Several bronchodilator drugs commonly used in respiratory therapy contain sodium metabisulfite as an antioxidant preservative. When aerosolized, these agents may release the irritant gas SO2 as a result of bisulfite decomposition. We found that agents that contain bisulfites generated SO2 concentrations of 2.0 ppm and greater, while bronchodilator solutions without bisulfite did not. Such level...

Air pollution is potential environmental risk factors for stroke. There is strong association between short term exposure to air pollution and admission to hospital for stroke and mortality from stroke. These associations were strongest in low and middle income countries, suggesting the need for policy changes to reduce personal exposure to air pollutants. Ambient sulfur dioxide (SO2) is consid...

SO2 gas is effectively used for the preparation of N,N'-diarylsulfamides and shape-persistent sulfamide polymers, which utilize a network of intermolecular N-H...O=S hydrogen bonds to self-assemble into soft porous materials.

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Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a biopolyester/bioplastic that is produced by a variety of microorganisms to store carbon and increase reducing redox potential. Photosynthetic bacteria convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds using light energy and are known to accumulate PHA. We analyzed PHAs synthesized by 3 purple sulfur bacteria and 9 purple non-sulfur bacteria strains. These 12 purple b...