A Cross-Sectional Study on 3-(2-Deoxy-β-D-Erythro-Pentafuranosyl)Pyrimido[1,2-α]Purin-10(3H)-One Deoxyguanosine Adducts among Woodworkers in Tuscany, Italy

Perturbations in indices of oxidative stress, oxidative DNA damage and lung function in chronic exposure to wood dust in Southern Nigeria

OBJECTIVES

Oxidative stress (OS) and oxidative DNA damage accruing from chronic exposure to wood dust have been implicated in the development of chronic lung conditions among woodworkers. Indices of OS, inflammation, oxidative DNA damage and lung function in relation to duration of exposure to wood dust were assessed in woodworkers to determine their possible utility as risk evaluation indices for chronic lung conditions.

METHODS

Ninety participants comprising 30 active woodworkers, 30 passive woodworkers, and 30 controls were enrolled into this cross-sectional study. The total plasma peroxides, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), oxidative stress index (OSI), malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione, nitric oxide, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were determined in all participants.

RESULTS

Woodworkers had lower PEFR, TAC, and higher malondialdehyde, OSI, hs-CRP, and 8-OHdG compared to controls (p < 0.05). Active woodworkers had higher malondialdehyde, 8-OHdG, and hs-CRP compared to passive woodworkers (p < 0.05). Increasing duration of exposure to wood dust is associated with higher malondialdehyde, hs-CRP, and 8-OHdG in active woodworkers (p < 0.05) and higher 8-OHdG and hs-CRP in passive woodworkers (p < 0.05). Negative correlation was observed between hs-CRP and TAC (r=-0.367, p = 0.048) in active workers.

CONCLUSION

The association of exposure to wood dust with elevated indices of inflammation, OS, lipid peroxidation, oxidative DNA damage, and reduction in antioxidants and peak expiratory flow rate; and the concomitant increase in oxidative DNA damage and inflammation with increasing duration of exposure suggest that these indices may be useful in predicting woodworkers at risk of development of chronic lung conditions.

The association between wood dust exposure and respiratory disorders and oxidative stress among furniture workers

BACKGROUND

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of wood dust on the respiratory system and oxidative stress in furniture workers and to determine whether any associations exist between respiratory parameters and oxidative stress.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was performed on 45 furniture workers and 45 office workers as a reference group in Iran. The NIOSH method 0600 was used to determine the concentration of particulates. The prevalence of respiratory symptoms was estimated via the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) questionnaire. Oxidative stress biomarkers and respiratory parameters were also measured.

RESULTS

The mean concentrations of respirable and non-respirable dust were found to be 1.51 mg/m³ and 1.23 mg/m³, respectively. Pulmonary function parameters, including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC, and antioxidant capacity biomarkers such as total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were significantly lower, while the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, were significantly higher in the furniture workers than in the reference group. There were significant positive associations between FVC and FEV1 with SOD and TAC.

CONCLUSION

The present study results indicated that exposure to wood dust significantly increased respiratory disorders and confirmed the association between lung function parameters and oxidative stress.

New formaldehyde-free adhesives for wood manufacturing: In vitro evaluation of potential toxicity of fine dust collected during wood sawing using a new experimental model to simulate occupational inhalation exposure

Formaldehyde mainly emitted from wood adhesives, finishing materials, paint for furniture represents, together with wood dust, a potential carcinogenic risk for wood workers. Aims of this multidisciplinary study are to investigate the possibility of replacing urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesives in the wood industry with organic and/or inorganic-based glues to obtain a final less toxic product and to evaluate the potential toxicity of wood glued with such new adhesives. For this purpose we selected poplar wood to test an organic new adhesive HBP (Hemp Based Protein), a mixture of hemp flour and cross-linker PAE (polyaminoamide epichlorohydrin), and spruce wood to test an inorganic adhesive geopolymer K-PSS (potassium-polysiloxosialate) plus polyvinyl acetate. For the poplar wood, we also used a commercial panel glued with UF for comparison. We reproduced occupational inhalation exposure during sawing activities of mentioned woods, collected and characterized the wood dusts emitted during sawing and evaluated in vitro their potential cyto-genotoxic and inflammatory effects. We used human lung cells (A549) exposed for 24 h to 20 and 100 µg/mL of collected PM_2.5 wood dust. We found that both the new adhesives wood dusts induced a slightly higher apoptotic effect than untreated natural wood dusts particularly in spruce wood. Only geopolymer K-PSS wood dust induced membrane damage at the highest concentration and direct and oxidative DNA damage that could be explained by the different chemical composition and the lower particle sizes in respect to organic HBP adhesive wood dust. We found slight induction of IL6 release, not influenced by K-PSS treatment, at the highest concentration in spruce wood. For poplar wood, IL-6 and IL-8 induction was found particularly for untreated and UF-treated wood at the highest concentration, where hemp adhesive treatment induced lower inflammation while at lower concentration similar slight cytokine induction was found for all tested wood dusts. This preliminary study shows that natural adhesives used to replace UF adhesives represent an interesting alternative, particularly the organic hemp-based adhesive showing very low toxicity.

Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage in Chronic Disease and Environmental Studies

Humans are continually exposed to a large number of environmental carcinogens [...].

Occupational Exposure to Dust Produced when Milling Thermally Modified Wood

During production, thermally modified wood is processed using the same machining operations as unmodified wood. Machining wood is always accompanied with the creation of dust particles. The smaller they become, the more hazardous they are. Employees are exposed to a greater health hazard when machining thermally modified wood because a considerable amount of fine dust is produced under the same processing conditions than in the case of unmodified wood. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) states that wood dust causes cancer of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses and of the nasopharynx. Wood dust is also associated with toxic effects, irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, dermatitis, and respiratory system effects which include decreased lung capacity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and allergic reactions. In our research, granular composition of particles resulting from the process of longitudinal milling of heat-treated oak and spruce wood under variable conditions (i.e., the temperature of modification of 160, 180, 200 and 220 °C and feed rate of 6, 10 and 15 m.min^-1) are presented in the paper. Sieve analysis was used to determine the granular composition of particles. An increase in fine particle fraction when the temperature of modification rises was confirmed by the research. This can be due to the lower strength of thermally modified wood. Moreover, a different effect of the temperature modification on granularity due to the tree species was observed. In the case of oak wood, changes occurred at a temperature of 160 °C and in the case of spruce wood, changes occurred at the temperatures of 200 and 220 °C. At the temperatures of modification of 200 and 220 °C, the dust fraction (i.e., that occurred in the mesh sieves, particles with the size ≤ 0.08 mm) ranged from 2.99% (oak wood, feed rate of 10 m.min^-1) to 8.07% (spruce wood, feed rate of 6 m.min^-1). Such particles might have a harmful effect on employee health in wood-processing facilities.