The toxicity of inhaled methyl isocyanate vapor.

摘要

he toxicity of inhaled methyl isocyanate (MIC) vapor was evaluated using several bioassays designed to investigate the toxicity of airborne chemicals. Two methods which measure changes in respiratory rate and identify characteristic breathing patterns in mice were used to evaluate the potency of MIC as a sensory (Alarie, 1966; ASTM, 1984) and pulmonary (Alarie, 1981a) irritant. Using the CO;The experiments in mice indicated that MIC was one of the most potent sensory and pulmonary irritants tested to date. The single exposure of guinea pigs exposed to various concentrations of MIC indicated a very steep concentration-response relationship. Inspection of V-VT loops during air breathing and 10% CO;The experiments presented in this dissertation confirmed the clinical findings in Bhopal victims that the primary effect of MIC inhalation is on the lung. A single exposure to the chemical was able to produce permanent pulmonary disfunction with no observable extra-respiratory effects. The results of the