Effects on lungs

Hydrogen chloride is produced when PVC bums. A series of tests for the Federal Aviation Administration studied this issue. In those studies, test animals were able to survive exposures to hydrogen chloride reaching 10,000 ppm (190). More recent studies indicate less of a potential for delayed effects on lung function than expected (191). In a typical fire, hydrogen chloride levels rarely exceed 300 ppm, a fact confirmed by the Boston Fire Department and Harvard University (192). In hundreds of autopsies conducted on fire victims in the United States, not one death has been linked to the presence of PVC. 

Mucolytic and anti-oxidant drugs include ambroxol, N-acetylcysteine, carbocysteine and iodinated glycerol. These drugs have no proven effect on lung function. At... 

Threshold effects on lung function or morphology in several species of laboratory mammals occur at airbome nickel concentrations of 0.1 to 0.2 mg/m3, depending on nickel compound and duration of exposure. 

The AEGL-1 value was based on the observation that exercising healthy human subjects could tolerate exposure to concentrations of 500 or 1,000 ppm for 4 h with no adverse effects on lung function, respiratory symptoms, sensory irritation, or cardiac symptoms (Utell et al. 1997). The exercise, which tripled the subjects minute ventilation, simulates an emergency situation and accelerates pulmonary uptake. Results of the exposure of two subjects for an additional 2 h to the 500-ppm concentration and the exposure of one subject to the 1,000-ppm concentration for an additional 2 h failed to elicit any clear alterations in neurobehavioral parameters. The 4- or 6-h 1,000-ppm concentration is a NOAEL in exercising individuals, there were no indications of response differences among tested subjects, and animal studies indicate that adverse effects occur only at considerably higher concentrations, so the 1,000-ppm value was adjusted by an uncertainty factor (UF) of 1. The intraspecies UF of 1 is supported by the lack of adverse effects in patients with severe... 

Dahl ME, Dabbagh K, Liggitt D, Kim S, Lewis DB Viral-induced T helper type 1 responses enhance allergic disease by effects on lung dendritic cells. Nat Immunol 2004 5 337-343. 

Nuisance particulates have little adverse effect on lungs and do not produce significant... 

In experimental animals, nitrogen dioxide induces several types of pulmonary toxicity. Decreased pulmonary function occurs in mice after chronic exposure to 0.2 ppm with daily excursions to 0.8 ppm. Effects on lung morphology were seen in rats exposed to 10 ppm for 36 hours and included cilia loss and hypertrophy of the bronchiolar epithelium. In guinea pigs acute exposure to 4 ppm caused increased airway hyperresponsiveness toward histamine. 

Bourbeau, 1998 Budesonide 1.6 mg/d 6 months n = 19 No effect on lung function, quality of life, symptoms, or exercise capacity (only non-responder to oral steroids) No benefit... 

There have been limited field and controlled exposure studies that evaluated human reactions to carpet emissions. Winfield (1987) described a USA primary school where odor, headache, nausea, fatigue and mucosal irritation were reported by a high proportion of the students. Elevated indoor air concentrations of styrene (900-4000 xg m 3) were found, which were believed to be due to a SB R latex-backed carpet which had been installed several years previously. The carpet was removed and the ill-effects were reported to abate. Johnsen et al. (1990) exposed asthma sufferers to a foam rubber-backed carpet in a room chamber. While no clinical effects on lung function were observed, objective eye measurements found that there was a change in tear film quality. This was proposed to result from a degreasing effect of lipophilic VOCs, identified as toluene and acetone (Wolkoff, Nielsen and Hansen, 1990). 

NCSDC Case-cohort11 6.3 2464 M Protective effect on lung cancer incidence was found for folate and vitamin C, particularly, for current smokers carotenoids do not show an evident protective activity 148... 

Li LW, Khanna M, Jo IH et al (2011) Target-specific support vector machine scoring in structure-based virtual screening computational validation, in vitro testing in kinases, and effects on lung cancer cell proliferation. J Chem Inf Model 51(4) 755-759... 

Ozone is a major atmospheric pollutant in urban areas. In addition to its damaging effect on lung tissue and even on exposed skin surfaces, ozone attacks the rubber of tires, causing them to become brittle and crack. But in the stratosphere, where ozone absorbs much of the short-wavelength UV radiation from the sun, it provides a vital protective shield for life forms on earth. 

Tager IB, Ngo L, Hanrahan JP (1995) Maternal smoking during pregnancy. Effects on lung function during the first 18 months of life. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 152 977-983. 

Lindberg E, Hedenstierna G. 1983. Chrome plating Symptoms, findings in the upper airways, and effects on lung function. Arch Environ Health 38 367-374. 

Guinea pig Inhalation 0,13,1.01,5.72 12 mo Pulmonary function measurements indicated no adverse effects on lung mechanics. NOAEL 5.72 Alarie et al. 1970... 

Snyder et al. (1978a, 1984) reported no treatment-related effects on lung tissue in male Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to 0, 100, or 300 ppm benzene 5 days per week, 6 hours per day for life. In addition, no adverse histopathological effects on lung tissue were observed in AKR/J or C57BL/65 mice exposed to 300 ppm benzene for life (Snyder et al. 1978a, 1980). 

Embolism associated with long flights is generally due to thrombus formation in deep leg veins (deep-vein thrombosis, or DVT). The thrombus may move to the pulmonary circulation, where effects on lung function depend on the extent of the blockage produced. A massive embolus may occlude the main pulmonary artery, resulting in hypotension, shock and possibly death multiple small emboli cause little problem and are lysed by the fibrinolytic system. Sometimes surgical removal of the embolus is necessary, but in Pats/s case clot lysis was successful and she made an uneventful recovery. 

Although organic isocyanates were first synthesized in 1849, their use, mainly for the manufacture of polyurethanes, increased after World War II. The toxicity of isocyanates can be due to direct irritant effect on lungs, eyes, skin, and exposed mucosa as well as secondary to pulmonary toxicity, allergic response, and nonpuhnonary direct effects. The direct effects can be instantaneous as... 

Monchaux G, Chameaud J, Morlier JP, et al. 1989. Translocation of subcutaneously injected chrysotile fibres potential cocarcinogenic effect on lung cancer induced in rats by inhalation of radon and its daughters. lARC Sci Pub 90 161-166. 

None of these studies had any adverse effect on lung. 

Lauwerys RR, Buchet JP, Roels HA, Brouwers J, Stanescu D. Epidemiological survey of workers exposed to cadmium. - Effects on lung, kidney, and several biological indices. Arch Environ Health 1974 28 145-148. 

---