RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Bronchoalveolar mastocytosis and lymphocytosis after nitrogen dioxide exposure in man: a time-kinetic study
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 138
OP 143
DO 10.1183/09031936.93.03020138
VO 3
IS 2
A1 T Sandstrom
A1 MC Andersson
A1 B Kolmodin-Hedman
A1 N Stjernberg
A1 T Angstrom
YR 1990
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/3/2/138.abstract
AB The combination of environmental chamber exposure and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was used to study the time-course of the cell response in the human lung to nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Healthy subjects were exposed for 20 min to 7 mg NO2.m-3 (4 ppm), a concentration which occurs indoors in industries and is below the peak exposure limit for work places in most countries, 10 mg.m-3 (5.5 ppm). BAL was performed in all subjects several weeks before exposure and 4, 8, 24 and 72 h after exposure, in eight subjects at each time. Mastocytosis and lymphocytosis were found in BAL fluid 4-24 h after exposure, with normalization after 72 h. A mild increase in lysozyme positive macrophages was found 24-72 h after exposure. The time-course of the human pulmonary cell response to NO2, demonstrated in BAL fluid, represents a new and previously not reported finding after exposure to this common air pollutant. Our findings are diverging from results obtained in animal studies, using approximately the same NO2 concentrations, indicating that the results from the animal studies may not be transferable to man.