HSE PUBLISHES PARTICULATE TOXICITY RESEARCH REPORT

HSE press release E190:03 - 25 September 2003

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a commissioned study which examined the pro-inflammatory effects of particles at concentrations that are not high enough to produce gross toxicity.

The new study is important because high airborne mass concentrations of low toxicity poorly soluble particles have, in experimental animal systems, been associated with lung diseases such as fibrosis and lung cancer.

The study "In vitro determinants of particulate toxicity: the dose-metric for poorly soluble dusts", by the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) investigates whether surface area of low toxicity poorly soluble particles (LTPSP) is a better indicator per mass of their ability to stimulate pro-inflammatory responses.

Using a culture of human lung cells, IOM measured some biochemical markers of pro-inflammatory effects and oxidative stress after treatment with a range of dusts.

In all the tests, ultra fine preparations of titanium dioxide and of Carbon Black produced much stronger inflammatory responses than the same mass dose of fine Titanium Dioxide and Carbon Black.

IOM observed finer particles, with greater specific surface area, had greater biological effects in relation to given dust types.

The study recommends testing a wider range of dusts with the in vitro system, and also suggests further investigations are needed into the surface reactivity of the particles to determine if there is a difference in the reactive oxygen species or reactive nitrogen species that are being produced by DQ12 quartz and LTPSP.

"In vitro determinants of particulate toxicity: The dose-metric for poorly soluble dusts", Research Report 154, is available on the HSE website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr154.htm

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