Biomonitoring of industrial dusts on animals. I. Bioaccumulation of dust components.

The bioaccumulation of industrial dust components in laboratory animals exposed by inhalation was studied under environmental conditions. Three types of industrial emissions were investigated: magnesite emissions, wastes from nickel refinery and cement emissions, respectively. The findings revealed that the chemical components of the industrial dust particles inhaled by animals are accumulated not only in the lungs, but also in the other organs, bone and hair of the exposed animals. In addition, the dust components were found in the organs of the F1 generation as well. This suggests a new aspect for the assessment of the biohazard of industrial dust particles in the environment.