Biological effects of air pollution in Sao Paulo and Cubatao

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Environmental Research; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-9351(89)80066-0· OSTI ID:5548649

Boehm, G M.S.; Saldiva, P H; Pasqualucci, C A; Massad, E; Martins M de, E; Zin, W A; Cardoso, W V; Criado, P M; Komatsuzaki, M; Sakae, R S ^[1]

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1. Instituto do Coracao, Faculdade de Medicina da USP, Sao Paulo (Brazil)

Rats were used as biological indicators of air quality in two heavily polluted Brazilian towns: Sao Paulo and Cubatao. They were exposed for 6 months to ambient air in areas where the pollution was known to be severe. The following parameters were studied and compared to those of control animals: respiratory mechanics, mucociliary transport, morphometry of respiratory epithelium and distal air spaces, and general morphological alterations. The results showed lesions of the distal and upper airways in rats exposed in Cubatao, whereas the animals from Sao Paulo showed only alterations of the upper airways but of greater intensity than those observed in the Cubatao group. There are both qualitative and quantitative differences in the pollutants of these places: in Sao Paulo automobile exhaust gases dominate and in Cubatao the pollution is due mainly to particulates of industrial sources. The correlation of the pathological findings with the pollutants is discussed and it is concluded that biological indicators are useful to monitor air pollutions which reached dangerous levels in Sao Paulo and Cubatao.

• OSTI ID: 5548649
• Journal Information: Environmental Research; (USA), Vol. 49:2; ISSN 0013-9351
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
BRAZIL
AIR QUALITY
EXHAUST GASES
TOXICITY
PARTICULATES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES
AUTOMOBILES
BIOLOGICAL MODELS
BRONCHI
CLEARANCE
EPITHELIUM
GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS
RATS
RESPIRATION
URBAN AREAS
ANIMAL TISSUES
ANIMALS
BODY
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
FLUIDS
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
LATIN AMERICA
MAMMALS
PARTICLES
POLLUTION
RODENTS
SOUTH AMERICA
TISSUES
VARIATIONS
VEHICLES
VERTEBRATES
WASTES
500200* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology