Floor dust bacteria and fungi and their coexistence with PAHs in Jordanian indoor environments

Floor dust samples were collected from Jordanian indoor environments (eight dwellings and an educational building) in Amman. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analyses of selected fungal and bacterial groups were performed. The bacterial and fungal concentrations were also correlated with PAHs concentrations, which were previously measured in the same samples by using GC-MS. The bacterial and fungal concentrations varied significantly among and within the tested indoor environments. Based on the collected samples in the entrance area of the dwellings, the largest variation was found in Gram-negative bacteria and total fungi concentration. The lowest bacterial and fungal concentrations were found in the dwelling that was least occupied and the most recently built. At the educational building, the Gram-positive bacteria concentrations were lower than those observed in the dwellings. Unlike for bacteria, we observed significant negative correlation with some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This calls for further studies investigating biodegradation of PAHs in house dust and presence of potentially health hazardous PAH metabolites. Since biocontamination in floor dust has been given relatively little to no attention in the MENA region we recommend that more extensive measurements be conducted in the future with chemical and biological analysis of floor dust contaminants and their exposure indoors.

Indoor-to-outdoor relationship of aerosol particles inside a naturally ventilated apartment - A comparison between single-parameter analysis and indoor aerosol model simulation

The indoor-to-outdoor relationship of aerosol particles is affected by several mechanisms including penetration, ventilation rate, dry deposition rate and sources. Understanding the effect of these factors is essential for a deeper knowledge of the indoor-to-outdoor relationship. In real-life conditions, it is difficult to analyze these factors in a naturally ventilated environment. In this study, a naturally ventilated and an occupied apartment was used to investigate the indoor-to-outdoor relationship of aerosol particles by applying two different techniques; single-parameter analysis and indoor aerosol model simulation. The indoor aerosol model simulation approach can describe the effect of these factors based on high time-resolution calculations and it is a powerful and robust approach. Single parameter analysis is very simple to apply but it is valid under certain conditions. In the absence of indoor activities (i.e. nighttime) and based on the particle number concentrations, the I/O ratio was <1 during spring but ~1.2 during winter. Based on the indoor aerosol model simulation results for the coarse fraction, the penetration factor (P) was 0.3-1, the ventilation rate (λ) was 0.1-2h^-1, and the deposition rate (λ_d) was ~0.15h^-1. The coarse particles concentration was strongly affected by indoor activities. During extreme mechanical activities (e.g. vacuum cleaning), the concentration increased by a factor of 9 (source strength ~160particles/h). During children play, the coarse fraction concentration increased by a factor of 3 (source strength ~10particles/h). Spraying an insect pesticide increased the coarse fraction concentration by a factor of 9 (source strength ~420particles/h). Water-pipe tobacco smoking produced huge amounts of both micron and submicron particulate matter; it caused the coarse fraction concentration to significantly increase by a factor of 18 (source strength ~140particles/h). The use of natural gas heater affected the submicron fraction only and did not affect the micron fraction.

Chemical investigation and quality of urban dew collections with dust precipitates

The quality and chemical composition of urban dew collections with dust precipitates without pre-cleaning of the collecting surface WSF (white standard foil) were investigated for 16 out of 20 collected samples with collected volumes ranging from 22 to 230 ml. The collection period was from March to July 2015 at an urban area, Jubaiha, which is located in the northern part of the capital city Amman, Jordan. The obtained results indicated the predominance of Ca²⁺ and SO₄^2- ions (ratio 2.2:1) that originated from Saharan soil dust; where the collected samples were alkaline (mean pH = 7.35) with high mineralization (429.22 mg/L) exceeding the previously reported dew values in Amman-Jordan. A relocation of NaCl and to a less extent Mg²⁺ from sea to land by Saharan wind is indicated by the percent sea-salt fraction calculations (over 100 and 52, respectively). The collected samples exhibited high total organic carbon (TOC) values ranging from 11.86 to 74.60 mg/L, presence of particulate settled material with turbidity ranging from 20.10 to 520.00 NTU, and presence of undesired elements like boron (mean = 1.48 mg/L) that made it different in properties from other dew water collections at clean surfaces, and exceeding the standard limits for drinking water for these parameters set by Jordanian Drinking Water standards (JS286/2015)/WHO standard. The quality of this water is more close to that for raw or agricultural water but if it is meant to be used as potable source of water, at least sand and activated charcoal filters are needed to purify it.

