Theory of macrophage injury: Lung phagocytes are distributed widely on the surfaces of bronchial alveoli, which can form a barrier against the external environment so as to reach its aim of protecting human body via swallowing the inhalable PM and pathogenic microorganisms. Meanwhile, they are one of the critical factors in maintaining the aseptic environment in lung because they can participate in the immunoregulatory process through playing the antigen presenting effect so as to activate the innate immunity. Lundborg et al (Lundborg et al., 2006) discovered that with the increase of carbon black PM dosage, the swallowing and adsorbing abilities of phagocytes decreased markedly in human body, indicating that PM could decrease the protective function of phagocytes by reducing their swallowing ability.
Difference analysis of SO2 concentrations on the number of visiting patients in Department of Respiratory
SO2, as one of the important air pollutants, is correlated with the gas emissions of motor vehicles. As a water-soluble stimulating gas, SO2 can be dissolved into the watery mucus of upper respiratory tract and bronchial mucous, which then is turned into sulfite or bisulfate and absorbed into blood. Then, it will rapidly spread to the whole body, stimulate the smooth muscle of respiratory tract, contract trachea and bronchus and increase the airway resistance and secretions. People who are exposed in high-concentration SO2 will have symptoms of wheeze and short breath, etc.