OBJECTIVES: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and toluene have been reported to induce reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress. This study was performed to investigate the effects of low level exposure to PAHs or toluene on the lipid peroxidation level in elementary school children and the elderly in a rural area. METHODS: Forty seven elementary school children and 40 elderly people who were living in a rural area and not occupationally exposed to PAH or toluene were the subjects of this study. Information about active or passive smoking and diet was obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. The urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), 2-naphthol, hippuric acid and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentrations were measured, and these values were corrected with the urinary creatinine concentration. RESULTS: In school children, the geometric means of the urinary 1-OHP, 2-naphthol, hippuric acid and TBARS levels were 0.02 ymol/mol creatinine, 0.47 micron mol/mol creatinine, 0.14 g/g creatinine and 0.95 micron mol/g creatinine, respectively. Those values for the elderly were 0.07 micron mol/mol creatinine, 1.87 micron mol/mol creatinine, 0.11 g/g creatinine and 1.18 micron mol/g creatinine, respectively. The mean levels of urinary 1-OHP, 2-naphthol and TBARS were significantly higher in the elderly subjects than in the children. The urinary TBARS level was not correlated with the urinary 1-OHP, 2-naphthol and hippuric acid, but they were correlated with the age of the subjects. CONCLSIONS: These results suggest that low level inhalation exposure to PAH or toluene does not markedly increase lipid peroxidation, and age is a significant determinant of lipid peroxidation.
Child ; Environmental Exposure/*adverse effects ; Environmental Pollutants/*toxicity ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polycyclic Hydrocarbons, Aromatic/*toxicity ; *Rural Population ; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances/*analysis ; Toluene/*toxicity ; Urinalysis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The current study was designed to determine whether the indoor air pollution in a hemodialysis room (HD) was different from that of other comparable areas in a hospital. METHODS: Five air monitor samplers were hung on the ceiling and placed on the table in both the HD and general ward nursing stations, respectively. In addition, five samplers were placed in the nurse's breathing zone of the HD and the general ward, respectively. Ten air monitor samplers were also placed on the edge of the bed in the HD, which represented the patient's breathing zone. The levels of benzene and toluene were analyzed by GC/MS. RESULTS: In the general ward, the toluene concentration was significantly higher in the nurse breathing zone than that for the ceiling or table samples (p=0.001). The benzene concentration was also significantly higher in the general ward nurse breathing zone than that in the HD (p=0.006). In addition, the benzene concentrations on the table were higher at the general ward as compared to the HD (p=0.028), but there was no significant difference between the ceiling, general ward station and HD. CONCLUSIONS: Both the benzene and toluene concentrations in the HD appear to be more affected by the outdoor atmospheric conditions than by any potential indoor internal sources.
Adult ; Aged ; Air Pollution, Indoor/*analysis ; Benzene/analysis/*toxicity ; *Environmental Monitoring ; Female ; Health Status Indicators ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Renal Dialysis ; *Safety ; Toluene/analysis/*toxicity ; *Urban Population

OBJECTIVES: We established a Wistar rat model of asthma caused by toluene diisocyanate (TDI) exposure, and investigated the relationship between TDI exposure concentrations and respiratory hypersensitivity, airway inflammation, and cytokine secretions in animals, to better understand the mechanism of TDI induced occupational asthma. METHODS: Wistar rats were exposed to two different concentrations of TDI vapor four hours a day for five consecutive days. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed, and differential leucocytes from the BAL fluid were analyzed. Lung histopathological examination was carried out to investigate the inflammatory status in the airways. Production of cytokines interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 productions in the BAL fluid in vivo was determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. RESULTS: The TDI-exposed rats exhibited greater airway hypersensitivity symptoms than the control rats. The BAL differential cell count and lung histopathological examination demonstrated that inflammation reactions were present in both the central and peripheral airways, characterized with marked infiltration of eosinophils in the TDI-exposed rats. The cytokine assay showed that IL-4 and IL-5 were predominantly produced in the BAL fluid in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: These findings imply that TDI exposure concentrations may greatly affect the occurrence and extent of inflammatory events and that Th2 type cytokines may play an important role in the immunopathogenesis of TDI-induced occupational respiratory hypersensitivity.
Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/chemistry/cytology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Eosinophils/cytology/immunology ; Female ; Gases/chemistry ; Hypersensitivity/pathology ; Interleukin-4/*analysis ; Interleukin-5/*analysis ; Lung/*drug effects/pathology/secretion ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Toluene 2,4-Diisocyanate/*toxicity