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Article: One-year occupational exposure to a cold environment alters lung function.
- Article from:
- Archives of Environmental Health
- Article date:
- July 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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INHALATION OF COLD AIR through the mouth or nose induces an immediate increase in airway resistance in normal human subjects (1-5) and in animals. (6-8) The bronchomotor response in asthmatic human subjects (2,9,10) and in sensitized animals (7) is markedly accentuated. However, in order for the cold challenge to induce a bronchospasm, the subject must either hyperventilate subfreezing air (-5[degrees]C to -40[degrees]C) through his or her mouth, (1,2,9) to push moderately fresh air (+8[degrees]C to +15[degrees]C) directly into the upper airways, (6,7) or he or she must breathe subfreezing air (-5[degrees]C to -10[degrees]C) quietly through the nose. (5,10)
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