A New Approach to the Construction of Small Animal Inhalation Chambers: Design and Evaluation

Cylindrical, all glass, inhalation chambers are described which are suitable for the exposure of small laboratory animals to atmospheric pollutants. The main feature of the design is the ability of the investigator to construct a chamber with an internal volume which best approximates the animal loading requirement and/or the availability of test material. Evaluation of the distribution of a gaseous material within the chamber has shown that animals will be exposed to a specified atmospheric concentration of the material irrespective of their position within the chamber. Catch pans for the collection of excreta can be used which do not affect the uniformity of material distribution. Preliminary evaluation of the distribution of a particulate atmosphere indicates that the same will be true for liquid and solid aerosols.