Occupational health risk assessment and exposure to floor dust PAHs inside an educational building

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) settled in floor dust play an important role in human health. Although many studies investigated occupational exposure to PAHs, no attempts have been made to report PAHs concentrations as well as their health risk assessment inside an educational building in Jordan. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to report the PAHs concentrations in floor dust and evaluate their exposure and health risk inside the Department of Physics of the University of Jordan. The total PAHs concentrations ranged from 714 to 5246ng/g. The high concentrations were observed inside some offices, where tobacco smoking took place. One of those offices was previously renovated and some petrochemical liquids were used to remove the remaining glue from a previous carpet. Interestingly, the PAHs inside these offices were higher than those reported inside lecture rooms and the workshop area, where extensive activates of heavy machinery and use of petroleum products (such as lubricating oils). This implies that the health effects of exposure to tobacco smoking inside small micro-environmental places that are poorly ventilated can be very harmful. We also made a simple exposure and health risk assessment for the ingested dust (hand-to-mouth) by calculating the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) and benzo(a)pyrene equivalent carcinogenic power (BaPE). The total EDI was less than 3.75ng/kg-bw/day whereas the BaPE was less than 385ng/g. These values are lower than what was reported in some previous studies in Europe and Asia.

Activity Pattern of Urban Adult Students in an Eastern Mediterranean Society

Knowledge of human activity patterns is needed in air pollution exposure and health risk assessment. However, human activity patterns have never been evaluated in the Eastern Mediterranean societies. Therefore, we investigated the activity pattern of 285 subjects (17-63 years) in Amman, Jordan during October to November, 2015. The subjects spent >80% of their time indoors during weekend days and >85% on workdays. They spent ~4.8% and ~5.7% in transportation during weekend days and workdays, respectively. Males had a different activity pattern than females on weekend days, but both genders had similar activity patterns on workdays. On workdays, males spent less time indoors than females. The activity pattern found in this study is a bit different than that for North Americans and Europeans, who spend more time indoors and in transit. The activity pattern found in this study was very different than that observed for Koreans, who spent about 59% and 67% indoors on workdays and weekend, respectively. The main outcomes of this survey can be utilized in human exposure studies. This study and the upcoming future studies have been encouraged and supported by the regional WHO office in Amman.

Exposure to airborne particles and volatile organic compounds from polyurethane molding, spray painting, lacquering, and gluing in a workshop

Due to the health risk related to occupational air pollution exposure, we assessed concentrations and identified sources of particles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a handcraft workshop producing fishing lures. The work processes in the site included polyurethane molding, spray painting, lacquering, and gluing. We measured total VOC (TVOC) concentrations and particle size distributions at three locations representing the various phases of the manufacturing and assembly process. The mean working-hour TVOC concentrations in three locations studied were 41, 37, and 24 ppm according to photo-ionization detector measurements. The mean working-hour particle number concentration varied between locations from 3000 to 36,000 cm⁻³. Analysis of temporal and spatial variations of TVOC concentrations revealed that there were at least four substantial VOC sources: spray gluing, mold-release agent spraying, continuous evaporation from various lacquer and paint containers, and either spray painting or lacquering (probably both). The mold-release agent spray was indirectly also a major source of ultrafine particles. The workers’ exposure can be reduced by improving the local exhaust ventilation at the known sources and by increasing the ventilation rate in the area with the continuous source.

Characterization of exposure to carbon nanotubes in an industrial setting

While production and use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is increasing, workers exposure to CNTs is expected to increase as well, with inhalation being potentially the main pathway for uptake. However, there have been few studies reporting results about workers' personal exposure to CNTs. In this study, worker exposure to single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) during the production of conductive films in a modern up-scaling factory was assessed. Particulate matter concentrations (2.5-10 μm) and concentrations of CO and CO2 were monitored by using real-time instruments. Workers' exposure levels to SWCNTs were qualitatively estimated by analyzing particle samples by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM samples identified high aspect ratio (length/width > 500) SWCNTs in workplace air. SWCNT concentrations estimated from micrographs varied during normal operation, reactor use without local exhaust ventilation (LEV), and cleaning between 1.7×10(-3), 5.6 and 6.0×10(-3) SWCNT cm(-3), respectively. However, during cleaning it was unclear whether the SWCNTs originated from the cleaning itself or from other reactor openings. We were unable to quantify the SWCNT emissions with online particle instrumentation due to the SWCNT low concentrations compared to background particle concentrations, which were on average 2.6±1.1×10(3)cm(-3). However, CO concentrations were verified as a good indicator of fugitive emissions of SWCNTs. During normal operation, exposure levels were well below proposed limit values (1.0×10(-2) fibers cm(-3) and 1 µg m(-3)) when LEV was used. Based on the results in this study, the analysis of TEM grids seems to be the only direct method to detect SWCNTs in workplace air.

