[Reactions of the human body to chemical substances in an enclosed environment]

The purpose of the study was to investigate adaptive responses of the human body to chemicals of anthropogenic origin in an enclosed environment. The object of the study was ammonia, a typical metabolite and a permanent contaminant of a enclosed atmosphere. The study consisted of a prolonged and continuous exposure to ammonia at a concentration of 2.0 +/- 0.1 mg/m3 and a 24-hour exposure to ammonia at a concentration of 9.8 +/- 0.1 mg/m3. The results showed that ammonia was neutralized in a stage-by-stage manner. At first the anthropotoxin was eliminated in exhaled air. As the exposure continued, additional mechanisms became involved, i.e. ammonia binding and renal excretion. Activation of ammonia detoxication occurred without noticeable involvement of the sympathoadrenal system.