Aerosol Inhalation: Recent Research Frontiers

Abstract

BOOK REVIEW Aerosol Inhalation: Recent Research Frontiers Edited by J. C. M. Mariinissen and L. Gradoh This 301 page volume containing 23 sepa- rate contributions is the proceedings of an international workshop held September 14-16, 1995, near Warsaw, Poland. The purpose of the workshop was to bring to- gether scientists from various disciplines to get a complete view of the aerosol inhala- tion, lung transport and deposition in rela- tion to the current environment. No single workshop or volume can be expected to achieve such an ambitious goal. However, several of the papers included provide timely and excellent reviews of important topics, and other papers present detailed reports of the specific research of the au- thors. In addition, two papers summarize panel discussions and two others provide perspectives on the workshop. The strength of this book lies in its several lucid papers that contain either new information or orig- inal perspectives on topics of current inter- est. The main weakness is that the produc- tion quality is poor. For example, some papers resemble early drafts and some have missing information because the printed page in my copy was not sufficiently wide to capture the entire complement of text. Still, the book is highly recommended to all aerosol scientists who are interested in en- vironmental particulate exposures and hu- man health. The lead paper by Morton Lippmann presents a comprehensive review of early and recent epidemiological evidence for the adverse health effects of atmospheric aerosols. Lippmann considers three eras: the highly-polluted coal-smoke era, the less-polluted intermediate era, and the recent past (since 1985). He identifies Aerosol Science and Technology 26:289-290 (1997) O 1997 American Association for Aerosol Research Published by Elsevier Science Inc. key unresolved questions regarding the health effects of current PM-10 (particulate mass in particles under 10 p m aerodynamic diameter), including a discussion of possi- ble causal factors for mortality and morbid- ity (PM-2.5 mass, hydrogen ion, particle number, and hybrid factors such as acid- coated fine particles are suggested). With nearly 70 references, this paper provides an excellent update on the issue of modern particulate material and the related human mortality and morbidity. The second paper, by Roger McClellan, thoroughly covers the topic of cancer risks in relation to the inhalation of diesel ex- haust and carbon black. In addition to re- viewing and discussing the risk assessments made by various governmental and other agencies, McClellan presents an in-depth mechanistic analysis of the numerous rele- vant rodent studies that have been con- ducted and identifies several issues that call into question the extrapolation of the re- sults of such studies to human populations. This well-referenced chapter (with over 100 citations) presents the full complexity and identifies the important gaps in knowledge relating to risk assessments for diesel exhaust soot and carbon black. Among the author's conclusions is that the expo- sure-response relationship observed at high exposure levels should not be extrapolated to low-level exposures typical of well con- trolled work places or the general environ- ment. Particle deposition and clearance, major emphases of the book, are discussed in 10 papers. Among these, one finds: an exami-