Can Environmental Toxins Worsen Lung Disease?
The University of Cincinnati has been given $2.4 million to look at whether environmental toxins actually can stimulate the immune system to attack damaged lung tissue. Michael Borchers, PhD says of why he wants to research this topic further: "When tissue is exposed to a pathogen (disease-causing agent), the immune system immediately wants to destroy the damaged cells so healthy tissue can take over." Borchers is the principle investigator for the study. "The immune system thinks it's eradicating disease from the body when it destroys cells that have been damaged by environmental toxins, but in chronic lung disease that destruction may be doing more harm than good," he adds.
The study will look at how two environmental toxins affect animal models. The two strains of interest are pseudomonas aerinosa, a culprit for in-hospital infections, and acrolein, an air pollutant found in tobacco smoke, smog, and diesel exhaust.
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