Responses of subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease after exposures to 0. 3 ppm ozone

Journal Article · Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1985 · Am. Rev. Respir. Dis.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5074152

Kehrl, H R; Hazucha, M J; Solic, J J; Bromberg, P A

The authors previously reported that the respiratory mechanics of intermittently exercising persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were unaffected by a 2-h exposure to 0.2 ppm ozone. Employing a single-blind, cross-over design protocol, 13 white men with nonreversible COPD (9 current smokers; mean FEV1/FVC, 56%) were randomly exposed on 2 consecutive days for 2 h to air and 0.3 ppm ozone. During exposures, subjects exercised (minute ventilation, 26.4 +/- 3.0 L/min) for 7.5 min every 30 min; ventilation and gas exchange measured during exercise showed no difference between exposure days. Pulmonary function tests (spirometry, body plethysmography) obtained before and after exposures were unchanged on the air day. On the ozone day the mean airway resistance and specific airway resistance showed the largest (25 and 22%) changes (p = 0.086 and 0.058, respectively). Arterial oxygen saturation (SaO/sub 2/) obtained in 8 subjects during the last exercise interval showed a mean decrement of 0.95% on the ozone exposure day; this change did not attain significance (p = 0.074). Nevertheless, arterial oxygen desaturation may be a true consequence of low-level ozone exposure in this compromised patient group. As normal subjects undergoing exposures to ozone with slightly higher exercise intensities show a threshold for changes in their respiratory mechanics at approximately 0.3 ppm, these data indicate that persons with COPD are not unduly sensitive to the effects of low-level ozone exposure.

• OSTI ID: 5074152
• Journal Information: Am. Rev. Respir. Dis.; (United States), Vol. 5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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