COMBINED PULMONARY TOXICITY OF DIETHYLDITHIOCARBAMATE AND LEAD(II) OXIDE IN RATS

The pulmonary toxicity of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate and lead(II) o xide alone or in combination was studied in rats after a single intrat racheal instillation, The lead content in the lungs and the whole bloo d was determined and it has been found that the clearance of lead from the lung was delayed by dithiocarbamate complex formation, which prob ably had a role in increased IgA levels in the bronchoalveolar fluid a nd the induction of local immune response, The combined exposure gave rise to calcium deposits in the lungs both extra- and intracellularly after 1 month of exposure, Both separate and combined exposure invoked permanent injury in membranes or dystrophic changes in the cytoplasm of pneumocytes, which may initiate and generate a series of events lea ding to fibrosing alveolitis. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.