Effect of Mount St. Helens ash on the response of rat trachea to smooth muscle agonists

Fedan, Jeffrey S.; Ma, Jane; Fromell, Gregg; Mentnech, M. S.

doi:10.1016/0013-9351(81)90225-5

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Five other toxicological studies (Fedan et al 1981;Grose et al 1985;Martin et al 1984b;Schiff et al 1981;Wehner et al 1984) carried out on the Mt. St. Helens ash examined the effects of ash on antibacterial defences, muscle response, clearance rates and cilia viability.…”

Section: Toxicological Studiesmentioning

confidence: 97%

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: 97%

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

2006

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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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“…A number of papers show the importance of the effects of ash fallout from the St. Helens eruption. Nammah et al (1986) studied the influence of the presence of volcanic deposits on cultivated land; Fedan et al (1981) examined the toxicity of ash by inhalation; finally, Evans (1999) analysed the climate changes caused by the eruption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential loading damage to industrial storage tanks due to volcanic ash fallout

et al. 2012

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The phenomenon of volcanic fallout ash from Mt. Etna in Sicily (Italy) is well known and frequent in recent years, as in the period 2001–2004. As a consequence, significant problems for the population, road, rail and air traffic and production activities have occurred. The industrial areas of Catania and Augusta-Priolo, located in south eastern Sicily, might be involved during particular weather conditions. This paper aims at determining the potential scenarios of damage to industrial facilities caused by volcanic ash fallout. The work has been focused on the study of both fixed and floating roof storage tanks, containing flammable liquids, and examines extreme failures damage causing the greatest loss of containment for these facilities. To include scenarios arising from natural phenomena (Na-Tech events) in the standard risk assessment procedure, the estimation of the vulnerability of these facilities is necessary. The study has been applied to the area surrounding Mt. Etna, and the procedure can also be extended to other case studies

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Effect of Mount St. Helens ash on the response of rat trachea to smooth muscle agonists

Cited by 9 publications

References 4 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

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

Potential loading damage to industrial storage tanks due to volcanic ash fallout

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