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Hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") is used in unconventional gas drilling to allow for the free flow of natural gas from rock. Sand in fracking fluid is pumped into the well bore under high pressure to enter and stabilize fissures in the rock. In the process of manipulating the sand on site, respirable dust (fracking sand dust, FSD) is generated. Inhalation of FSD is a potential hazard to workers inasmuch as respirable crystalline silica causes silicosis, and levels of FSD at drilling work sites have exceeded occupational exposure limits set by OSHA. In the absence of any information about its potential toxicity, a comprehensive rat animal model was designed to investigate the bioactivities of several FSDs in comparison to MIN-U-SIL® 5, a respirable α-quartz reference dust used in previous animal models of silicosis, in several organ systems (Fedan, J.S., Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 00, 000-000, 2020). The present report, part of the larger investigation, describes: 1) a comparison of the physico-chemical properties of nine FSDs, collected at drilling sites, and MIN-U-SIL® 5, a reference silica dust, and 2) a comparison of the pulmonary inflammatory responses to intratracheal instillation of the nine FSDs and MIN-U-SIL® 5. Our findings indicate that, in many respects, the physico-chemical characteristics, and the biological effects of the FSDs and MIN-U-SIL® 5 after intratracheal instillation, have distinct differences., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Cultured murine macrophages (RAW 264.7) were used to investigate the effects of fracking sand dust (FSD) for its pro-inflammatory activity, in order to gain insight into the potential toxicity to workers associated with inhalation of FSD during hydraulic fracturing. While the role of respirable crystalline silica in the development of silicosis is well documented, nothing is known about the toxicity of inhaled FSD. The FSD (FSD 8) used in these studies was from an unconventional gas well drilling site. FSD 8was prepared as a 10 mg/ml stock solution in sterile PBS, vortexed for 15 s, and allowed to sit at room temperature for 30 min before applying the suspension to RAW 264.7cells. Compared to PBS controls, cellular viability was significantly decreased after a 24 h exposure to FSD. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the production of IL-6, TNFα, and endothelin-1 (ET-1) were up-regulated as a result of the exposure, whereas the hydroxyl radical ( . OH) was only detected in an acellular system. Immunofluorescent staining of cells against TNFα revealed that FSD 8 caused cellular blebbing, and engulfment of FSD 8 by macrophages was observed with enhanced dark-field microscopy. The observed changes in cellular viability, cellular morphology, free radical generation and cytokine production all confirm that FSD 8 is cytotoxic to RAW 264.7 cells and warrants future studies into the specific pathways and mechanisms by which these toxicities occur., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Indium-tin oxide (ITO) is used to produce flat panel displays and several other technology products. Composed of 90% indium oxide (In 2 O 3 ) and 10% tin oxide (SnO 2 ) by weight, ITO is synthesized under conditions of high heat via a process known as sintering. Indium lung disease, a recently recognized occupational illness, is characterized by pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, fibrosis, and emphysema. Murine macrophage (RAW 264.7) and epidermal (JB6) cells stably transfected with AP-1 to study tumor promoting potential, were used to differentiate between the toxicological profiles of sintered ITO (SITO) and unsintered mixture (UITO). We hypothesized that sintering would play a key role in free radical generation and cytotoxicity. Exposure of cells to both UITO and SITO caused a time and dose dependent decrease of the viability of cells. Intracellular ROS generation was inversely related to the dose of both UITO and SITO, a direct reflection of the decreased number of viable RAW 264.7 and JB6/AP-1 cells observed at higher concentrations. Electron spin resonance showed significantly increased hydroxyl radical (OH) generation in cells exposed to UITO compared to SITO. This is different from LDH release, which showed that SITO caused significantly increased damage to the cell membrane compared to UITO. Lastly, the JB6/AP-1 cell line did not show activation of the AP-1 pathway. Our results highlight both the differences in the mechanisms of cytotoxicity and the consistent adverse effects associated with UITO and SITO exposure., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Amiodarone (AD) is gaining support as a first-line antiarrhythmic drug despite its potentially fatal pulmonary toxicity involving inflammation and fibrosis. We previously reported a model for this amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity (AIPT) in which F344 rats were intratracheally (i.t.) instilled with AD (6.25 mg/kg) in sterile water on days 0 and 2, which led to transient pulmonary inflammation and lung damage and subsequent fibrosis. The goals of this study were to determine the direct effect of the drug in the lung damage occurring after i.t. AD administration, to identify its location, and to examine its potential mechanisms. Using bronchoalveolar lavage and laser-scanning confocal microscopy, it was discovered that AD instillation produces rapid and massive damage to the alveolar-capillary barrier and damage or death to lung airway and parenchymal cells. While AD in solution was found to be capable of generating hydroxyl radicals, protection from AD-induced damage could not be obtained by incorporating water-soluble antioxidants in the drug solution. However, damage induced by free-radicals could still occur after AD partitions into lipid membranes. AD could also be directly disrupting cellular membranes via its amphiphilic structure. It is not known if the mechanism(s) of damage following i.t. AD treatment are similar to the mechanisms that underlie human AIPT. Therefore these data suggest that investigators should use caution in extrapolating results from animal studies that utilize i.t. administration of AD to human AIPT., (Copyright 2003 Elsevier Science (USA))