Abstract
Oxides of nitrogen are a by-product of combustion in a number of industrial processes and may be formed in agricultural procedures, such as the ensilage of corn. A major emitter is the automobile internal combustion engine, and oxides of nitrogen from this source are major components of smog. Colorless nitric oxide reacts with oxygen in the air to form yellow-brown nitrogen dioxide, a gas which in appropriate concentrations reduces visibility, reacts with hydrocarbons in photochemical smog to form ozone, and is toxic to plants and animals in its own right. The biological effects on the lungs from inhalation of nitrogen dioxide have been thoroughly studied in experimental animals. 1,2 Similar lesions occur in humans subjected to accidental exposures to the gas; these include acute hemorrhagic pneumonia, pulmonary edema, and bronchiolitis fibrosa obliterans. In this issue (p 1341), Tse and Bockman describe acute and chronic pulmonary disorders in firefighters after exposure
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