Model to Estimate Effective Doses of Adsorbed Pollutants on Respirable Particles and their Subsequent Release into Alveolar Surfactant. 1. Validation of the Model for the Adsorption and Release of Formaldehyde on a Respirable Carbon Black

Abstract

This report presents a thermodynamic model based upon measurable physicochemical properties of particle and pollutant molecules and their interactions. This model may be used to predict the distribution of volatile pollutants between gas phase and respirable particles in order to estimate the dose of sorbed pollutants for inhalation studies. Experimental validation of the model has been performed using a nose-only exposure system that has been designed and constructed for the generation and coexposure of mice to an oil furnace carbon black and formaldehyde. The model predicts that an insignificant amount of formaldehyde is carried to the distal lung on the surface of this carbon black and that any formaldehyde that is carried on the particle will be released immediately into the alveolar surfactant.