The overall aim is to understand further the effects of air pollutants on the respiratory system of individuals in groups which may be susceptible to air pollution.
The specific aims are as follows: 1) To study the effects on lung function of acute exposures to ambient levels of combinations of pollutants during rest and exercise exposures in adolescent subjects. The pollutant combinations to be studied are: sulfer dioxide (SO2) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4); nitric aicd (HNO3) and H2SO4; and ozone (03) and SO2. It is our hypothesis that nitric acid will deplete the ammonia levels in the oral passages and allow sulfuric acid to deposit in the airways and cause bronchoconstriction while sulfur dioxide will not deplete existing ammonia and simultaneous exposures to sulfuric acid will result primarily in ammonium sulfate which has been shown not to cause significant pulmonary function changes. In this way, our proposal will provide data concerning the pulmonary toxicity of various air pollutants which co-exist in the environment. 2) To continue the study of the effects of pretreatment with various pharmaceutical bronchodilating agents on SO -induced bronchoconstriction in an attempt to elucidate the mechanisms of SO2-induced bronchoconstriction. We have studied the effects of albuterol and cromolyn and intend to study theophylline and antihistamines. 3) To study the effects of SO2 on lung function in subjects over the age of 55 years. Epidemiologic data indicate that elderly persons are at risk with respect to morbidity and mortality during air pollution episodes. However, this age group has not been studied in controlled laboratory settings. We want to determine whether age alone makes a person more susceptible to effects of inhaled air pollutants. The importance of this project lies in the potential use of these results in the continuing process of deciding the health risks of ambient air pollutants and in the setting of ambient air quality standards.
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