Respiratory Tract Toxicity in Rats Exposed to Mexico City Air

Dr. Moss of CIIT evaluated the effects of rats exposed to ambient air in a highly polluted area in southwestern Mexico City. Pathologists have found evidence of cell damage and inflammation in nasal tissue from some human residents of this highly polluted area that was not present in people living in areas of the country with cleaner air and this study sought to determine if those effects could be replicated in rats. Moss and coworkers constructed mobile exposure chambers designed to expose rats to either ambient southwestern Mexico City air or to air from which pollutants would be removed by a filtration system. They examined the animals' respiratory tract for evidence of tissue damage using histopathology and state-of-the-art morphometry.