Asbestos cement dust inhalation by hamsters

Two groups of 96 male Syrian golden hamsters were exposed to respirable asbestos cement aerosol at concentrations of approximately 1 and approximately 10 micrograms/liter, respectively, 3 hours/day, 5 days/week. Average fiber counts ranged from 5 to about 120 fibers/cm3. Each group was randomly divided into six subgroups of 16 animals. The first subgroup was sacrificed after 3 months of exposure, the second after 6 months, and the third after 15 months. The fourth subgroup was withdrawn from exposure after 3 months, observed for an additional 3 months, and then sacrificed. The fifth and sixth subgroups were withdrawn after 3 and 6 months of exposure, respectively, and maintained for observation up to the 15-month exposure point of the third subgroup at which time all surviving animals were sacrificed. All other experimental procedures were similar to those delineated in a previous publication describing the development of an animal model, techniques, and an exposure system for asbestos cement dust inhalation (A. P. Wehner, G. E. Dagle, and W. C. Cannon, 1978, Environ. Res. 16, 393-407). The asbestos cement exposures had no significant effect on body weight and mortality of the animals. Higher aerosol concentration and longer exposure times increased the number of macrophages and ferruginous bodies found in the lungs of the exposed animals. Recovery periods had no effect on the incidence of macrophages and ferruginous bodies. The incidence of very slight to slight fibrosis in the animals sacrificed after 15 months of exposure shows a significant (P less than 0.01) trend when the untreated control group and the 1 and 10 microgram/liter dose level groups are compared, indicating a dose-response relationship. Development of minimal fibrosis continued in animals withdrawn from exposure. No primary carcinomas of the lung and respiratory tract and no mesotheliomas were found.