Abstract The increasing use of propylene glycol based theatrical fog at events in Nigeria has necessitated an evaluation of its potential toxicity. Propylene glycol based fog finds application in the professional entertainment industry, fire service, armed forces and in churches for different purposes. Therefore, this inhalational toxicological study investigated the potential health effects of theatrical fog on wistar rats. A total of (90) female wistar rats were used for the study; 30 rats each for acute (14 days), sub chronic (3 months) and chronic (6 months) studies respectively. Each set of 30 wistar rats was separated into 6 groups. Groups (2 to 5) were exposed by whole body in a chamber to propylene glycol based fog at the concentrations (15, 30, 60, 120 & 240 g/m3), 2 hours daily, 3 days per week, for sub chronic and chronic studies respectively while group 1 which was not treated served as control. In the acute study, exposure was done 2 hours daily for 14 days. The animals were sacrificed under chloroform anesthesia at the end of each treatment’s duration. The lungs were harvested, fixed and appropriately processed for histological examination. The photomicrographs obtained from the lung tissues of animals in the acute, sub chronic and chronic exposure levels all showed apparent alterations. The common observable features of the modification include; thickened inter-alveolar septum, shrunken alveolar sacs, consolidated interstitial tissue, plugged bronchiole and a region of fibrotic tissue. The result shows that propylene glycol fog is deleterious to the lungs.
Keywords Special-effect, hygroscopic, humectants, propylene glycol, fog.