Investigations on the carcinogenic burden by air pollution in man. Intratracheal instillation studies with benzo(a)pyrene in bovine serum albumin in Syrian hamsters.

The chronic effect of benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) administered intratracheally in bovine serum albumin was studied in Syrian golden hamsters. Dose levels of 0.1 mg, 0.33 mg and 1.0 mg of B(a)P induced papillomas and carcinomas of the trachea, stem bronchi and bronchioles. In addition to such tumours, the mucosa of the respiratory tract revealed a variety of atypical epithelial alterations. Although survival time exhibited a dose-dependency, tumour incidence did not. The incidence of respiratory tract tumours was higher in female hamsters than in males. The results of these investigations are statistically evaluated.