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Leese E, Jones K, Bocca B, Bousoumah R, Castaño A, Galea KS, Iavicoli I, López ME, Leso V, Ndaw S, Porras SP, Ruggieri F, Scheepers PT, Santonen T, Cattaneo A, Cavallo DM, De Palma G, Forte G, Lehtinen R, Lovreglio P, Melczer M, Senofonte M, Spankie S, van Dael M. HBM4EU chromates study - the measurement of hexavalent and trivalent chromium in exhaled breath condensate samples from occupationally exposed workers across Europe. Toxicol Lett 2023; 375:59-68. [PMID: 36535516 PMCID: PMC9887428 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2022.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the practicability of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) as a biological matrix to detect and measure hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) in workers occupationally exposed to Cr(VI). EBC samples were collected from workers in France, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom from three different target activities: chrome platers, stainless steel welders and surface treatment workers. Pre and post working week EBC samples were collected from 177 exposed workers and 98 unexposed workers (control group). Hyphenated chromatography systems with inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were for the analysis. The results showed that the occupationally exposed workers had significantly higher levels of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) than the control group. Chrome platers exhibited the highest Cr(VI) levels in their EBC samples, with a significant increase from their pre to post samples for both Cr(VI) and Cr(III). A significant difference was also found between pre and post EBC samples for Cr(III) in welders. This study has shown that EBC has the potential to be a valid, non-invasive biological matrix to assess occupational exposure to Cr(VI) and Cr(III) for biological monitoring assessment, with the ability to detect low level inhalation exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Leese
- Health & Safety Executive, Science and Research Centre, Harpur Hill, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 9JN, UK.
| | - Kate Jones
- Health & Safety Executive, Science and Research Centre, Harpur Hill, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 9JN, UK
| | | | | | - Argelia Castaño
- National Centre for Environmental Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Karen S Galea
- Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), Edinburgh EH14 4AP, UK
| | - Ivo Iavicoli
- Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Marta Esteban López
- National Centre for Environmental Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Veruscka Leso
- Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Sophie Ndaw
- French National Research & Safety Institute, France
| | - Simo P. Porras
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Paul T.J Scheepers
- Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Tiina Santonen
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
| | - HBM4EU chromates study teamAnzionRobiCattaneoAndreajCavalloDomenico MariajDe PalmaGiuseppekForteGiovannilLehtinenRistomLovreglioPieronMelczerMathieuoSenofonteMartalSpankieSallypvan DaelMauriceiRadboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the NetherlandsDepartment of Science and High Technology, University of Insubria, Como, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, ItalyIstituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, ItalyFinnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, FinlandInterdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, ItalyFrench National Research & Safety Institute, FranceInstitute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), Edinburgh, EH14 4AP, UK
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Applying the exposome concept to working life health. Environ Epidemiol 2022; 6:e185. [PMID: 35434456 PMCID: PMC9005258 DOI: 10.1097/ee9.0000000000000185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposures at work have a major impact on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Current risk reduction policies and strategies are informed by existing scientific evidence, which is limited due to the challenges of studying the complex relationship between exposure at work and outside work and health. We define the working life exposome as all occupational and related nonoccupational exposures. The latter includes nonoccupational exposures that may be directly or indirectly influenced by or interact with the working life of the individual in their relation to health. The Exposome Project for Health and Occupational Research aims to advance knowledge on the complex working life exposures in relation to disease beyond the single high exposure–single health outcome paradigm, mapping and relating interrelated exposures to inherent biological pathways, key body functions, and health. This will be achieved by combining (1) large-scale harmonization and pooling of existing European cohorts systematically looking at multiple exposures and diseases, with (2) the collection of new high-resolution external and internal exposure data. Methods and tools to characterize the working life exposome will be developed and applied, including sensors, wearables, a harmonized job exposure matrix (EuroJEM), noninvasive biomonitoring, omics, data mining, and (bio)statistics. The toolbox of developed methods and knowledge will be made available to policy makers, occupational health practitioners, and scientists. Advanced knowledge on working life exposures in relation to NCDs will serve as a basis for evidence-based and cost-effective preventive policies and actions. The toolbox will also enable future scientists to further expand the working life exposome knowledge base.
