[An animal experimental study on the retention rate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the lung and in the subcutaneous tissue (author's transl)].

The retention rate of five polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (benzo(a)pyrene, dibenz(ah)anthracene, chrysene, pyrene, benz(a) anthracene) was studied after intratracheal instillation into syrian hamsters and subcutanous injection into mice. For subcutanous injection the PAH were solved in 0.5 ml tricaprylin, for intratracheal instillation a suspension in NaCl was used. The results were the following: 1. With respect to the retention rate of the five PAH the largest difference was found comparing the application modes. The ratio of the averaged half-time-values for the intratracheal test to the subcutanous test is about 1:35. 2. The retention rates for each polycyclic hydrocarbon differs significantly. An interrelation of PAH after application of a PAH-mixture was not detectable. 3. The retention rates determined in the lung and in the subcutanous tissue do not give a constant ratio concerning each PAH. Thus DBahA is retained in the lung as well as in the subcutanous tissue definitely longer than BaP. Chrysene and benz(a)anthracene behave - respecting the retention rate - in the subcutanous test like BaP. In lung tissue, however, the different behaviour becomes obvious: while benz(a)anthracene is eliminated most rapidly, chrysene can be detected for a relative long time.