Human Tracheobronchial Clearance Studies

Abstract

Human tracheobronchial clearance was studied with a test aerosol of monodisperse particles (approximately 7μ) of fluorinated ethylene propylene (Teflon 120) tagged with radioactive fluorine (¹⁸F), a positron emitter with a half-life of 110 minutes. Eight subjects were exposed twice to the test aerosol. The clearance differed appreciably between the individuals but the two determinations in the same individual are highly similar. The test aerosol employed should be suitable for intraindividual studies of tracheobronchial clearance in man and consequently of value for investigating the acute effect of different substances on tracheobronchial clearance.