Short-term respiratory effects of sulfuric acid in fog: a laboratory study of healthy and asthmatic volunteers

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1988 · J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/08940630.1988.10466375· OSTI ID:6895336

Avol, E L; Linn, W S; Wightman, L H; Whynot, J D; Anderson, K R; Hackney, J D

To explore short-term respiratory health risks from acid-polluted fog, 22 normal and 22 asthmatic adult volunteers were exposed in an environmental control chamber to light fogs containing nominally 0, 500, 1000, and 2000 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ of sulfuric acid. Fog was produced by atomizing dilute acid solution into purified air humidified to near 100% by stem injection. Exposures were administered in random order at 1-week intervals, lasted 1 h, and included three 10-min periods of moderately heavy exercise. Responses were measured in terms of forced expiratory function, airway resistance, irritant symptoms, and bronchial reactivity to methacholine aerosol. Sulfuric acid per se showed no more than a slight effect on pulmonary function, even at the highest concentration. Asthmatics experienced bronchoconstriction, attributable to exercise, under all exposure conditions. Despite the lack of substantial function changes, modest statistically significant increases in respiratory symptoms occurred with increasing acid concentrations. This unusual response pattern suggests that acid fog effects occur via a mechanism somewhat different from those which govern responses to irritant gases like SO/sub 2/ or O/sub 3/. To the extent these results are relevant to ambient acid fog exposures, they predict that no pulmonary dysfunction, and only slight respiratory symptoms if any, are likely to occur.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Southern California School of Medicine, Downey (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6895336
• Journal Information: J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States), Vol. 38:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SENSITIVITY
SULFURIC ACID
HEALTH HAZARDS
AIR POLLUTION
ASTHMA
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
DYNAMIC FUNCTION STUDIES
EXPOSURE CHAMBERS
FOG
RISK ASSESSMENT
SYMPTOMS
DISEASES
HAZARDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
POLLUTION
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
500200 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)