Response of hamster trachea in organ culture to Mount St. Helens volcano ash

The effects of Mount St. Helens volcanic ash on rings of hamster tracheal epithelium in organ culture were studied. Volcanic ash samples with mass median aerodynamic diameters (MMAD) of 7.7 micrometers and 1.6 micrometers caused markedly different alterations in the tracheal mucosa. Examination by SEM of the ventral epithelial surface of tissue from untreated control explants after 2 weeks in culture showed equal numbers of ciliated and microvillous cells. Examination by SEM of tracheas exposed to the smaller size particles revealed that ash concentrations as low as 1 microgram/ml increased mucous secretion after one 2-hr exposure. After four or nine 2-hr exposures, cells contained cilia that were short and blunt. Ciliary activity after these exposures showed a significant depression in beating frequency. Tracheal ring cultures exposed to the larger volcanic ash particles exhibited moderate cytomorphological changes after one 2-hr exposure at concentrations of 1, 10 and 100 micrograms/ml. As the number of exposures increased, most of the columnar cell layer was lost, resulting in exposure of the basal cells. After nine exposures at the two highest concentrations of ash (10 and 100 micrograms/ml), only a few ciliated cells were remaining. Statistically significant reductions in ciliary activity paralleled the epithelial damage. The degree of epithelial damage and changes in the cilia beating frequency were related to the dose and the number of exposures to the volcanic ash.