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Fireman Klein E, Adir Y, Fireman E, Kessel A. Cigarette-related cadmium and environmental pollution exposure are reflected in airway ultrafine particle content. ERJ Open Res 2020; 6:00361-2019. [PMID: 32963996 PMCID: PMC7487350 DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00361-2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Particulate matter (PM) and cigarette-related cadmium exposure increases inflammation and smokers' susceptibility to developing lung diseases. The majority of inhaled metals are attached to the surface of ultrafine particles (UFPs). A low inhaled UFP content in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) reflects a high inflammatory status of airways. Methods EBC was collected from 58 COPD patients and 40 healthy smokers and nonsmokers. Participants underwent spirometry, diffusion capacity, EBC and blood sampling. Environmental pollution data were collected from monitoring stations. UFPs were measured in EBC and serum, and cadmium content was quantified. Results Subjects with low UFP concentrations in EBC (<0.18×108·mL-1) had been exposed to higher long-term PM2.5 levels versus subjects with high UFP concentrations in EBC (>0.18×108·mL-1) (21.9 µg·m-3 versus 17.4 µg·m-3, p≤0.001). Long-term PM2.5 exposure levels correlated negatively with UFP concentrations in EBC and positively with UFP concentrations in serum (r=-0.54, p≤0.001 and r=0.23, p=0.04, respectively). Healthy smokers had higher cadmium levels in EBC versus healthy nonsmokers and COPD patients (25.2 ppm versus 23.7 ppm and 23.3 ppm, p=0.02 and p=0.002, respectively). Subjects with low UFP concentrations in EBC also had low cadmium levels in EBC versus subjects with high UFP levels (22.8 ppm versus 24.2 ppm, p=0.004). Conclusions Low UFP concentration in EBC is an indicator of high-level PM exposure. High cadmium levels in EBC among smokers and the association between cadmium and UFP content in EBC among COPD patients indicate cadmium lung toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Einat Fireman Klein
- Pulmonary Division, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.,Dept of Internal Medicine B, Bnai-Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.,Affiliated with the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yochai Adir
- Pulmonary Division, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.,Affiliated with the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Elizabeth Fireman
- The Institute of Pulmonary Diseases, National Laboratory Service for ILD, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Dept of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Aharon Kessel
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Bnai-Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.,Affiliated with the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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Rafiee A, Delgado-Saborit JM, Sly PD, Quémerais B, Hashemi F, Akbari S, Hoseini M. Environmental chronic exposure to metals and effects on attention and executive function in the general population. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 705:135911. [PMID: 31838411 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Heavy metals are neurotoxic, associated with brain dysfunction, and have been linked with cognitive decline in adults. This study was aimed to characterize chronic exposure to metals (Cd, Be, Co, Hg, Sn, V, Al, Ba, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and metalloids (As, B, Sb) and assess its impact on cognitive performance of Tehran's residents, capital of Iran. Scalp hair samples gathered from 200 volunteered participants (110 men and 90 women), aged 14-70 years and quantified by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Attention and executive function, two measures of cognitive performance, were characterized using the trail making test (TMT) part A and B, respectively. Mental flexibility was characterized as the Delta TMT B-A scores and cognitive efficiency or dissimulation as the ration between TMT B and A scores. A comprehensive questionnaire was used to gather information on demographic and socioeconomic as well as lifestyle and health status. The highest and lowest mean concentrations were observed for B (325 μg/g) and As (0.29 μg/g), respectively. Results indicated that chronic metal exposure measured in hair changed significantly based on gender and age (p < 0.05). The levels of Cr, Fe, Ni, Si, Hg, Pb and B were significantly higher in males' hair, whereas those of Ag and Ba were greater in females' hair (p < 0.05). The results of the cognitive TMT test were significantly different between gender and age groups (p < 0.05). Moreover, results revealed that As, Hg, Mn, and Pb levels in hair were significantly associated with poorer participants' performance scores in the TMT test (p < 0.05). Age, gender, cigarette smoking, water-pipe smoking, traffic density in the area of residence, and dental amalgam filling were significant factors affecting the TMT test scores. The results suggest that chronic exposure to metals has detrimental effects on attention, executive function, mental flexibility and cognitive efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ata Rafiee
- Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
| | - Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit
- ISGlobal Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, Barcelona, Spain; Population Health and Environmental Sciences, Analytical Environmental and Forensic Sciences, King's College London, United Kingdom; Division of Environmental Health & Risk Management, School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Peter D Sly
- Children's Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, South Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Fallah Hashemi
