Urban/rural differences in prevalences of airway diseases, allergies, and sensitizations were studied in 19,090 6-year-old children from East and West Germany. The impact of SO2 and particulate matter on these differences were analyzed. The prevalences of sensitizations, positive specific IgE antibodies against pollen, house dust mites or cat dander, were investigated in 3699 children. The urban/rural differences in concentrations of SO2 and suspended particles were larger in East than in West Germany. A logistic regression model was used to adjust for the possible confounding effects of sociodemographic factors and indoor air quality. In East and in West Germany the odds ratios describing urban/rural differences were significantly greater than one in most of the 13 analyzed airway diseases, -symptoms, and allergies. These odds raties for infectious airway diseases and symptoms were greater in East than in West Germany and were reduced in East Germany when including the pollution values into the model (for frequent cough from 2.13 [CI95 1.76 - 2.58] to 1.78 [CI95 1.42 - 2.20]). In West Germany only, the prevalences of sensitizations were slightly higher in urban than in rural areas and the prevalence of sensitizations against cat dander was significantly higher. An enhancement of the urban/rural effect in sensitized children was observed for bronchi tis in East Germany. The higher prevalences of allergies and sensitizations (West) in the urban compared to the rural areas cannot be explained by differences in air pollution with SO2 and suspended particles or by an enhancement of the effect in sensitized children.

In rats, primary peripheral lung tumors composed predominantly of alveolar type II cells have been induced by inhalation of α quartz. In our retrospective study on proliferation markers we evaluated lung specimens of 140 Wistar rats from larger experiments, which had been exposed to Dörentrup quartz (DQ12) by inhalation (10 mg/m3, 56 Weeks, 5 days/week, 7 h/day:n=27) or intratracheal instillations (5 mg:n=38; 20 mg:n=10; 50 mg:n=28; 15×3 mg:n=12). In the last group 8/12 animals developed lung tumors. Animals were sacrificed 1–32 months after administration. For identification of an increased proliferation of alveolar type II cells the DNA content was monitored by microscopic (static) cytophotometry in histological slides. The argyrophil (AgNOR) method for the demonstration of nucleolar organizer regions (NOR) was used as second marker of type II cell proliferation. Measurements made 24 months after inhalation of DQ12 showed a slight increase of pneumocytic proliferation with 1.64±0.14 AgNOR/nucleus compared to the controls (1.23±0.04 mean AgNOR/nucleus). After intratracheal instillation of DQ12 a significant increase of AgNOR was found, e.g. 5 mg: 1.93±0.23 AgNOR/nucleus (6 months) and 1.96±0.19 (12 months); 50 mg: 1.77±0.15 (6 months) and 2.18±0.05 (12 months); 15×3 mg (+2 ml 2% polyvinylpyridineN-oxide s.c.): 1.81±0.13 AgNOR/nucleus (27–32 months). With the aid of the 2c deviation index, i.e. the mean square deviation from the diploid DNA value, it was possible also to identify the pathologically increased proliferation of type II cells after intratracheal instillation of quartz: 0.02±0.01−0.06±0.04c2 (controls); 0.07±0.04c2 (5 mg/12 months); 0.12±0.08c2 (15×3 mg/>27 months) and 0.68±0.48c2 (50 mg/12 months). Only in the last group were nearly triploid values detected. Summarizing our results, intratracheal instillation and inhalation of quartz in rats regularly induces alveolar proteinosis and interstitial fibrosis in combination with a dose- and time-dependent increase of the type II cell proliferation rate. As mitogenesis increases carcinogenesis, alveolar proteinosis with increased pneumocytic proliferative activity might be a prerequisite for enhanced tumor development.