Range-finding risk assessment of inhalation exposure to nanodiamonds in a laboratory environment

This study considers fundamental methods in occupational risk assessment of exposure to airborne engineered nanomaterials. We discuss characterization of particle emissions, exposure assessment, hazard assessment with in vitro studies, and risk range characterization using calculated inhaled doses and dose-response translated to humans from in vitro studies. Here, the methods were utilized to assess workers' risk range of inhalation exposure to nanodiamonds (NDs) during handling and sieving of ND powder. NDs were agglomerated to over 500 nm particles, and mean exposure levels of different work tasks varied from 0.24 to 4.96 µg·m(-3) (0.08 to 0.74 cm(-3)). In vitro-experiments suggested that ND exposure may cause a risk for activation of inflammatory cascade. However, risk range characterization based on in vitro dose-response was not performed because accurate assessment of delivered (settled) dose on the cells was not possible. Comparison of ND exposure with common pollutants revealed that ND exposure was below 5 μg·m(-3), which is one of the proposed exposure limits for diesel particulate matter, and the workers' calculated dose of NDs during the measurement day was 74 ng which corresponded to 0.02% of the modeled daily (24 h) dose of submicrometer urban air particles.

Modeling regional deposited dose of submicron aerosol particles

We developed a simple model to calculate the regional deposited dose of submicron aerosol particles in the respiratory system. This model incorporates measured outdoor and modeled indoor particle number size distributions, detailed activity patterns of three age groups (teens, adults, and the elderly), semi-empirical estimation of the regional deposition fraction, hygroscopic properties of urban aerosols, and reported breathing minute volumes. We calculated the total and regional deposited dose based on three concentration metrics: particle number (PN), mass (PM), and surface area (PSA). The 24-h total deposited dose of fine particles in adult males was around 40 μg (57×109 particles, 8×102 mm(2)) and 41 μg (40×109 particles, 8×102 mm(2)) on workdays and weekends, respectively. The total and regional 24-h deposited dose based on any of the metrics was at most 1.5 times higher in males than in females. The deposited dose values in the other age groups were slightly different than in adults. Regardless of the particle size fraction or the deposited dose metric, the pulmonary/alveolar region received the largest fraction of the deposited dose. These values represent the lowest estimate of the deposited dose and they are expected to be higher in real-life conditions after considering indoor sources of aerosol particles and spatial variability of outdoor aerosols. This model can be extended to youngsters (<12 years old) after gaining accurate information about the deposition fraction inside their respiratory system and their breathing pattern. This investigation is foreseen to bridge the gap between exposure and response in epidemiological studies.

Association of ozone and particulate air pollution with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Helsinki, Finland: evidence for two different etiologies

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has been previously associated with exposure to particulate air pollution. However, there is uncertainty about the agents and mechanisms that are involved. We aimed to determine the association of gases and particulates with OHCA, and differences in pollutant effects on OHCAs due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) vs those due to other causes. Helsinki Emergency Medical Services provided data on OHCAs of cardiac origin (OHCA_Cardiac). Hospital and autopsy reports determined whether OHCAs were due to AMI (OHCA_MI) or other cardiac causes (OHCA_Other). Pollutant data was obtained from central ambient monitors. A case-crossover analysis determined odds ratios (ORs) for hourly lagged exposures (Lag 0-3) and daily lagged exposures (Lag 0d-3d), expressed per interquartile range of pollutant level. For OHCA_Cardiac, elevated ORs were found for PM(2.5) (Lag 0, 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.13) and ozone (O(3)) (Lag 2d, 1.18; CI: 1.03-1.35). For OHCA_MI, elevated ORs were found for PM(2.5) (Lag 0, 1.14; CI: 1.03-1.27; Lag 0d, 1.17; CI: 1.03-1.33), accumulation mode particulate (Acc) (Lag 0d, 1.19; CI: 1.04-1.35), NO (Lag 0d, 1.07; CI: 1.01-1.13), and ultrafine particulate (Lag 0d, 1.27; CI: 1.05-1.54). For OHCA_Other, elevated ORs were found only for O(3) (Lag 1d, 1.26; CI: 1.07-1.48; Lag 2d, 1.30; CI: 1.11-1.53). Results from two-pollutant models, with one of the pollutants either PM(2.5) or O(3), suggested that associations were primarily due to effects of PM(2.5) and O(3), rather than other pollutants. The results suggest that air pollution triggers OHCA via two distinct modes: one associated with particulates leading to AMI and one associated with O(3) involving etiologies other than AMI, for example, arrhythmias or respiratory insufficiency.