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Sadaf Akbari
- Trauma and Injury Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hoseini
- Research Center for Health Sciences, Institute of Health, Department of Environmental Health, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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Ghio AJ, Madden MC, Esther CR. Transition and post-transition metals in exhaled breath condensate. J Breath Res 2018; 12:027112. [PMID: 29244031 DOI: 10.1088/1752-7163/aaa214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Water vapor in expired air, as well as dispersed non-volatile components, condense onto a cooler surface after exiting the respiratory tract. This exhaled breath condensate (EBC) provides a dilute sampling of the epithelial lining fluid. Accordingly, the collection of EBC imparts a capacity to provide biomarkers of injury preceding clinical disease. Concentrations of transition and post-transition metals in EBC are included among these endpoints. Iron and zinc are the metals with the highest concentration and are measurable in all EBC samples from healthy subjects; other metals are most frequently either at or below the level of detection in this group. Gender, age, and smoking can impact EBC metal concentrations in healthy subjects. EBC metal concentrations among patients diagnosed with particular lung diseases (e.g. asthma, chronic obstructive disease, and interstitial lung disease) have been of research interest but no definite pattern of involvement has been delineated. Studies of occupationally exposed workers confirm significant exposure to specific metals, but such EBC metal measurements frequently provide evidence redundant with environmental sampling. Measurements of metal concentrations in EBC remain a research tool into metal homeostasis in the respiratory tract and participation of metals in disease pathogenesis. The quantification of metal concentrations in EBC is currently not reliable for clinical use in either supporting or determining any diagnosis. Issues that must be addressed prior to the use of EBC metal measurements include the establishment of both standardized collection and measurement techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Ghio
- National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill NC, United States of America
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The simultaneous detection of trivalent & hexavalent chromium in exhaled breath condensate: A feasibility study comparing workers and controls. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2016; 220:415-423. [PMID: 27956251 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The analytical method outlined in this feasibility study has been used to show that trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) and hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) can be detected and measured in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples. EBC samples and urine samples were collected from a cohort of 58 workers occupationally exposed to hexavalent chromium compounds and 22 unexposed volunteers (control group). Levels of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) were determined in EBC samples and total chromium levels were determined in urine samples. Pre and post working week samples for both EBC and urine were collected in tandem. Total chromium in urine samples was analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Analysis of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in EBC samples used a hyphenated micro liquid chromatography (μLC) system coupled to an ICP-MS. Separation was achieved using an anion exchange micro-sized column. The results showed that the occupationally exposed workers had significantly higher levels of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in their EBC samples than the control group, as well as higher levels of total chromium in their urine samples. However, for the exposed workers no significant difference was found between pre and post working week EBC samples for either Cr(III) or Cr(VI). This study has established that Cr(III) and Cr(VI) can simultaneously be detected and measured in 'real' EBC samples and will help in understanding inhalation exposure.
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Corradi M, Goldoni M, Mutti A. A review on airway biomarkers: exposure, effect and susceptibility. Expert Rev Respir Med 2015; 9:205-20. [PMID: 25561087 DOI: 10.1586/17476348.2015.1001373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Current research in pulmonology requires the use of biomarkers to investigate airway exposure and diseases, for both diagnostic and prognostic purposes. The traditional approach based on invasive approaches (lung lavages and biopsies) can now be replaced, at least in part, through the use of non invasively collected specimens (sputum and breath), in which biomarkers of exposure, effect and susceptibility can be searched. The discovery of specific lung-related proteins, which can spill over in blood or excreted in urine, further enhanced the spectrum of airway specific biomarkers to be studied. The recent introduction of high-performance 'omic' technologies - genomics, proteomics and metabolomics, and the rate at which biomarker candidates are being discovered, will permit the use of a combination of biomarkers for a more precise selection of patient with different outcomes and responses to therapies. The aim of this review is to critically evaluate the use of airway biomarkers in the context of research and clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Corradi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43123 Parma, Italy
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