Chronic inhalation studies of two types of stone wool fibers in rats

The Effects of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress via Intratracheal Instillation of Water-Soluble Acrylic Acid Polymer on the Lungs of Rats

Polyacrylic acid (PAA), an organic chemical, has been used as an intermediate in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. It has been suggested recently that PAA has a high pulmonary inflammatory and fibrotic potential. Although endoplasmic reticulum stress is induced by various external and intracellular stimuli, there have been no reports examining the relationship between PAA-induced lung injury and endoplasmic reticulum stress. F344 rats were intratracheally instilled with dispersed PAA (molecular weight: 269,000) at low (0.5 mg/mL) and high (2.5 mg/mL) doses, and they were sacrificed at 3 days, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after exposure. PAA caused extensive inflammation and fibrotic changes in the lungs' histopathology over a month following instillation. Compared to the control group, the mRNA levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress markers Bip and Chop in BALF were significantly increased in the exposure group. In fluorescent immunostaining, both Bip and Chop exhibited co-localization with macrophages. Intratracheal instillation of PAA induced neutrophil inflammation and fibrosis in the rat lung, suggesting that PAA with molecular weight 269,000 may lead to pulmonary disorder. Furthermore, the presence of endoplasmic reticulum stress in macrophages was suggested to be involved in PAA-induced lung injury.

Filter Cassette Method for Analyzing Man-Made Vitreous Fibers Settled on Surfaces

A new method was developed to analyze the surface count of fibers in a variety of environments. The method entails sampling surfaces with the help of suction to a filter cassette holder containing a cellulose filter. The filters were collapsed using microwave digestion in dilute acid, and the fibers filtered to polycarbonate filters, gilded, and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The method was compared to traditional gel tape sampling as described in International Standards Organization (ISO) standard 16000-27, following analysis with phase contrast microscopy. The methods were compared in industrial environments and in office-type environments, with the concentration range studied spanning from 0.1 to 100,000 fibers/cm². The methods yielded similar results (p < 0.05) in concentrations from 100 to 10,000 cfu/cm², while the filter cassette method gave systematically higher results in high concentrations (>10,000 cfu/cm²) as well as in all office-type environments studied, where the fiber count ranged from 0.1 to 20 fibers/cm². Consequently, we recommend using the new method in working environments where the surface count is more than 100 fibers/cm², as well as in office-type environments where the fiber count is below 10 fibers/cm². It should be noted, however, that a similar limit of quantitation as with the gel tape method (0.1 fibers/cm²) requires sampling a minimum area of 100 × 100 cm² with the fiber cassette method. Using the filter cassette method will require new guide values to be formed for office-type environments, since the results are higher than with the gel tape method. Alternatively, if present guide values or limit values are to be used with the filter cassette method, conventions as to which fiber sizes to count should be set, since SEM analysis in any case will allow for including a larger size range than phase contrast microscopy (PM). We, however, recommend against such an approach, since fibers less than 1 µm in width may not be less harmful by inhalation than larger fibers.

Composition, Respirable Fraction and Dissolution Rate of 24 Stone Wool MMVF with their Binder

Background

Man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF) are produced on a large scale for thermal insulation purposes. After extensive studies of fibre effects in the 1980ies and 1990ies, the composition of MMVF was modified to reduce the fibrotic and cancerogenic potential via reduced biopersistence. However, occupational risks by handling, applying, disposing modern MMVF may be underestimated as the conventional regulatory classification -combining composition, in-vivo clearance and effects- seems to be based entirely on MMVF after removal of the binder.

Results

Here we report the oxide composition of 23 modern MMVF from Germany, Finland, UK, Denmark, Russia, China (five different producers) and one pre-1995 MMVF. We find that most of the investigated modern MMVF can be classified as “High-alumina, low-silica wool”, but several were on or beyond the borderline to “pre-1995 Rock (Stone) wool”. We then used well-established flow-through dissolution testing at pH 4.5 and pH 7.4, with and without binder, at various flow rates, to screen the biosolubility of 14 MMVF over 32 days. At the flow rate and acidic pH of reports that found 47 ng/cm²/h dissolution rate for reference biopersistent MMVF21 (without binder), we find rates from 17 to 90 ng/cm²/h for modern MMVF as customary in trade (with binder). Removing the binder accelerates the dissolution significantly, but not to the level of reference biosoluble MMVF34. We finally simulated handling or disposing of MMVF and measured size fractions in the aerosol. The respirable fraction of modern MMVF is low, but not less than pre-1995 MMVF.

