Duration of exposure--histological effects on broiler lungs, performance, and house environment with Mt. St. Helens' volcanic ash dust.

Fourteen hundred broilers were exposed to Mt. St. Helens' volcanic ash (VA) dust (D) from 28 to 49 days of age to correlate the duration of exposure time to histological effect on lungs and to determine the effects on broiler performance and house environment. Histological examinations of the lungs from birds exposed each day for 4 days to either VAD for 60 min (VAD 60) in the morning and afternoon (3276 g VA/day), or VAD after one direct application (DiAp) (20 kg/m2) on wood shaving litter revealed mild lymphoid hyperplasia and granuloma formation accompanied by phagocytized crystalline material seen in some alveolar macrophages; however, no effect was observed in lung tissues from broilers exposed each day for 4 days to VAD for 15 min (VAD 15) in the morning and afternoon (82 g VAD/day). Birds exposed to all VAD treatments and examined after 7 days had histological changes in the lungs, including giant cell granuloma formation, similar to those seen at 4 days. No significant histopathological changes were found in the turbinates with any VAD treatments. Levels of mean body weight, ammonia concentration, mortality, and respiratory dust (particles ranging in size from .5 to 10 micron) levels were not significantly different among the treatments. Significantly poorer mean feed conversion was observed with broilers exposed to VAD 60 than the VA DiAp exposure. No difference in feed conversion was observed between the control and either VAD 15 or VAD 60 treatments. From this experiment, the observed histological changes in the lungs occurred with 4 days or less exposure to VAD 60 (3276 g/day).