Activity pattern of a selected group of school occupants and their family members in Helsinki-Finland

The daily time-spent in different environments is an important factor in calculation of personal exposure to air pollutants. Despite this importance, the amount of research done on this topic is rather limited, especially in North Europe where the climate is rather cold. In this study, we gathered detailed information via a standard questionnaire to report the residence time and place of 167 subjects (between 2 and 93 years old) lived in Helsinki during three time periods in winter and spring 2009. Subjects spent 81%-92% of their time indoors and up to ~15% of their time outdoors. The daily time-spent in different environments was affected by several factors: ambient temperature, type of day (workday or weekend/holiday), gender, and age. Therefore, the differences occur individually and can be explained by these factors. For example, subjects spent more time at home on weekends than workdays because obviously the majority of our subjects did not have work on weekends. The time-spent at kindergarten/school/work increased with age until retirement. Females spent more time at home than males. After all, the activity pattern found in this study is rather similar to those previously reported in Germany and North America.

Concept to estimate regional inhalation dose of industrially synthesized nanoparticles

The use of nanoparticles (NPs) in industry is increasing rapidly, but knowledge of the occupational health and safety aspects of NPs is still limited. This is because quantitative NP exposure levels are scarce, and the metrics to describe doses are unclear. This study presents one method for estimating workers' calculated regional inhalation dose of deposited particles from size-fractionated concentrations. It was applied to estimate workers' regional inhalation dose rates and doses separately for NPs and NPs with background particles during NP synthesis. Dose analysis was performed in units of particle number (particles and particles min(-1)), active surface area (μm(2) and μm(2) min(-1)), and mass (ng and ng min(-1)) for three respiratory regions: head airways, tracheobronchial, and alveolar. It was found that in NP synthesis NPs were deposited mainly in the alveolar region in all units. However, when the dose of all particles was examined, it was found that dose and the main deposition region were mainly defined by the synthesized NPs for particle number, as active surface area was described by both NPs and background particles, and mass by background particles. This study provides fundamental data for NP inhalation exposure risk assessment, regulations, dose metrics for NP synthesis, and a basis for defining metrics of dose-biological response and helps us understand the magnitude of doses in NP synthesis. It also illustrates the necessity to obtain size-fractionated measurements of NP concentrations to support accurate dose estimation.

Road dust emissions from paved roads measured using different mobile systems

Very few real-world measurements of road dust suspension have been performed to date. This study compares two different techniques (referred to as Sniffer and Emma) to measure road dust emissions. The main differences between the systems are the construction of the inlet, different instruments for recording particulate matter (PM) levels, and different loads on the wheel axes (the weight of Sniffer was much higher than that of Emma). Both systems showed substantial small-scale variations of emission levels along the road, likely depending on-road surface conditions. The variations observed correlated quite well, and the discrepancies are likely a result of variations in dust load on the road surface perpendicular to the driving direction that cause variations in the measurements depending on slightly different paths driven by the two vehicles. Both systems showed a substantial influence on the emission levels depending on the type of tire used. The summer tire showed much lower suspension than the winter tires (one nonstudded and one studded). However, the relative importance of the nonstudded versus studded tire was rather different. For the ratio of studded/nonstudded, Emma shows higher values on all road sections compared with Sniffer. Both techniques showed increased emission levels with increasing vehicle speed. When the speed increased from 50 to 80 km hr(-1), the relative concentrations increased by 30-170% depending on the tire type and dust load. However, for road sections that were very dirty, Sniffer showed a much higher relative increase in the emission level with the nonstudded tire. Sniffer's absolute concentrations were mostly higher than Emma's. Possible reasons for the differences are discussed in the paper. Both systems can be used for studying relative road dust emissions and for designing air quality management strategies.

