Short-term respiratory effects of 0.12 ppm ozone exposure in volunteers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Twenty-five volunteers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of mild to moderately severe degree underwent 1-h exposures to 0.12 ppm ozone (O2) in purified air with intermittent mild exercise. Their responses were assessed in terms of forced expiratory performance, ear oximetry, and reported symptoms. Control studied consisted of similar exposures to purified air alone. Control studies were separated from O2 exposures by 1 month, and the order was randomized. All studies took place in a controlled-environment chamber, and were preceded by approximately 1 h of rest in a purified-air environment. No significant disturbances in forced expiratory performance or symptoms attributable to O2 exposure were found. A slight but significant tendency to decreased arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SaO2) during exercise in O2 was observed. The decrement in SaO2 with O2 relative to clean air (mean 1.3%) was near the limit of resolution of the ear oximeter test and was detected by signal averaging, thus its physiologic or clinical significance is uncertain.