Olfactory deposition of inhaled nanoparticles in humans

Details

• Personal Author:
  Garcia GJM ; Kimbell JS ; Schroeter JD
• Description:
  Context: Inhaled nanoparticles can migrate to the brain via the olfactory bulb, as demonstrated in experiments in several animal species. This route of exposure may be the mechanism behind the correlation between air pollution and human neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Objectives: This article aims to (i) estimate the dose of inhaled nanoparticles that deposit in the human olfactory epithelium during nasal breathing at rest and (ii) compare the olfactory dose in humans with our earlier dose estimates for rats. Materials and methods: An anatomically-accurate model of the human nasal cavity was developed based on computed tomography scans. The deposition of 1-100 nm particles in the whole nasal cavity and its olfactory region were estimated via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Our CFD methods were validated by comparing our numerical predictions for whole-nose deposition with experimental data and previous CFD studies in the literature. Results: In humans, olfactory dose of inhaled nanoparticles is highest for 1-2 nm particles with approximately 1% of inhaled particles depositing in the olfactory region. As particle size grows to 100 nm, olfactory deposition decreases to 0.01% of inhaled particles. Discussion and conclusion: Our results suggest that the percentage of inhaled particles that deposit in the olfactory region is lower in humans than in rats. However, olfactory dose per unit surface area is estimated to be higher in humans in the 1-7 nm size range due to the larger inhalation rate in humans. These dose estimates are important for risk assessment and dose-response studies investigating the neurotoxicity of inhaled nanoparticles. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Risk Assessment Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations Fluid-mechanics Humans Inhalation-studies Nanoparticle Toxicology Nanotechnology Nasal Filtration Neurotoxicity Olfactory Epithelium Particle-aerodynamics Particle Deposition Particulate-dust Particulates Risk-analysis Risk Assessment Ultrafine Aerosols

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• ISSN:
  0895-8378
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  EID - Education and Information Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  394-403
• Volume:
  27
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046606
• Citation:
  Inhal Toxicol 2015 Jul; 27(8):394-403
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr Guilherme J. M. Garcia, Biotechnology & Bioengineering Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
• Email:
  ggarcia@mcw.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Inhalation Toxicology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8d7b5193ae20a43b29c7223cfed2af7511dbe063fef42e6eaadefcfa9e359c7c349429d6f00857e4a43776c5a0da33363895813976b815d4ea03a947a7bd41b1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/201612/cdc_201612_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 824.01 KB ]