Lung cancer represents the highest single cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Epidemiological and experimental evidence indicates that the interplay of multiple environmental factors is responsible for the induction of lung cancer. Man is exposed to a complex mixture of potentially hazardous materials, including specific carcinogens and a variety of agents which may modify the manner in which the lung disposes of inhaled materials. One such carcinogen is benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) a ubiquitous environmental pollutant formed during the destructive distillation of coal and in other processes that involve incomplete combustion of organic material. BaP in combustion with various agents, such as ferric oxide, has been used in animals to experimentally induce tumors of bronchogenic origin. Evidence describes the necessity for this compound, BaP, to be metabolized to produce the carcinogenic response. However, the metabolism of BaP in the lung has not been fully investigated. Since at least three enzymes are involved in the metabolism of this compound and some of these systems can be inhibited by the presence of Fe2O3, SO2, or CAP to produce different metabolic patterns, a study of all the metabolites in the lung is necessary in order to determine if the rate or pattern of formation has changed. Therefore, an isolated perfused rabbit lung preparation suitable for metabolic studies has been developed to study BaP in crude air particulate and/or SO2.

"University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Department of Environmental Health." "July 1980." "Contract No. 68-02-1678." Includes bibliographical references (pages 152-158).