Techniques for imaging the respiratory tract by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging were developed to improve the speed and accuracy of geometric data collection for mesh reconstruction. The MR imaging resolution is comparable to that obtained by manual measurements but at much greater speed and accuracy. Newly developed software (NWGrid) was utilized to translate imaging data from MR into 3-D mesh structures. Together, these approaches significantly reduced the time to develop a 3-D model. This more robust airway structure will ultimately facilitate modeling gas or vapor exchange between the respiratory tract and vasculature as well as enable linkages of dosimetry with cell response models. The 3-D, finite volume, visco-elastic mesh structures forms the geometric basis for computational fluid dynamics modeling of inhalation, exhalation and the delivery of individual particles (or concentrations of gas or vapors) to discrete regions of the respiratory tract. The ability of these 3-D models to resolve dosimetry at such a high level of detail will require new techniques to measure regional airflows and particulate deposition for model validation.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (US), Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of Energy (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
15010233
Report Number(s):
PNWD-SA-5740; TIHEEC; 1866; 1896; KP1301030; TRN: US200506%%181
Journal Information:
Toxicology and Industrial Health, Vol. 17, Issue 5-10; Other Information: PBD: 1 Jun 2001; ISSN 0748-2337
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English