The disposition of coal dusts in the lungs and tracheobronchial lymph nodes of dogs

Journal Article · Mon Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1982 · Fundam. Appl. Toxicol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-0590(82)80009-2· OSTI ID:5893705

Morrow, P E; Yuile, C L

The pulmonary disposition, histopathology and lymphatic uptake of anthracite (Tamaqua) and bituminous (Lower Kittaning) coal dusts were measured as part of a pulmonary retention study which revealed a mean half-time of 1.92 years in dogs (Morrow et al. 1981). After brief (1-2.5 hr) exposures to either natural or neutron-activated coals having an average airborne mass concentration of approx.90 mg m/sup -3/ and a 1.8 ..mu..m mass median aerodynamic diameter (sigmag 2.5), dogs (n=12) were serially sacrificed up to 52 weeks after exposure. Coal dusts were found only in the lungs and pulmonary lymph nodes. The coals were considered indistinguishable as to their pulmonary clearance and disposition and lymphatic uptake. All coals in the lung were associated mainly with the peribronchiolar and perivascular lymphatics or connective tissue spaces, and some were found in alveolar macrophages. The lymphatic uptake of coal dusts followed the power function 0.55 t/sup 0.513/ where t is in weeks and uptake is expressed as percent of the initial alveolar burden. In terms of pulmonary dust clearance, only 4 percent of the initial alveolar burden appeared to have been translocated to the tracheobronchial lymph nodes in the first 50 weeks, but this constituted approx.14 percent of the total alveolar clearance. Histopathologically, one distinction was found: animals exposed to the highest level of neutron-activated anthracite showed patchy hyaline thickening of some small blood vessels and alveolar septa. The response was low grade, probably exposure-related, but otherwise unremarkable.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Rochester, NY
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76EV03490
• OSTI ID: 5893705
• Journal Information: Fundam. Appl. Toxicol.; (United States), Journal Name: Fundam. Appl. Toxicol.; (United States) Vol. 2; ISSN FAATD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
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560305* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Vertebrates-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
ANTHRACITE
BARYON REACTIONS
BIOLOGICAL HALF-LIFE
BITUMINOUS COAL
BLACK COAL
BODY
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CLEARANCE
COAL
DOGS
DUSTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXCRETION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HADRON REACTIONS
INHALATION
INTAKE
LUNG CLEARANCE
LUNGS
LYMPH NODES
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
NEUTRON REACTIONS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEON REACTIONS
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RETENTION
TOXICITY
TRANSLOCATION
UPTAKE
VERTEBRATES