An experimental study on the respiratory toxicity of isopropyl alcohol

Abstract

Guinea-pigs were exposed to 400 ppm or 5500 ppm of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) for 24 successive hours, and they were killed immediately after the exposure period. The ciliary activities of the nose and trachea were examined. In addition, the epithelium of the nose and trachea was observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The present study showed that exposure to 400 or 5500 ppm of IPA vapor caused deterioration of the ciliary activity and also some pathological changes. Although our study revealed that exposure to 400 ppm of IPA vapor can affect the mucosa of the nose and trachea, the ciliary activity of the 400-ppm exposure group was not too poor and morphological changes were rather mild. Recovery from such degeneration might be rapid. Therefore, our study supports the justification of the allowable IPA level recommended by ACGIH.

The exposure of healthy volunteers to 200 ppm 1,1,1-trichloroethane increases the concentration of proinflammatory cytokines in nasal secretions

“…Test subjects were exposed for a few hours only, in both studies. The results cannot be extrapolated to a chronic exposure of workers, as exposure to 400 ppm isopropanol for 24 h impaired ciliary activity in pigs [19].…”

“…Sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and oxygen at ā ow rate of 4 l/min have been shown to impair mucociliary transport [1,8]. Exposure to 400 ppm isopropanol over 24 h decreased ciliary activity in the nasal mucosa of guinea pigs [19]. Those studies indicated that acute exposure to irritants may cause different immunological and functional eects in nasal mucosa, but there is little knowledge on the eects of organic solvents in humans.…”

Isopropyl alcohol inhalation versus 5-HT3 antagonists for treatment of nausea: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

“…IPA is delivered through pads soaked in the substance being placed close to the nares, through which patients inhale taking two to three deep breaths. IPA has been proven to be safe in animal models [ 53 , 54 ], and no adult studies have recorded any related adverse events [ 22 , 48 ]. It exhibits toxicity to human adults only with oral ingestion.…”

Effects of an external exposure to 200 ppm methyl ethyl ketone on nasal mucosa in healthy volunteers

“…Within our study it was not possible to measure ciliary beat frequency of nasal epithelial cells. However, solvents other than methyl ethyl ketone impaired ciliary activity of nasal mucosa in animals: Exposure to 400 ppm isopropanol for 24 h decreased ciliary activity in guinea pigs and induced mild degenerative changes of the epithelium, which were reversible after 14 days [23,24]. Four hours of exposure to tetrahydrofuran impaired ciliary activity in rabbits dose-dependently, beginning at 100 ppm [21].…”

“…Animal experiments showed that different solvents may impair ciliary activity (e.g. [21,22,23]). An impairment of ciliary activity may cause deterioration in the elimination of noxious particles, as the function of the mucociliary transport system depends on the interaction of ciliary activity and mucus.…”