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  • Articles  (33)
  • Air pollution, air quality, Other exposures  (22)
  • Respiratory  (6)
  • Open access, Editor's choice  (3)
  • Respiratory, Other exposures  (2)
  • 2010-2014  (33)
  • 1
    Publication Date: 2014-12-17
    Description: Introduction We evaluated associations between three a-cellular measures of the oxidative potential (OP) of particulate matter (PM) and acute health effects. Methods We exposed 31 volunteers for 5 h to ambient air pollution at five locations: an underground train station, two traffic sites, a farm and an urban background site. Each volunteer visited at least three sites. We conducted health measurements before exposure, 2 h after exposure and the next morning. We measured air pollution on site and characterised the OP of PM 2.5 and PM 10 using three a-cellular assays; dithiotreitol (OP DTT ), electron spin resonance (OP ESR ) and ascorbic acid depletion (OP AA ). Results In single-pollutant models, all measures of OP were significantly associated with increases in fractional exhaled nitric oxide and increases in interleukin-6 in nasal lavage 2 h after exposure. These OP associations remained significant after adjustment for co-pollutants when only the four outdoor sites were included, but lost significance when measurements at the underground site were included. Other health end points including lung function and vascular inflammatory and coagulation parameters in blood were not consistently associated with OP. Conclusions We found significant associations between three a-cellular measures of OP of PM and markers of airway and nasal inflammation. However, consistency of these effects in two-pollutant models depended on how measurements at the underground site were considered. Lung function and vascular inflammatory and coagulation parameters in blood were not consistently associated with OP. Our study, therefore, provides limited support for a role of OP in predicting acute health effects of PM in healthy young adults.
    Keywords: Air pollution, air quality, Other exposures
    Print ISSN: 1351-0711
    Electronic ISSN: 1470-7926
    Topics: Medicine
    Published by BMJ Publishing Group
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  • 2
    Publication Date: 2014-12-17
    Description: Objective The study was designed to investigate whether beryllium exposure was related to illness diagnosed as sarcoidosis. Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) and sarcoidosis are clinically and pathologically indistinguishable, with only the presence of beryllium-specific T-lymphocytes identifying CBD. Testing for such cells is not feasible in community studies of sarcoidosis but a second characteristic of CBD, its much greater incidence in those with a glutamic acid residue at position 69 of the HLA-DPB1 gene (Glu69), provides an alternative approach to answering this question. Methods Cases of sarcoidosis aged 18–60 years diagnosed in Alberta, Canada, from 1999 to 2005 were approached through their specialist physician, together with age-matched and sex-matched referents with other chronic lung disease. Referents were grouped into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and other lung disease. Participants completed a telephone questionnaire, including industry-specific questionnaires. DNA was extracted from mailed-in mouthwash samples and genotyped for Glu69. Duration of employment in types of work with independently documented beryllium exposure was calculated. Results DNA was extracted for 655 cases (270 Glu69 positive) and 1382 referents (561 positive). No increase in sarcoidosis was seen with either Glu69 or beryllium exposure (none, 〈10, ≥10 years) as main effects: longer duration in possible beryllium jobs was related to COPD. In Glu69 positive men with exposure ≥10 years, the trend towards increasing rate of COPD was reversed, and a significant interaction of duration of exposure and Glu69 was detected (OR=4.51 95% CI 1.17 to 17.48). Conclusions The gene–environment interaction supports the hypothesis that some cases diagnosed as sarcoidosis result from occupational beryllium exposure.
