Ozone uptake in the intact human respiratory tract: Relationship between inhaled dose and actual dose

Inhaled concentration (C), minute volume (MV), and exposure duration (T) are factors that may affect the uptake of ozone (O₃) within the respiratory tract. Ten healthy adult nonsmokers participated in four sessions, inhaling 0.2 or 0.4 ppm O₃ through an oral mask while exercising continuously to elicit a MV of 20 l/min for 60 min or 40 l/min for 30 min. In each session, fractional absorption (FA) was determined on a breath-by-breath basis as the ratio of O₃ uptake to the inhaled O₃ dose. The mean ± SD value of FA for all breaths was 0.86 ± 0.06. Although C, MV, and T all had statistically significant effects on FA (P < 0.0001, P = 0.004, and P = 0.026, respectively), the magnitudes of these effects were small compared with intersubject variability. For an average subject, a 0.05 change in FA would require that C change by 1.3 ppm, MV change by 46 l/min, or T change by 1.7 h. It is concluded that inhaled dose is a reasonable surrogate for the actual dose delivered to a particular subject during O₃ exposures of <2 h, but it is not a reasonable surrogate when comparisons are made between individuals.