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

Related Subjects

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