Guinea pigs were divided into two groups, one exposed to 400ppm of isopropyl alcohol and the other to 5500ppm by inhalation for 24 hours. They were sacrificed for the ciliary activity and electron microscopic examination after termination of exposure.
The ciliary activity of the nose and middle ear mucosa was decreased slightly by exposure to 400ppm and moderately by exposure to 5500ppm. Morphologically, various changes including vacuolation and increased number of dense bodies of epithelial cells, and fromation of compound cilia were observed. The above changes were more marked, with sporadic dropout of epithelial cells, in the 5500ppm group than the 400ppm group.
