Montserrat volcanic ash induces lymph node granuloma and delayed lung inflammation.

Objectives: A substantial amount of Montserrat volcanic ash, containing up to 24% of cristobalite (w/w), a fibrogenic crystalline silica, has been generated since the first documented eruption in 1995. The bioreactivity of the ash and its two major components: cristobalite and anorthite have been studied in vivo for a year following intratracheal instillation into rats.
Methods: The rats (n=5) were instilled with a sterile vehicle solution (0.15 M NaCl) and/or three doses (1.0, 2.5 or 5.0 mg) of each of the dust, and were sacrificed at 13, 25 or 49 weeks post-instillation for quantitative biochemical and histopathological analyses in the lung and lymph nodes.
Results: Cristobalite caused inflammation in the lung and granuloma in the hilar lymph nodes associated with significant size augmentation at 13 weeks post-instillation (P<0.05) and cristobalite (5.0 mg) induced fibrosis in the lung at 49 weeks post-exposure. However, the Montserrat volcanic ash caused inflammation in the lung at 49 weeks post-treatment without any fibrogenic response although the ash (5.0 mg) triggered significant lymph node enlargement without significant changes in the lung at 13 weeks post-treatment (P<0.05). Dose and time independent responses in the anorthite-exposed lung and lymph nodes suggest that a single instillation of 5.0 mg of poorly soluble mineral dust does not induce any change in the lung or lymph nodes.
Conclusion: The ash produces inflammatory reactions in lymph nodes at 13 weeks post-instillation in rats. These effects are seen much earlier than any inflammatory reaction in the lung. The onset of the lung inflammation is delayed until 49 weeks post-exposure. Despite the high cristobalite content of the ash, there is no evidence of any lung fibrogenic responses.