Effects of magnetic field exposure on the development of lung fibrosis elicited by industrial pollutants.

Lung injury elicited by a single intratracheal instillation of fibrogenic (quartz) and nuisance (anatase) dusts and/or weekly repeated instillation of CdCl2 solution combined with sinusoidal (50 Hz, 10 mT) magnetic field (MF) exposure was studied in male rats. Combined effects in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), rat lungs and regional lymph nodes after 4 months of MF exposure (1 h/5 days per week) were evaluated biochemically and by cytological and histopathological examination. Damage of cell membranes in the cell part of BAL due to MF exposure was not observed in the examined animal groups. Following MF exposure, decreased synthesis of collagen proteins (incorporation of [14C]proline) was demonstrated in lungs with quartz dust burden. Histological examination revealed differences in the lung tissue reaction suggesting the modification of the repair process due to MF exposure following experimental injury in both quartz and cadmium groups.