Conclusions

The average composition of modern stone wool MMVF is different from historic biopersistent MMVF, but to a lesser extent than expected. The dissolution rates measured by abiotic methods indicate that the binder has a significant influence on dissolution via gel formation. Considering the content of respirable fibres, these findings imply that the risk assessment of modern stone wool may need to be revisited based on in-vivo studies of MMFV as marketed (with binder).

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12989-017-0210-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cytotoxicity study of high temperature wool (HT wool) by cell magnetometric evaluation

OBJECTIVES

We performed a cytotoxicity study by cell magnetometry, measured lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity by enzyme assay, detected DNA ladder formation, and performed morphological examination by electron microscopy in order to evaluate the safety of high temperature wool (HT wool), an asbestos substitute, using long and short chrysotile fibers (CF) as positive controls and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) as a negative control.

METHODS

Alveolar macrophages were isolated from male Fisher rats. Following the addition of iron oxide particles (Fe(3)O(4)) to macrophages, HT wool, long or short CF was added. Then, the remanence strength was measured for 20 min after magnetization by an external field. Percent LDH release was calculated after determining LDH activity. DNA was detected using an apoptosis detection kit. Morphological observation was performed by taking electron micrographs of macrophages in the groups treated with HT wool and long- and short-CF.

RESULTS

Rapid relaxation, an indicator of decay of cytotoxicity, was observed by cell magnetometry immediately after magnetization was ended in the groups treated with HT wool and PBS, showing that HT wool causes no harmful effect on the cytoskeleton. The CF-treated groups had higher LDH activity than the PBS- and HT wool-treated groups. No fragmentation of DNA was observed in any group. In morphological observation, cytotoxicity in macrophages was lower in the HT wool-treated groups than in the CF-treated groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that HT wool has no cytotoxicity, as evaluated by cell magnetometry, enzyme assay, DNA ladder detection and morphological examination.

Chronic Inhalation Toxicity and Carcinogenicity Study on Potassium Octatitanate Fibers (TISMO) in Rats

A chronic inhalation toxicity/carcinogenicity study of potassium octatitanate fibers (TISMO) was conducted in male Fischer 344 rats. Groups of 135 rats were exposed via whole-body inhalation to 0, 20, 60, or 200 WHO fibers/cc of TISMO, 6 h/day, 5 days/w for 24 mo. Six of 30 subgroup rats were killed after 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 mo of exposure for lung burden evaluations. Another 30 subgroup rats were removed from the exposure chambers after 6 mo of exposure, placed in clean air, and from this group 6 rats were killed at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 mo later to study lung clearance. The remaining 75 rats in each group were subjected to 24 mo of exposure for chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity study. Rats exposed to HEPA-filtered air (chamber control) were used as a negative control in each study. The lung burden results indicated that a time point of equilibrium between lung burden and lung clearance at 20 WHO fibers/cc exposure was attained after approximately 18 mo of exposure. There was no difference in the number of WHO fiber from the lungs between 18 and 24 mo at 20 WHO fibers/cc exposure. But disproportional rapid increase in lung burden at 200 WHO fibers/cc exposure appeared to be saturation of lung clearance mechanism resulting from lung overloading. At 200 WHO fibers/cc exposure, approximately 22.9 and 70.5 million WHO fibers were retained in the lung after 3 and 6 mo of exposure, respectively, but lungs revealed normal in appearance. However, alveolar walls enclosing aggregated TISMO-laden alveolar macrophages (AMs) showed fibrotic thickening and approximately 197.3 million WHO fibers were retained in the lungs after 18 mo of exposure. Inhaled fibers were rapidly cleared during 3- and 6-mo recovery periods, and thereafter gradually progressive fiber reduction was observed throughout 18 mo of recovery. The number of WHO fibers decreased by approximately 72%, 74%, and 79% in the 200, 60, and 20 WHO fibers/cc groups, respectively, at the end of the 18-mo recovery period following 6 mo of exposure. Although inhaled TISMO fibers in the 20 WHO fibers/cc exposure group were phagocytized by alveolar macrophages (AMs) the lung morphology appeared normal throughout 24 mo of exposure. At 60 WHO fibers/cc exposure, a slight dose- and time-dependent increase in TISMO-laden AMs was observed throughout 3, 6, and 12 mo of exposure and some alveoli containing aggregated TISMO-laden AMs showed alveolar wall thickening at 18 mo of exposure and minimal alveolar fibrosis at 24 mo of exposure. The exposure concentration is interpreted as a borderline effect level. At 200 WHO fibers/cc exposure, lungs preserved normal architecture at 3 and 6 mo of exposure. Some alveolar walls enclosing aggregates of TISMO-laden AMs were slightly thickened after 12 mo of exposure and revealed slight alveolar fibrosis after 18 and 24 mo of exposure. Neither exposure related-pulmonary neoplasm nor mesothelioma was observed in 24 mo of exposure. The 20 WHO fibers/cc exposure concentration is considered to be a no-observable-adverse-effect level (NOAEL). TISMO exposure limits of 1 WHO fiber/cc would not impose a significant health hazard to humans in the workplace based on the animal experiments and medical surveys on workers.