    Keywords: Respiratory
    Print ISSN: 1351-0711
    Electronic ISSN: 1470-7926
    Topics: Medicine
    Published by BMJ Publishing Group
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  • 3
    Publication Date: 2014-11-07
    Description: Objectives To investigate inter-reader agreement for the detection of pleural and parenchymal abnormalities using CT in a large cross-sectional study comprising information on individual cumulative exposure to asbestos. Methods The project was approved by the hospital ethics committee, and all patients received information on the study and gave their written informed consent. In 5511 CT scans performed in a cohort of retired workers previously exposed to asbestos and volunteering to participate in a multiregional survey programme (Asbestos Related Diseases Cohort, ARDCO), double randomised standardised readings, triple in case of disagreement, were performed by seven trained expert radiologists specialised in thoracic imaging and blind to the initial interpretation. Inter-reader agreement was evaluated by calculating the -weighted coefficient between pairs of expert readers and results of routine practice and final diagnosis after expert reading. Results -Weighted coefficients between trained experts ranged from 0.28 to 0.52 (fair to good), 0.59 to 0.86 (good to excellent) and 0.11 to 0.66 (poor to good) for the diagnosis of asbestosis, pleural plaques and fibrosis of the visceral pleura, respectively. -Weighted coefficients between results of routine practice and final diagnosis after expert reading were 0.13 (poor), 0.53 (moderate) and 0.11 (poor) for the diagnosis of asbestosis, pleural plaques and fibrosis of the visceral pleura, respectively. Conclusions Interpretation of benign asbestos-related thoracic abnormalities requires standardisation of the reading and trained readers, particularly for participants asking for compensation, and with a view to the longitudinal survey of asbestos-exposed workers.
    Keywords: Respiratory
    Print ISSN: 1351-0711
    Electronic ISSN: 1470-7926
    Topics: Medicine
    Published by BMJ Publishing Group
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  • 4
    Publication Date: 2014-10-09
    Description: The 2014 International Epidemiology in Occupational Health (EPICOH) meeting in Chicago, USA, focused on the theme: ‘Challenges for Occupational Epidemiology in the 21st Century’. These are exciting times and with them come no end to challenges faced by occupational epidemiology. And participants eagerly engaged in vigorous discussion on a number of current concerns with both wisdom and wit. Ultimately each individual must decide what challenges are most important and how best to address those selected for first order attention. Nonetheless, some overview of challenges could prove worthwhile and so six general areas are provided as a focus for consideration. Concentrating on important problems Acting on what we find Advancing occupational disease and injury surveillance Relying on worker self-reports Looking at data Addressing health disparities Concentrating on the important problems We always run the risk of studying what we know how to study...
    Keywords: Air pollution, air quality, Other exposures
    Print ISSN: 1351-0711
    Electronic ISSN: 1470-7926
    Topics: Medicine
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  • 5
    Publication Date: 2014-09-09
    Description: The fetus and infant are especially vulnerable to the effects of environmental agents that disrupt developmental processes because their organs are rapidly growing and developing, their metabolism is immature and their intakes can be greater relative to their body weight. In utero and early postnatal stressors, including environmental contaminant exposures, can permanently change the body's structure, physiology and metabolism, predisposing individuals to the development of serious chronic pathologies later in life (eg, cardiovascular, respiratory and neurodegenerative disease), a hypothesis grounded in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) paradigm for which there is a growing evidential basis. Up to relatively recently, good epidemiological evidence for early-life developmental effects was available only for a few pollutants, mostly at high-level exposure, such as lead, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). 1 The past decade has seen rapid increase in the study of effects of environmental agents at lower doses on...
    Keywords: Air pollution, air quality, Other exposures
    Print ISSN: 1351-0711
    Electronic ISSN: 1470-7926
    Topics: Medicine
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  • 6
    Publication Date: 2014-07-11
    Description: Objectives To investigate the association between preeclampsia and maternal exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm (PM 10 ) and 2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ) mass and sources. Methods Our analysis was based on a hospital cohort of pregnant women (N=3182) residing in Barcelona, Spain, during 2003–2005. Positive matrix factorisation source apportionment (PMF2) was used to identify sources of PM 10 and PM 2.5 samples obtained by an urban background monitor, resulting in detection of eight sources. We further combined traffic-related sources (brake dust, vehicle exhaust and secondary nitrate/organics) to generate an indicator of combined traffic sources. Logistic regression models were developed to estimate the association between preeclampsia and exposure to each PM source and mass separately during the entire pregnancy and trimester one, adjusted for relevant covariates. Results For the exposure during the entire pregnancy, we found a 44% (95% CI 7% to 94%) and a 80% (95% CI 4% to 211%) increase in the risk of preeclampsia associated with one IQR increase in exposure to PM 10 brake dust and combined traffic-related sources, respectively. These findings remained consistent after an alternative source apportionment method (Multilinear Engine (ME2)) was used. The results for PM 2.5 mass and sources and also exposure during trimester one were inconclusive. Conclusions: Risk of preeclampsia was associated with exposure to PM 10 brake dust and combined traffic-related sources.
