title: The head dome: a simplified method for human exposures to inhaled air pollutants.
abstract: Acute controlled exposures of human subjects to air pollutants are customarily carried out with whole-body chambers, masks, or mouthpieces. The use of these methods may be limited by cost or technical considerations. To permit a study involving a highly unstable pollutant, artificial acid fog, administered to subjects during natural breathing, a head-only exposure chamber, called a head dome, was developed. It consists of a transparent cylinder with a neck seal which fits over the subject's head and rests lightly on his shoulders. The head dome does not constrain the upper airways or impede exercise on a bicycle ergometer. Ventilation can be monitored accurately and unobtrusively with a pneumotachograph at the exhaust port of the dome. A thermocouple may be used to monitor the onset and persistence of oronasal breathing. For short-term exposures to unstable or reactive pollutants lasting up to several hours, the head dome is an effective alternative to a whole-body chamber and probably superior to a face mask or mouthpiece.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bowes
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Swift
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001273:Atmosphere Exposure Chambers; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants