ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Inhalation toxicology studies of experimental animals, in general, utilize a relatively well-established set of exposure and recording methodologies. Studies may be acute, subacute, or chronic, and may involve whole-body or nose-only exposures (with the occasional study involving cannulated, anesthetized animals). While subacute and chronic exposures generally involve sacrificing animals to document pathological and/or biochemical changes, acute exposure studies may involve either pathologic or functional alterations (e.g., electrophysiologic responses; changes in respiratory behavior). Whereas the emphasis of this chapter will be on the range of techniques employed in human, as opposed to experimental animal, studies, readers interested in the latter are encouraged to consult one of several excellent reviews (1-3).
