Pulmonary response, in vivo, to silicon carbide whiskers.

Fischer rats were exposed to silicon carbide whiskers (SiCW), boron carbide whiskers (BCW), silicon carbide platelets (SiCP), or crocidolite asbestos separately administered by intratracheal instillation. SiCW proved to be the most toxic material within the test group. Dramatic increases in alveolar macrophage populations within 1 week of exposure to SiCW persisted for at least 28 days, evidence of the chronic inflammation observed in necropsies during the first months of the study. The most common finding in histological preparations of tissues taken from animals 18 months after exposure to SiCW was a high incidence (frequency > 0.85) of multiple pulmonary granulomas which occasionally occluded airways. Lesions associated with crocidolite were similar to those found with SiCW. Equivalent treatment with BCW and SiCP produced no significant histological changes within 18 months of exposure.