Response of perifused alveolar macrophages to glass fibers: effect of exposure duration and fiber length

The effect of glass fibers on rat alveolar macrophages was studied with a new perifusion technique which allows the sequential determination of cell-derived inflammatory mediators as well as estimation of cell viability and aggregation at the end of the incubation period. Our results showed that glass fibers induced dose-dependent release of prostaglandins and β-glucuronidase from macrophages and the aggregation and death of these cells. These deleterious effects were clearly related to the length of the fibers, with the longer fibers (⩾=4–5 μm) being more active than the shorter ones (