Pollution: the nose and sinuses.
The nose and sinuses are constantly exposed to the huge quantities of gases needed to maintain life. Not only is the human nose well-equipped to warm and humidify this inhaled air, but it is also uniquely able to clean much of it. Any material other than physiologic amounts of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water that accompanies the airstream can be considered a pollutant, and this pollutant could potentially injure the individual. The following discussion will review the defense mechanisms that allow the nose and sinuses to protect the lower airways. The effects of pollutants on the respiratory mucosa will then be described, including some recent trends in those effects. These trends include specific population consequences of indoor and outdoor air pollution, and changes in risk for individuals in several occupations. Throughout these discussions, specific areas that would benefit from further research will be mentioned.
Leopold
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Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Francis Scott Key Medical Center, Baltimore, MD 21224.
D000403:Airway Resistance / Q000187:drug effects; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D009079:Mucociliary Clearance / Q000187:drug effects; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D009666:Nose / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000139:chemically induced
D004785:Environmental Pollutants