Bronchoalveolar lavage in rats and mice following beryllium sulfate inhalation.

The effects of lung injury in rats and mice exposed to an aerosol of beryllium sulfate for 1 hr through nose-only inhalation were evaluated by the method of bronchoalveolar lavage. The lavage fluid of rats exposed to an aerosol of either 3.3 or 7.0 micrograms Be/liter over a 21-day period following exposure indicated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alkaline phosphatase (Alk Pase) activities to be the most sensitive indicators of lung damage. LDH activity peaked at 8 days postexposure while Alk Pase activity was maximum at Day 5. Both values were 30 times greater than comparable controls at these time points. Acid phosphatase activity and albumin levels also increased over the 21-day period, but not to the same extent. The lung lavage of mice exposed to 7.2 micrograms Be/liter showed LDH activity as the most sensitive indicator of lung damage with a maximum response three times greater than that of controls at Day 5.