本研究选取稀土行业重要的原料- - 氧化钕、氧化镨作为研究对象，首次从动物整体、细胞、分子、基因水平上对氧化钕、氧化镨的生物学效应进行研究，以填补国内外在该领域研究的空白，促使我国在稀土材料生物安全性研究领域达到国际先进水平。本项目在我们前期观察到稀土冶炼工人出现肺损伤的基础上，提出稀土氧化钕（镨）粉尘具有肺毒性的假设。本研究以非暴露式气管内注入法给试验大鼠分别灌注稀土氧化钕、氧化镨粉尘，建立研究模型，拟从动物整体水平证实稀土氧化钕（镨）粉尘致肺损伤，并对稀土氧化钕、氧化镨致肺损伤的作用进行比较。利用大鼠肺巨噬细胞培养，在细胞水平上研究稀土氧化钕（镨）粉尘致肺损伤过程中，多种细胞因子表达及稀土氧化钕（镨）粉尘导致细胞凋亡及肺损伤机制。为稀土氧化钕（镨）粉尘的安全性评价和作业场所职业接触限值制定提供科学依据。

Pr203 and Nd203, important materials in rare earth industry, are selected as our study objects. And this is the first time that their biological effects will be studied at all level of animal integral experiments, cell, molecule and gene. And this area is still blank in both domestic and overseas, and our study is expected to fill this blank and to advance the research of biological safety in rare earch materials in China to reach internatioanal level. Our project proposed a hypothesis that praseodymium rare earth oxide and neodymium rare earth oxide have lung toxicity based on the prior stage cases observation of lung damage in rare earth smelting workers. The study model will be established by trachea unexposed perfusion of Pr203 and Nd203 respectively. This research is trying to verify the lung damage caused by Pr203 and Nd203 at animal integral level, and to compare the lung damage effect of Pr203 from Nd203. Then multi cell factor expression, cell apoptosis caused by Pr203 and Nd203, and lung damage mechanism will be studied during the lung damage process at cell level by means of rats pulmonary macrophage culture. And scientific evidence will be provided in Pr203 and Nd203 dust safety evaluation and the formulation of occupational exposure limit.