title: A photometric analysis of free alveolar macrophages (FAMs) in smoking and nonsmoking firefighters.
abstract: The effects of cigarette smoking and chronic smoke inhalation were evaluated in free alveolar macrophages (FAMs) in firefighters and police officers from the city of Denver, CO. Evaluation was accomplished by comparing statistical morphometric and photometric data taken from digital images of FAMs generated by the microscope photometer. Although our results failed to show significant differences between occupations and smoking status in FAM size, degree of size variability, or nuclear/cytoplasmic area ratios, they did demonstrate a significant difference in the degree of nuclear and cytoplasmic optical density (O.D.) between both occupation and smoking status. Firefighters consistently showed significantly greater O.D. values than police officers while smokers demonstrated a significantly greater O.D. than nonsmokers. While the meaning of these findings remains illusive, they do, however, present quantitative data supporting the biological response of the FAM to occupational and cigarette smoke inhalation.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005390:Fires / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D002479:Inclusion Bodies; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D010783:Photometry / Q000379:methods; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000166:cytology*; D012907:Smoking; D012926:Social Control, Formal