title: The effects of air pollutants and irritants on the upper airway.
abstract: The nose and upper airway play a sentinel role in the respiratory tract, alerting an individual to the qualities of the inspired atmosphere. The upper airway also clears contaminants from the inspired airstream and physically conditions inspired air before its entry into the lower respiratory tract. Given these anatomical and functional considerations, the nose may be the initial-or even prime-target of air pollutants. This article reviews the functional anatomy of the upper airway in humans, its vulnerabilities to various classes of air contaminants, and the relationship between chemical irritation and allergic inflammation in the upper airway.
authors.affiliation: Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0843, San Francisco, CA 94143-0843, USA. dshusterman@sfghoem.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shusterman
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007509:Irritants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007830:Larynx / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000503:physiopathology; D012137:Respiratory System; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D007509:Irritants