Pulmonary toxicity of Mount St. Helens volcanic ash

Sanders, C.L.; Conklin, A.W.; Gelman, Rachel; Adee, R.R.; Rhoads, K.

doi:10.1016/0013-9351(82)90063-9

Cited by 21 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Of the six instillation studies, three found the ash to be mildly toxic (Akematsu et al 1982;Beck et al 1982;Kornbrust and Hatch 1984) while two showed fibrosis and granulomas in the lung (Sanders et al 1982(Sanders et al , 1983Vallyathan et al 1983b). One study did not find the ash to be toxic (Raub et al 1985).…”

Section: Toxicological Studiesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Of the four inhalation studies, the outcome in two was the development of fibrosis (Martin et al 1983a;Wehner et al 1986), but there was no evidence of toxicity in two studies (Raub et al 1985;Wiester et al 1985). Sanders et al (1982) and Vallyathan et al (1983a) studied animals for 400 days and 6 months, respectively, thereby allowing the analysis of the long-term effect of volcanic ash in the lung. In both studies the ash was less toxic than quartz particles.…”

Section: Toxicological Studiesmentioning

confidence: 97%

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The respiratory health hazards of volcanic ash: a review for volcanic risk mitigation

2006

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Studies of the respiratory health effects of different types of volcanic ash have been undertaken only in the last 40 years, and mostly since the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980. This review of all published clinical, epidemiological and toxicological studies, and other work known to the authors up to and including 2005, highlights the sparseness of studies on acute health effects after eruptions and the complexity of evaluating the long-term health risk (silicosis, non-specific pneumoconiosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) in populations from prolonged exposure to ash due to persistent eruptive activity. The acute and chronic health effects of volcanic ash depend upon particle size (particularly the proportion of respirable-sized material), mineralogical composition (including the crystalline silica content) and the physicochemical properties of the surfaces of the ash particles, all of which vary between volcanoes and even eruptions of the same volcano, but adequate information on these key characteristics is not reported for most eruptions. The incidence of acute respiratory symptoms (e.g. asthma, bronchitis) varies greatly after ashfalls, from very few, if any, reported cases to population outbreaks of asthma. The studies are inadequate for excluding increases in acute respiratory mortality after eruptions. Individuals with preexisting lung disease, including asthma, can be at increased risk of their symptoms being exacerbated after falls of fine ash. A comprehensive risk assessment, including toxicological studies, to determine the long-term risk of silicosis from chronic exposure to volcanic ash, has been undertaken only in the eruptions of Mt. St. Helens (1980), USA, and Soufrière Hills, Montserrat (1995 onwards). In the Soufrière Hills eruption, a long-term silicosis hazard has been identified and sufficient exposure and toxicological information obtained to make a probabilistic risk assessment for the development of silicosis in outdoor workers and the general population. A more systematic approach to multi-disciplinary studies in future eruptions is recommended, including establishing an archive of ash samples and a website containing health advice for the public, together with scientific and medical study guidelines for volcanologists and health-care workers.

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Section: Toxicological Studiesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Toxicological Studiesmentioning

confidence: 97%

The respiratory health hazards of volcanic ash: a review for volcanic risk mitigation

2006

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“…MSHA has been studied in the past and has shown no effect on breathing pattern during inhalation studies at higher doses than used in this study (Martin et al, 1986, Raub et al, 1985, Wiester et al, 1985). Some mild inflammatory effects have been shown after high dose instillation studies (Martin et al, 1986, Raub et al, 1985, Sanders et al, 1982, Vallyathan et al, 1983), but not after inhalation studies (Savage et al, 2003, Raub et al, 1985). Therefore, the breathing pattern changes produced by P+MSHA exposure are most likely the result of the tailpipe emissions rather than the MSHA.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of fresh and aged vehicular exhaust emissions on breathing pattern and cellular responses – pilot single vehicle study

