In group A, 56% of rats were found dead, 22% died in group selleckchem B, while no casualties were recorded from group C and the control. For group A, two rats died in the first week, and another in the second week. None died in the third week, but last death was recorded in the fourth week. For group B, two out of nine died. None died in the first week, but the second and third week had one casualty each. The 1-hydroxypyrene concentrations in the plasma of the exposed rats were 34.05 �� 2.11 ��g/mL (Group A), 30.85 �� 2.65 ��g/mL (Group B), 27.29 �� 3.94 ��g/mL (Group C) while the control group had no detectable 1-hydroxypyrene in their blood samples as shown in Figure 2.

This investigation has corroborated various findings that PAHs are a major component of generator exhaust fume and there is rapid absorption and metabolism of these compounds in the animals, leading to the high 1-hydroxypyrene concentration observed in their blood samples.13,17,33,34 Figure 1 Mortality rate profile of the rats after a prolonged exposure to generator fumes. Figure 2 Serum 1-hydroxypyrene concentration in the different groups of Albino rat placed at various distances from the generator exhaust. The detection of 1-hydroxypyrene concentration as high as 34 ��g/mL in the present study suggests some detrimental consequences on the exposed animals, as previously established by many research works on the level of 1-hydroxypyrene and its consequences.10,12,17,35�C37 These consequences can be extrapolated to humans with a similar type of exposure.

This study was not able to ascertain if the generator fume was mainly absorbed through inhalation or dermal exposure, but the most probable mode of absorption due to the high 1-hydroxypyrene concentration observed is inhalation of the generator fumes by the exposed rats. The experimental design was put in place to see the effect of 8 hours of daily exposure to generator fume on a given population. In a number of countries in the third world, where power supply is still not guaranteed, many small businesses rely on their own power supply. Usually the distance from these generator engines is less than three meters. The level of 1-hydroxypyrene detected in the rats is an indication of the level of exposure to this population. Therefore this practice is a major public health issue. There is an overwhelming amount of literature linking these exposures to lung cancer.

38 Brefeldin_A Due to paucity of data on disease conditions in these countries, most times the connection is not so obvious. Lung cancer is the major cancer thought to be linked to the inhalation of generator exhaust fume.33,34 Several studies on workers exposed to exhaust fumes have shown small but significant increases in risk of lung cancer. Prolonged exposures, such as railroad workers, heavy equipment operators, miners, and truck drivers, have been found to have higher lung cancer death rates than unexposed workers.