Bronchopulmonary lavage in the assessment of relative acute pulmonary toxicity of pressurized consumer products.

Relative acute pulmonary toxicity ratings were determined for nine pressurized consumer products. Varied concentrations of the residual ingredients, following venting of the propellants and volatile solvents from each product, were dissolved or suspended in isotonic saline and were introduced into the lungs of Syrian hamsters via bilateral bronchopulmonary lavage. There was no mortality in controls in which a lavage was performed with saline alone. Data on the mortality within 7 days were subjected to parallel probit analysis and the lethal concentration for 50% mortality (LC50) was determined for each product. Of the animals that died, 93% did so within 24 hr after lavage. The range of the LC50 values was 0.06–0.70% concentration. A spray wood panel wax, a spray laundry aid, a spray wood panel cleaner, and a spray carpet cleaner produced mortality at lower concentrations than the remaining five consumer products, and thus appear to be more toxic to the pulmonary system. The three least toxic products tested were a spray fabric protector, a spray dusting aid, and a spray enamel. The efficacy of the lavage procedure for introducing toxic substances into the pulmonary system as a screening test for relative acute pulmonary toxicity is discussed. The results are to be used as one of the bases for establishing priorities for more definitive long-term inhalation exposure studies.