Effects of inhaled acid aerosols on lung mechanics: an analysis of human exposure studies.

There exist significant gaps in our understanding of human health effects from inhalation of pollutants associated with acid precipitation. Controlled clinical studies examine effects of criteria pollutants almost exclusively by assessing changes in lung mechanics. One constituent of acid precipitation, sulfuric acid aerosols, has been shown to induce bronchoconstriction in exercising extrinsic asthmatics at near ambient levels. These asthmatics may be an order of magnitude more sensitive to sulfuric acid aerosols than normal adults. More recently, a second component nitrogen dioxide has been observed to provoke changes in lung mechanics at progressively lower concentrations. To date, virtually no data exist from clinical exposures to acidic aerosols for subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.