Evaluation of asthmatic volunteers' pulmonary responses to effluents from automotive airbags
by William S. Linn, Henry Gong, Kenneth W. Clark, Karen R. Anderson
International Journal of Vehicle Design (IJVD), Vol. 38, No. 4, 2005

Abstract: Deploying automotive airbags release potential respiratory irritants at high concentrations. We evaluated the respiratory irritancy of six contemporary prototype driver/passenger airbag systems, using a previously established USA auto industry protocol for human testing. For each system, ten volunteers with asthma were exposed individually inside an automobile passenger compartment, during deployment and for 20 minutes afterwards. Symptoms and lung function were monitored for two hours after exposure. All airbag systems fulfilled the established standard of no more than three in ten subjects with positive response (defined as clinically meaningful lung function disturbance plus increased asthma symptoms). Three systems evoked no positive responses. Statistically significant (P<0.005) differences in lung function and symptom responses between systems were not accurately predictable from measured pollutant concentrations. Conclusions: contemporary airbag designs vary appreciably in their potential to provoke asthma. Airbag testing with potentially susceptible human subjects can be useful in pre-market evaluation.

Online publication date: Sat, 20-Aug-2005

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