Assessment of Geographical Variation in the Respiratory Toxicity of Desert Dust Particles

The health consequences of sand particle inhalation are incompletely understood. This project evaluated the respiratory toxicity of sand particles collected at military bases near Fort Irwin USA, in Iraq (Camp Victory, Taji and Talil), and Khost Afghanistan. Our primary focus was on assessing the role of soluble metals in the respiratory toxicity of the sand particles using in vitro and in vivo methods. Replicating rat type II alveolar cell cultures (RLE-6TN) were exposed to sand extracts or vehicle control in serum-free media for 24 h. Cytotoxicity was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and assessment of lactate dehydrogenase leakage. Published in Inhalation Toxicology, v26 n7 p405-416, 2013. The original document contains color images. Prepared in collaboration with the The Joint Pathology Center, Division of Biophysical Toxicology/Biophysical Toxicology Laboratory, Malcolm Grow Medical Clinic, Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, MD. Prepared in cooperation with the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Sponsored in part by the Military Operational Medicine Research Program and ONR.