title: Evaluation of the respiratory tract after acute exposure to a pyrotechnically generated aerosol fire suppressant.
abstract: Fischer 344 rats (250-300 g) were exposed to the resulting aerosols from the pyrolysis of Spectrex Fire Extinguishant (SFE) Formulation A, a pyrotechnically generated aerosol fire suppressant, at a loading equivalent of 50 or 80 g m(-3) air for 15 or 60 min. Exposures were conducted in a 700-1 whole-body inhalation chamber under static conditions. The chamber atmosphere was analyzed for mass aerosol concentration and size distribution. Clinical observations were taken throughout the exposure. Animals were euthanized at 1 h, 6 h, 24 h, 7 days or 14 days post-exposure and underwent histopathological examination, enzyme analyses and wet/dry lung weight determination. No deaths occurred during the study. Animals exhibited signs of dyspnea, coughing, lack of coordination and lethargy during each exposure. These signs became more pronounced as the load and exposure length increased. No lesions were noted in the trachea, lung, heart or abdominal organs upon gross examination. A reversible pulmonary edema and olfactory necrosis were observed only in those animals exposed to an SFE loading equivalent to 80 g m(-3) for 60 min. Protein concentrations increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage but no changes in enzyme levels were observed. There was no significant difference between the control groups and the exposure groups for wet/dry lung weight determination.
authors.affiliation: Naval Medical Research Institute Detachment (Toxicology), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7903, USA.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Kimmel
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: English
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Reboulet
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Carpenter
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols