Airway reactivity response to aged carbon-graphite/epoxy composite material smoke.

Exposure of naïve guinea pigs for a total of 30 min to aged smoke from pyrolysis of 5, 10 and 100 g of carbon-graphite/epoxy-advanced composite material (cgeCM) elicited changes in the ventilation and breathing pattern reminiscent of an acute, asthmatic episode. The severity of these responses was dose related. Although breathing pattern changes were not definitive of stimulation by a single type of respiratory irritant, non-dimensional indices derived from breath structure appeared to be characteristic of bronchoconstriction possibly complicated by CO(2)-stimulated ventilation. The highest exposure concentration also elicited convulsions in the animals, which may or may not be related to the airway reactivity (AR) response. Upon treatment with fresh air, breathing returned to normal. However, this recovery was transient with some respiratory parameters returning to abnormal levels, possibly indicating a rebound or delayed component of the response. Filtration of particulate material from the smoke moderated but did not eliminate the AR response. Animals exposed to diluted smoke from the pyrolysis of 2 g of cgeCM showed no remarkable changes in breathing or ventilation, suggesting that there may be a threshold for aged cgeCM smoke-elicited AR response.