Immediate effects of ethanol on mucociliary clearance in healthy men

A recent experimental study has shown that ethanol concentrations below 1% increase ciliary beat frequency in preparations of sheep trachea. This study was designed to investigate whether low ethanol concentrations also increase mucociliary clearance in man. Mucociliary clearance was measured using inhaled, radiolabelled particles. Clearance was measured in normal men for 30 min under baseline conditions. The subjects then ingested 28 g of ethanol, and clearance was measured for a further 40 min. The subjects reached a mean plasma concentration of 0.04% 30 min after ethanol intake. The mean half-life of the radioactive particles in the lung was 160 min under basal conditions and 257 min after ethanol ingestion. The difference was not statistically significant. We conclude that low ethanol concentrations do not increase mucociliary clearance in man.