Effects of Elemental Mercury Vapor Inhalation on Arterial Blood Gases, Lung Histology, and Interleukin-1 Expression in Pulmonary Tissues of Rats

Figure 2

H&E-stained lung tissue sections were obtained from rats after inhalational exposure to mercury vapor. (a) Male with short-term exposure: the section indicates inflammation (arrow 1), emphysema (arrow 2), and alveolar dilatation with the destruction of intra-alveolar septa (arrow 3). (b) Female with short-term exposure: arrow 1 indicates severe inflammation. (c) Male with long-term exposure: the section indicates hypoxia (arrow 1), inflammation (arrow 2), emphysema (arrow 3), and alveolar dilatation with the destruction of intra-alveolar septa (arrow 4). (d) Female with long-term exposure: the section indicates the most severe levels of tissue damage (arrow 1), emphysema (arrow 2), inflammation (arrow 3), hypoxia (arrow 4), and alveolar dilatation with severe destruction of intra-alveolar septa (arrow 5).