ABSTRACT
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Interest in nasal toxicity blossomed after the discovery that formaldehyde was a nasal carcinogen in the rodent. It has now become apparent that the nasal tissues are a common target site for airborne toxicant-induced damage. Indeed, induction of nasal lesions in rodent inhalation toxicity studies forms the basis for many current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inhalation exposure guidelines. Typical lesions in rodent inhalation studies include epithelial necrosis, degeneration, hyperplasia, metaplasia, and for some compounds, neoplasia. Several excellent reviews of nasal histopathology and pathogenesis of toxicant-induced nasal lesions have been published (Harkema, 1992, 1999; Morgan, 1995; Hardisty et al., 1999).
