Lung clearance and translocation of 239Pu and 244Cm in rats following inhalation individually or as a mixed oxide.

Wistar rats were exposed via inhalation to aerosols of 239PuO2, 244Cm oxide or a mixed Pu-Cm oxide with an activity ratio of about 1:1. Activity in lung and several extrapulmonary tissues were examined up to 120 d after exposure to determine whether calcining Pu and Cm together affected lung clearance or translocation to other sites in the body for either nuclide. Initial deposition was about 1,200 Bq (32 nCi) for 239PuO2, 4,200 Bq (115 nCi) for 244Cm, and 2,400 Bq (65 nCi) total alpha for the mixed oxide.

Pulmonary function in elastase-treated guinea pigs and rats exposed to ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate aerosols.

Three weeks following intratracheal instillations of elastase dissolved in saline, or saline alone, guinea pigs and rats were exposed for 5 or 20 days, 6 hr/day, 5 days/week to filtered room air, 1 mg/m3 ammonium sulfate [NH4)2SO4) or 1 mg/m3 ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) aerosols. Pulmonary function evaluations conducted in guinea pigs showed no detrimental effects of (NH4)2SO4 or NH4NO3 exposure and very little effect of elastase treatment. Lung function changes in elastase-treated rats were consistent with a condition of experimentally induced pulmonary emphysema.

Pulmonary toxicity of inhaled coal liquid aerosols (boiling range 230-450 degrees C).

The biological activity of materials produced in the direct liquefaction of coal is being assessed by a variety of test systems. In this study, the pulmonary toxicity of process solvent (PS) from the solvent refined coal-I (SRC-I) process was determined by histamine aerosol challenge tests and pulmonary function and morphologic evaluations. Guinea pigs inhaled aerosols of PS (boiling range, 230 to 450 degrees C) for 6 hr/day, 5 day/week, for up to 12 days in three different experiments.