ABSTRACT
Jet Propulsion Fuel-8 (JP-8) is a kerosene-based fuel and contains approximately 228 long-/short-chain aliphatic/aromatic hydrocarbons, including benzene; toluene; ethylbenzene; xylene; 1,2,4-trimethlybenzene; cyclohexylbenzene; and dimethylnaphthalene. Its low volatility characteristics allow it to be a potential toxic and irritant on the respiratory system in aerosol, vapor, or liquid forms. Studies on JP-8 pulmotoxicology have found significant physiological, cellular, and proteomic/genomic changes resulting from jet fuel exposure. The synthetic jet fuel is produced from the Fisher-Tropsch process, a process that relies on pressure and heat to convert natural gas or coal into a clean-burning liquid fuel. As for the relevance of human toxicity, however, the relevance of functional alteration of Clara cells remains to be addressed because there are species-dependent differences histologically and physiologically, such as cell density and metabolizing capacity. Morphological alterations were characterized by the targeting of bronchiolar epithelium and consisted of perivascular edema, Clara cell vacuolization, and necrosis.
