CHRONIC INHALATION EXPOSURE OF WISTAR RATS AND 2 DIFFERENT STRAINS OF MICE TO DIESEL-ENGINE EXHAUST, CARBON-BLACK, AND TITANIUM-DIOXIDE

Wistar rats were exposed for 2 yr to diesel engine exhaust, carbon black (Printex 90, Degussa, FRC), and ultrafine TiO2 (P25, Degussa, FRG) and were subsequently kept in clean air for 6 mo. Particle exposure concentration was increased during the course of the experiment for carbon black and TiO2 to reach particle lung loads similar to those found in the diesel soot-exposed rats. The average particle exposure concentrations for diesel soot carbon black, and TiO2 were 7, 11.6, and 10 mg/m(3), respectively. Lung tumor rates in these rats increased with increasing cumulative particle exposure (mg/m(3) x h) independent of the type of particle employed. The exposure to 2.5 mg/m(3) diesel soot also induced a significantly increased lung tumor rate, but 0.8 mg/m(3) diesel soot did not. With this study, it could be demonstrated that the carbon core of diesel soot is mainly responsible for the occurrence of diesel engine exhaust-related lung tumors; the role of diesel soot-attached polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and NO2-PAH is probably of minor importance in the rat lung. Agglomerates of ultrafine carbon and TiO2 particles seem particularly suited to exert toxic effects primarily on alveolar macrophages and alveolar lung particle clearance. Although such lung toxic effects were also seen with the lowest diesel soot exposure concentration (0.8 mg/m(3)) used, no increased lung tumor rate was detected in this group of rats. Whether this result implies a threshold for the particle-related lung tumor induction mechanism as already discussed by Vostal (1986) or whether the tumor effect was simply not observed because of statistical reasons needs further research on the possible mode of action of ultrafine insoluble particles in the lung. NMRI mice that were kept in the same exposure atmospheres (high diesel soot carbon black, TiO2) as the rats did not show an increased lung tumor rate. Furthermore, there was no treatment-related tumor response in NMRI nor in C57BL/6N mice exposed to diesel exhaust containing 4.5 mg/m(3) diesel soot or to the same exhaust dilution but devoid of soot particles. C57BL/6N mice were exposed for 24 mo and were subsequently kept in clean air for another 6 mo. Not only the average survival lime but also the particle load per gram lung wet weight of the C57BL/6N mice was very similar to rats exposed to 7 mg/m(3) diesel soot.