At the Environmental Medical Consulting Centre 1677 consultations were carried out in 1991. The centre is established at the Medical Institute of Environmental Hygiene in Düsseldorf. There were 1129 (68%) short questions and 309 (18%) detailed consultations by phone or by letter. The most of the questions were asked by the general population. Other questions came from people at health offices, from general practitioners and from hospitals. No detail information about some socio-demographic data of this group was taken. The overwhelming topics of the questions were toxicological problems of harmful substances in indoor air or about the use of some products containing harmful substances. 239 (14%) people of the whole group got an appointment for a detailed medical consultation. Only data from 158 patients--visiting the office during January and September 1991--were evaluated in detail. On average the patients examined were 40 years old and mostly with a higher school degree. The most of the people complained about permanent polysomatic symptoms. A defined exposure was diagnosed for 31 (20%) patients, which resulted from pollution at work, at home or from the environment. The term Sick-Building-Syndrome were used for further 16 (10%) patients. In conclusion, the results of the study reveal a need of consultation with a specific orientation in Environmental Medicine. But, because of lack of data from other consulting offices in order to compare the results, no quantification of the need could be estimated.

We examined the effect of hyperventilation (HV) of sulfur dioxide (SO2)-air and cold air for 5 minutes on airway responsiveness of 37 (12 females and 25 males) healthy non-smoking volunteers of different ages. Body-plethysmographic measurements of airway resistance (Raw) and intrathoracic gas volume (ITGV) were performed before, 3, 10 and 20 mins. after the end of HV of SO2-air or cold air. Specific airway resistance (sRaw), product of Raw x ITGV, was used to evaluate the airway responsiveness. The mean (standard error) of percent changes of sRaw (delta %sRaw) were 121 (22), 45 (8) and 25 (4) at 3, 10 and 20 mins. after the end of HV of SO2-air. The corresponding values were 52 (8), 25 (5) and 19 (3) after HV of cold air. The differences in delta %sRaw between HV of SO2 and cold air were statistically significant (two sided t-test) for the 3 (p < 0.01) and 10 (p < 0.05) mins. values. Hyperventilation of SO2 and cold air produced delta sRaw above 100% in 14 (37.8%) and 5 (13.5%) volunteers, respectively. The difference in frequencies of delta sRaw above 100% between the HV of SO2 and cold air was statistically significant (p < 0.05, chi 2-Test). We observed a decreasing order of airway responsiveness with increasing age following HV of SO2 but not after cold air. We conclude that airway responsiveness to SO2 is poorly related to the response to cold air.

PATIS was developed as a questionnaire-based, PC-assisted patient-information- and documentation-systems within the framework of the "Umweltmedizinische Beratungsstelle" (advisory board for clinical environmental medicine) at the Medical Institute of Environmental Hygiene at the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf. PATIS is a substantial element of a planed knowledged-based-system in environmental medicine. This system will further-more consist of databases for chemical substances information, exposition, and literature. PATIS records information about patients concerning personal data, former diseases, symptomatology and complaints, lifestyle, residential and working area, and spare time activities. Furthermore the state of physical examination, performances of diagnostics, and laboratory investigations are documented. A different questionnaire exists for children younger than 12 years. PATIS is able to supply an automatic report based on information of the questionnaire. This system is realized in the relational-database-system dBase IV and is utilized practice since the beginning of 1991.

A new type of fibrous glass showing a low durability in the body was injected intraperitoneally into rats. In the range of the doses applied (up to 10(9) of a thinner product and up to 0.24 x 10(9) of a thicker product) a carcinogenicity was not detected; in contrast, durable glass fibres induced tumours. It is recommended to use mineral fibres with low durability as far as possible.

Xenotransplants of human carcinomas were tested for consistency of the analytical data of tumor markers over several passages in nude mice and nude rats. The binding properties of antibodies against tumor-associated antigens present in sera from tumor-bearing patients were tested with aid of the anticomplement immunofluorescence. The best binding capacity was found when sera from patients with bronchogenic carcinomas reacted on xenotransplants of the digestive tract (70%). Because of the low values for controls as well as for inflammatory diseases, this test may be applicable in the early recognition of lung cancer.