Do Vitreous Fibers Break in the Lung?

In order to determine whether breakage of long vitreous fibers in the lung could be responsible for removing significant numbers of these fibers, an intratracheal instillation study was done with a preparation consisting of mostly long fibers of two different types. Following instillation of both fibers, laboratory rats were sacrificed at 6 times up to 14 days. The NK (conventional borosilicate glass) fiber preparation had about 20% short fibers (length < or = 15 microm) initially, and fibers recovered from the lungs remained at that proportion for the entire 14 days. But the HT (a new rock or stone wool) fiber preparation, which had about 5% short fibers initially, jumped to about 50% short fibers at 2 days and remained at that proportion for the rest of the study. The appearance of many short HT fibers where there were few initially is conclusive evidence that these long fibers break, and it explains their rapid removal from the lung. Since the HT fibers dissolve rapidly at acid pH, but slowly at the near neutral pH of the extracellular lung fluid, it is likely that acid attack by phagocytic cells is causing the long fibers to dissolve and break. The long NK fibers dissolve rapidly at neutral pH but slowly at acid pH and thus appear to clear by more or less uniform dissolution without apparent breakage. The long fibers of these two kinds are removed rapidly at about the same rate, but by a different mechanism.

Behavior of new type of rock wool (HT wool) in lungs after exposure by nasal inhalation in rats

OBJECTIVES

Previous types of rock wool has been recently replaced with high-temperature wool (HT wool). HT wool is characterized by a chemical composition with a higher concentration of Al(2)O(3) and a lower concentration of SiO(2), lower biopersistence, and a higher melting point than previous types of rock wool. To evaluate the safety of HT wool, an asbestos substitute, we examined the biopersistence of HT wool in the lungs, based on changes in fiber count according to the length and fiber size (length and width), by performing a nose-only inhalation exposure study in rats.

METHODS

Male Fischer 344 rats were exposed to fibers at the target exposure concentration of 30 mg/m(3) continuously for 3 hours daily for 5 consecutive days. Rats were sacrificed shortly after exposure, and 1, 2, and 4 weeks after exposure, and their lung tissues were incinerated at a low temperature. Then, fiber counts and sizes in the lungs were analyzed using a phase contrast microscope.

RESULTS

The fiber count in the lungs 4 weeks after exposure significantly decreased from the baseline value (shortly after exposure). The half-life of fibers calculated from the approximation curve was 34 days for all fibers and 11 days for fibers longer than 20 μm.

CONCLUSIONS

Both the length and width significantly decreased 4 weeks after exposure, probably because fibers were ingested by alveolar macrophages, discharged to outside of the body by mucociliary movement, or lysed by body fluid. In future studies, it is necessary to examine the long-term persistence of fibers in the lungs.

Differential responses of rat alveolar macrophages to carpet dust in vitro

Epidemiological studies of workers in carpet weaving units in carpet industries have shown a direct relation between the concentration of carpet dust in the air and respiratory symptoms. To predict the health risk of carpet weavers, this preliminary study was conducted to evaluate the toxic potential of different types of workplace dust by using alveolar macrophages (AMs). Several parameters were observed for cytotoxicity such as cell viability, the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in rat AMs treated with different concentration of carpet dust and haemolytic potential of erythrocytes. In addition, reactive oxygen/nitrogen species-inducing effects of carpet dust were assessed by nitric oxide (NO), reduced glutathione (GSH) release and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation in AMs. Results of cell viability and hemolytic assay showed a direct correlation between increasing the dust concentration with enhancing the toxic effect. Knotted and tufted carpet dust increases the release of LDH, NO, GSH and H2O2 production with increasing dust concentration. Present observations have revealed that dusts collected from tufted carpet weaving units exhibited more toxicity to AMs than knotted carpet dust. These data further suggest that injurious effects of carpet dust to AMs could pave a way to evaluate the toxic potential of the different types of workplace dusts and component(s) involved in it.