Acute Exposure to Realistic Acid Fog: Effects on Respiratory Function and Airway Responsiveness in Asthmatics

• Published in: Environmental research Vol. 71; no. 2; pp. 89 - 98
• Main Authors: Leduc, D., Fally, S., Devuyst, P., Wollast, P., Yernault, J.C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.11.1995; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acid Rain - adverse effects; Acid Rain - analysis; Aerosols - administration & dosage; Air; Asthma - physiopathology; Belgium; Biological and medical sciences; Bronchial Hyperreactivity - chemically induced; Bronchoconstriction - drug effects; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Colorimetry; Electric Conductivity; Environmental Exposure; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Female; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Male; Medical sciences; Osmolar Concentration; Particle Size; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds - adverse effects; Respiratory Function Tests; Spectrophotometry, Atomic; Sulfates - adverse effects; Toxicology; Belgium; Europe; Short term; Human; Lung function; Urban environment; Acids; Respiratory disease; Toxicity; Volunteer; Patient; Public health; Asthma; Fog
• ISSN: 0013-9351; 1096-0953
• DOI: 10.1006/enrs.1995.1070

Naturally occurring fogs in industrialized cities are contaminated by acidic air pollutants. In Brussels, Belgium, the pH of polluted fogwater may be as low as 3 with osmolarity as low as 30 mOsm. In order to explore short-term respiratory effects of a realistic acid-polluted fog, we collected samples of acid fog in Brussels, Belgium, which is a densely populated and industrialized city, we defined characteristics of this fog and exposed asthmatic volunteers at rest through a face mask to fogs with physical and chemical characteristics similar to those of natural fogs assessed in this urban area. Fogwater was sampled using a screen collector where droplets are collected by inertial impaction and chemical content of fogwater was assessed by measurement of conductivity, pH, visible colorimetry, high pressure liquid chromatography, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry over a period of one year. The fogwater composition was dominated by NH+4 and SO=4 ions. First we evaluated the possible effect of fog acidity alone. For this purpose 14 subjects with asthma were exposed at rest for 1 hr [mass median aerodynamic diameter to a large-particle (MMAD), 9 μm] aerosol with H2SO4 concentration of 500 μg/m3 (pH 2.5) and osmolarity of 300 mOsm, We did not observe significant change in pulmonary function or bronchial responsiveness to metacholine. In the second part of the work, 10 asthmatic subjects were exposed to acid fog (MMAD, 7 μm) containing sulfate and ammonium ions (major ions recovered in naturally occurring fogs) with pH 3.5 and osmolarity 30 mOsm. Again, pulmonary function and bronchial reactivity were not modified after inhalation of this fog. It was concluded that short-term exposure to acid fog reproducing acidity and hypoosmolarity of natural polluted fogs does not induce bronchoconstriction and does not change bronchial responsiveness in asthmatics.