Facing the key workplace challenge: assessing and preventing exposure to nanoparticles at source

Nanomaterials present new challenges to understanding, predicting, and managing potential health risks in occupational environments. In this study, we characterize the key physical processes related to formation and growth of nanoparticles. The main focus is on various occupational environments, as these are known to be major environments with nanoparticles in indoor air. The protection of people potentially to be exposed to nanoparticles is one of the key issues in terms of risk assessment and prevention. Two of the main protection techniques that are discussed and characterized are ventilation and filtration, which are widely used in practical applications.

131. SIRT3 IN OVARIAN CELLS IS ALTERED BY MATERNAL AGE AND OVARIAN RESERVE

Maternal age and reduced AMH levels affect the follicular environment and consequently oocyte viability. The Sirtuin family of protein deacetylases are able to regulate various cellular functions involved in the ageing process in other tissues. In particular, SIRT3 is related to longevity in several cell types and regulates mitochondrial function, however, its presence and role in ovarian cells remains unknown. This study therefore, investigated the presence of SIRT3 in granulosa and cumulus cells, from patients undergoing IVF, and determined the impact of maternal age and low AMH on SIRT3 levels. Granulosa and cumulus cells were collected from women (n = 36), after informed consent, and classified into 3 groups; A (<35 years, normal AMH), B (>40 years (advanced maternal age), normal AMH) and C (<35 years, low AMH). The presence of SIRT3 was determined by q-PCR (expressed as fold-change) or immunohistochemistry. SIRT3 was present in the ovarian cells of all patients analysed. SIRT3 gene expression was reduced in granulosa cells from women with low AMH (0.67 ± 0.17) compared to women with normal AMH (1.00 ± 0.23; P < 0.05). In cumulus cells, levels were reduced with advanced maternal age (0.81 ± 0.08) compared to women <35 years (1.00 ± 0.22; P < 0.05). SIRT3 protein co-localised with mitochondria in the ovarian cells, confirming previous findings for other cell types. In comparison to women <35 years with normal AMH, image analysis determined that SIRT3 protein levels were significantly reduced in the granulosa and cumulus cells from women of advanced maternal age by 21.4% and 31.8% and in women with low AMH by 34.1% and 47.2% respectively. This is the first study to demonstrate SIRT3 presence in human ovarian cells. The observation that SIRT3 levels are altered by advanced maternal age or low AMH (reduced ovarian reserve) implicate its role in ovarian ageing and plausibly in the decrease in oocyte viability observed in these women.

Sentinel node SPECT-CT in breast cancer. Can we expect any additional and clinically relevant information?

The AIM of this study was to determine the additional value of SPECT/CT in sentinel node scintigraphy in breast cancer. Furthermore, it was our question to determine, whether the low-dose computed tomography component (LD-CT) can be used for axillary lymph node staging of clinically negative patients.

PATIENTS, METHODS

51 patients with invasive breast cancer <3 cm in diameter were included in our prospective investigation. SPECT/CT was performed on a dedicated scanner 30 minutes after subareolar injection of (99m)Tc-Nanocoll. Axillary staging with CT(LD) was performed using standard CT-criteria. SLN were allocated to an axillary level using SPECT alone and SPECT/CT. Additionally, the number of SLN on CT(LD) corresponding to the scintigraphic hot node was notified for each patient and compared to the number of SLN found with the gamma probe.

RESULTS

In 45/51 evaluable patients SLN could be localised in level I in 43 patients and in level II in two patients (all positive) using SPECT-CT, whereas a clear allocation could not be obtained by SPECT alone. The number of SLN was discrepant between SPECT and CT(LD) in 13/45 patients. The number of SLN detected with the gamma probe (n = 68) not significantly differed from the number of SLN detected by CT(LD) (n = 65) but was significantly higher than with SPECT (n = 51). CT(LD) yielded a sensitivity of 35.7%, a specificity of 83.9%, a positive predictive value (PPT) of 50%, a negative predictive value (NPV) of 74.3% and a diagnostic accuracy of 68.9% for axillary staging with CT(LD).

CONCLUSION

The additional information of SPECT/CT allows a more accurate characterization of the SN concerning size, depth and anatomical location. CT(LD) when performed during (99m)Tc-Nanocoll sentinel-SPECT/CT is not suitable for axillary staging in breast cancer patients with clinical negative axilla due to its low sensitivity and moderate specificity. Therefore, it does not influence the decision for SNB or ALND. The limited resolution of SPECT leads to an underestimation of the number of SLN compared to CT(LD) and the gamma probe.