Research report (Health Effects Institute)
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Res Rep Health Eff Inst · Jan 1987
Effects of inhaled nitrogen dioxide and diesel exhaust on developing lung.
This study examined age-related differences in the physiological responses of rats to inhaled automotive emissions. Previous reports suggested that lung development of animals exposed to oxidant gases early in life might be impaired, or that developing lungs might be more susceptible than adult lungs to inhaled toxicants. There were no previous comparisons in developing and adult lungs of the effects of atmospheres containing particles. ⋯ Particularly striking was an almost sixfold increase in the percentage of neutrophils, a class of highly phagocytic leukocytes, in the airway fluids of adults after six months of exposure. Exhaust-exposed adults had increased numbers of cells in pulmonary lymph nodes, delayed clearance of both diesel soot and 134Cs-labeled particles, and increased lung weight. These changes did not occur in the rats exposed during development.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)