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EFFECTS OF POLLUTANTS ON RECEPTORS <br />Oxidants at high enough concentrations can cause eye irritation; <br />aggravate respiratory disease; suppress the body's capacity to <br />fight infection; impair athletes' performance and cause growth <br />retardation in sensitive trees. Hydrocarbons in the presence of <br />■ other primary pollutants (particularly oxides of nitrogen) lead <br />[! to the formation of oxidants. Hydrocarbons also damage plants by <br />inhibiting growth and causing flowers and leaves to fall. <br />Carbon monoxide is essentially colorless, odorless and toxic to <br />humans. It enters the blood stream and interferes with the <br />transfer of fresh oxygen, thereby depriving sensitive tissues in <br />the heart and brain of oxygen. At high enough concentrations it <br />can impair visual function, psychomotor performance and time <br />discrimination. <br />Nitrogen dioxide at high enough exposures can cause fibrotic lung <br />changes, bronchostriction, and acute bronchitis among infants and <br />school children. In sensitive plants over several months, it can <br />cause collapsed lesions near the leaf margin and moderate injury, <br />Lead at high enough concentrations impairs hemoglobin synthesis <br />I by increasing the lead levels in the blood. Whereas sulfur <br />9 dioxide and suspended particulate exposures cause higher frequen- <br />cies of acute respiratory symptoms and diminished ventilatory <br />function in children. Sulfur oxides, in combination with mois- <br />ture and oxygen, can yellow the leaves of plants, dissolve mar- <br />ble, and erode iron and steel. <br />F <br />75C -496 <br />