Yamato H, Hori H, Tanaka I, Higashi T, Morimoto Y, Kido M
Department of Environmental Health Engineering, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
Occup Environ Med. 1994 Apr;51(4):275-80. doi: 10.1136/oem.51.4.275.
Male Wistar rats were exposed to aluminium silicate ceramic fibres by inhalation to study pulmonary deposition, clearance, and dissolution of the fibres. Rats were killed at one day, one month, three months, and six months after the termination of exposure. After exposure, fibres greater than 50 microns in length were seen with a scanning electron microscope in the alveolar region of the lung. Fibres were recovered from the lungs with a low temperature ashing technique and their number, diameter, and length were measured by scanning electron microscopy. The number of fibres remaining in the lungs declined exponentially with time after exposure and their silicon content also fell. The geometric median diameter of fibres decreased linearly with time. By six months after exposure, the surface of fibres recovered from the lungs had an eroded appearance. The results suggest that ceramic fibres are physically cleared from the lung and that they show signs of dissolution. Finally, the results were used to develop a theoretical model of fibre dissolution that gives a satisfactory fit to the experimental data.
将雄性Wistar大鼠通过吸入暴露于硅酸铝陶瓷纤维，以研究纤维在肺部的沉积、清除和溶解情况。在暴露终止后的1天、1个月、3个月和6个月处死大鼠。暴露后，用扫描电子显微镜在肺的肺泡区域观察到长度大于50微米的纤维。采用低温灰化技术从肺中回收纤维，并用扫描电子显微镜测量其数量、直径和长度。暴露后肺中残留的纤维数量随时间呈指数下降，其硅含量也下降。纤维的几何中位直径随时间呈线性下降。暴露6个月后，从肺中回收的纤维表面呈现出侵蚀的外观。结果表明，陶瓷纤维从肺中被物理清除，并且显示出溶解的迹象。最后，利用这些结果建立了一个纤维溶解的理论模型，该模型与实验数据拟合良好。
