The effect of 35SO2 binding by ammonia on sulfur incorporation into rat tissues

Sulfur metabolism was traced in experimental investigations on rats, and the importance of the method of sulfur dioxide neutralized by ammonia was estimated. The animals were exposed to 35SO2 by means of inhalation, and radioactivity in several organs at different periods of exposure was traced. Apart from that, autoradiographic investigations were carried out in order to show the incorporation of radioactive sulfur into particular elements of the cell in different tissues. Elimination of isotope with urine and feces at different periods of time after exposure was also determined. It was found that the use of ammonia to neutralize sulfur dioxide in the air decreased the amount of sulfur which could enter the organism as a result of breathing air contaminated by SO2. (author)