Acute exposure to hair bleach causes airway hyperresponsiveness in a rabbit model

Ammonium persulphate (APS) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) are used as oxidants in many industrial processes and are the main constituents of standard hair bleaching products. In a previous study, it was demonstrated that aerosols of APS induce alterations in airway responsiveness. The present study examined whether exposure for 4 h to a hair bleach composition (containing APS, potassium persulphate and H2O2) or H2O2 could induce airway hyperresponsiveness and/or an obstructive ventilation pattern in a rabbit model. Exposure to the aerosols altered neither baseline airway resistance, dynamic elastance, slope of inspiratory pressure generation nor arterial blood pressure and blood gas measurements. Similarly to APS, hair bleach aerosols containing > or =10.9 mg x m(-3) persulphate (ammonium and potassium salt) in air and > or =1.36 mg x m(-3) H2O2 in air caused airway hyperresponsiveness to acetylcholine after 4 h of exposure. Aerosolized H2O2 (> or =37 mg x m(-3) in air) did not influence airway responsiveness to acetylcholine. The results demonstrate that hair bleaching products containing persulphates dissolved in H2O2 cause airway hyperresponsiveness to acetylcholine in rabbits.