Diaz¹,

Chung

Papapostolou³

et al. 2012

Inhalation Toxicology

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The study presented here is a laboratory pilot study using diluted car exhaust from a single vehicle to assess differences in toxicological response between primary emissions and secondary products resulting from atmospheric photochemical reactions of gas phase compounds with O3, OH and other radicals. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed for five hours to either filtered room air (Sham) or one of two different atmospheres: 1. Diluted Car Exhaust (P) + Mt. Saint Helens Ash (MSHA); 2. P+MSHA+SOA (Secondary Organic Aerosol, formed during simulated photochemical aging of diluted exhaust). Primary and secondary gases were removed using a non-selective diffusion denuder. Continuous respiratory data was collected during the exposure, and broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) and complete blood counts (CBC) were performed 24 hours after exposure. ANOVA models were used to assess the exposure effect and to compare those effects across different exposure types. Total average exposures were 363±66 μg/m3 P+MSHA and 212±95 μg/m3 P+MSHA+SOA. For both exposures, we observed decreases in breathing rate, tidal and minute volumes (TV, MV) and peak and median flows (PIF, PEF and EF50) along with increases in breathing cycle times (Ti, Te) compared to sham. These results indicate that the animals are changing their breathing pattern with these test atmospheres. Exposure to P+MSHA+SOA produced significant increases in Total Cells, Macrophages and Neutrophils in the BAL and in-vivo chemiluminescence of the lung. There were no significant differences in CBC parameters. Our data suggest that simulated atmospheric photochemistry, producing SOA in the P+MSHA+SOA exposures, enhanced the toxicity of vehicular emissions.

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“…Several studies with Mount St. Helens volcanic ash have been published (Akematsu et al, 1982;Beck et al, 1981;Fedan et al, 1981;Green et al, 1981; et al, 1983a; C. Sanders et al, 1982Vallayathan et al, 1981Vallayathan et al, , 1984Wehner et al, 1983b) and reviewed elsewhere (Craighead et al, 1983;Martin et al, 1983b). Ours appears to be the only investigation to provide information on the effects of chronic inhalation exposure to volcanic ash.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lung changes in rats following inhalation exposure to volcanic ash for two years

Wehner

Dagle

Clark

et al. 1986

Environmental Research

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Rats were exposed by inhalation to 5 or 50 mg/m 3 Mount St. Helens volcanic ash, to 50 mg/m 3 quartz (positive controls), or to filtered room air (sham-exposed controls), for 6 hr/ day, 5 days/week, for up to 24 months to investigate biological effects of chronic inhalation exposure to volcanic ash under controlled laboratory conditions. Exposure-related lung changes comprised accelerated respiratory frequency; alveolar macrophage accumulation; interstitial reaction; lymphoreticular reaction in peribronchiolar regions and in mediastinal lymph nodes; alveolar proteinosis in the 50-mg/m 3 ash-or quartz-exposed groups; increase in fresh lung weights; decreased body weight and increased mortality in the quartz-exposed group; and epidermoid carcinomas especially in the quartz-exposed females and, to a lesser extent, in the 50-mg/m 3 ash-exposed females. The observed changes reflect significant dose-response and agent-response relationships. © 1986 Academic Press, Inc. It soon became apparent that acute effects in healthy persons were minor and temporary (Johnson et al., 1982; Washington State Health Services Division, 1980). However, the effects of chronic exposure to volcanic ash--as experienced, for example, by loggers in the fallout area--were unknown. This uncertainty emphasized the necessity for evaluating the health hazards of chronic ash inhalation in a suitable animal model under controlled laboratory conditions. The results of our study exceed regional relevance and will be of interest to medical personnel and health authorities in nations experiencing volcanic activity, such as the Pacific rim countries which form "the ring of fire." The objectives of our study were to determine whether chronic inhalation of volcanic ash causes lung changes; type and degree of lung changes as a function of ash aerosol concentration and cumulative exposure time; and regression of ash-induced lung changes as a function of aerosol concentration, cumulative exposure, and recuperation time. INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS Volcanic AshMount St. Helens volcanic ash was collected at three undisturbed sites in Yakima, Ritzville, and Spokane in the State of Washington, 5 weeks after the May 18, 1980, eruption. These sites represented major population centers in the areas of heaviest ash deposition. The ash samples were oven-dried at 100 _+ 5°C, passed through a No.20 (850-txm) sieve to remove foreign materials, thoroughly mixed in a V-blender, and sterilized by heating in ceramic dishes in an oven at 130°C for 16 hr. After cooling to room temperature, the ash was sealed in polyethylene bags and stored in 5-gal paint buckets for the animal exposures. Ash samples of respirable size, analyzed in our laboratory, contained from 3 to 4% free crystalline silica. Slightly more than half this quantity was quartz and most of the remainder was cristobalite.Min-U-sil (5 fxm) was obtained from Pennsylvania Glass Sand Corporation for exposing a positive-control group to a-quartz, a known potent cytotoxic agent. Aerosol Generation and Characteri...

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Pulmonary toxicity of Mount St. Helens volcanic ash

Cited by 21 publications

References 16 publications

The respiratory health hazards of volcanic ash: a review for volcanic risk mitigation

The respiratory health hazards of volcanic ash: a review for volcanic risk mitigation

Effects of fresh and aged vehicular exhaust emissions on breathing pattern and cellular responses – pilot single vehicle study

Lung changes in rats following inhalation exposure to volcanic ash for two years

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