Effects of nitric acid gas alone or in combination with ozone on healthy volunteers

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · American Review of Respiratory Disease; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1164/ajrccm/148.4_Pt_1.965· OSTI ID:5755655

Aris, R; Christian, D; Tager, I; Ngo, L; Finkbeiner, W E; Balmes, J R ^[1]

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1. San Francisco General Hospital, CA (United States)

Nitric acid (HNO3) is the most prevalent acid air pollutant in the western United States and has the potential to cause adverse respiratory effects through both acidification and oxidation reactions. To study this potential, we measured physiologic (specific airway resistance, SRaw, FEV1, and FVC) and bronchoalveolar lavage (total and differential cell counts, LDH, fibronectin, and total protein) end points in a group of 10 healthy, athletic subjects who were exposed to 500 micrograms/m3 of HNO3 gas or filtered air for 4 h during moderate exercise (ventilatory rate, 40 L/min) and underwent bronchoscopy 18 h later. Under an identical protocol, 10 healthy subjects were exposed to 500 micrograms/m3 of HNO3 gas plus 0.20 ppm ozone (O3) or 0.20 ppm O3 alone to determine if HNO3 might enhance the toxicity of O3. In addition to bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), we employed the techniques of isolated left mainstem bronchial lavage and bronchial biopsy to determine if proximal airway injury was caused by pollutant exposure and whether there was any correlation with the degree of distal lung injury as assessed by BAL. We found no significant differences in pulmonary function tests or in the cellular or biochemical constituents in either the BAL or the left mainstem lavage fluids between the HNO3 and the air exposures. Similarly, there were no differences in these end points between the HNO3/O3 and the O3 exposures. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the bronchial biopsy specimens between the HNO3 and air exposures or between the HNO3/O3 and O3 exposures.

• OSTI ID: 5755655
• Journal Information: American Review of Respiratory Disease; (United States), Journal Name: American Review of Respiratory Disease; (United States) Vol. 148:4 Pt 1; ISSN ARDSBL; ISSN 0003-0805
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AUGMENTATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOPSY
BRONCHI
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
EXPOSURE CHAMBERS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
LAVAGE
NITRIC ACID
OZONE
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SYNERGISM
TOXICITY