    Keywords: Air pollution, air quality, Other exposures
    Print ISSN: 1351-0711
    Electronic ISSN: 1470-7926
    Topics: Medicine
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  • 7
    Publication Date: 2014-07-11
    Description: Objectives Agate workers are chronically exposed to silica dust generated from agate grinding, which makes them susceptible to silicosis. In the absence of diagnosis at an early stage, the workers continue to be exposed to silica dust until the development of silicosis. The present study was undertaken to investigate total lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in blood samples of silica-exposed agate workers as a non-invasive way to measure silica-induced toxicity. Methods Blood samples were collected from agate workers and control subjects. Total LDH activity was measured in the blood plasma and blood cells of agate workers and non-exposed (control) subjects using sodium pyruvate as a substrate. The reduction of pyruvate to L-lactate with the concurrent oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) during the assay was monitored by change in absorbance (or optical density (OD)) at 340 nm at the fixed interval of 10 min. The ratio of LDH activity (blood plasma/blood cells) in the blood samples was calculated as a measure to detect cytotoxicity in exposed workers. Results The LDH activity in blood plasma samples of exposed workers was found to increase about 25 times, while the activity in the blood cells of silica-exposed agate workers was reduced to 10% of control subjects. The ratio of LDH activity (blood plasma/cells) was found to be 6.6 in the silica-exposed agate workers, while it was 0.02 in control (non-exposed) subjects. Conclusions This study proposes that total LDH activity and the LDH ratio (plasma/cells), along with occupational exposure history, are markers for silica exposure-induced toxicity in agate workers.
    Keywords: Respiratory, Other exposures
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    Topics: Medicine
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  • 8
    Publication Date: 2014-06-10
    Description: Objectives To assess the effects of long-term variations in ambient air pollutants on longitudinal changes in exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a potentially useful biomarker of eosinophilic airway inflammation, based on data from the southern California Children's Health Study. Methods Based on a cohort of 1211 schoolchildren from eight Southern California communities with FeNO measurements in 2006–2007 and 2007–2008, regression models adjusted for short-term effects of air pollution were fitted to assess the association between changes in annual long-term exposures and changes in FeNO. Results Increases in annual average concentrations of 24-h average NO 2 and PM 2.5 (scaled to the IQR of 1.8 ppb and 2.4 μg/m 3 , respectively) were associated with a 2.29 ppb (CI 0.36 to 4.21; p=0.02) and a 4.94 ppb (CI 1.44 to 8.47; p=0.005) increase in FeNO, respectively, after adjustments for short-term effects of the respective pollutants. In contrast, changes in annual averages of PM 10 and O 3 were not significantly associated with changes in FeNO. These findings did not differ significantly by asthma status. Conclusions Changes in annual average exposure to current levels of ambient air pollutants are significantly associated with changes in FeNO levels in children, independent of short-term exposures and asthma status. Use of this biomarker in population-based epidemiological research has great potential for assessing the impact of changing real world mixtures of ambient air pollutants on children's respiratory health.
    Keywords: Air pollution, air quality, Other exposures
    Print ISSN: 1351-0711
    Electronic ISSN: 1470-7926
    Topics: Medicine
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  • 9
    Publication Date: 2014-03-06
    Description: Objectives We evaluated interactions between SERPINA1 PiMZ genotype, associated with intermediate α1-antitrysin deficiency, with outdoor particulate matter ≤10 µm (PM 10 ), and occupational exposure to vapours, dusts, gases and fumes (VGDF), and their effects on annual change in lung function. Methods Pre-bronchodilator spirometry was performed in 3739 adults of the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Disease in Adults (SAPALDIA) for whom SERPINA1 genotypes were available. At baseline in 1991, participants were aged 18–62 years; follow-up measurements were conducted from 2001 to 2003. In linear mixed regression models of annual change in lung function, multiplicative interactions were evaluated between PiMZ genotype (PiMM as reference) and change in PM 10 (μg/m 3 ), and VGDF exposure (high-level, low-level or no exposure as reference) during follow-up. Results Annual declines in forced expiratory flow at 25–75% of forced vital capacity (FEF 25–75% ) (–82 mL/s, 95% CI –125 to –39) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s over forced vital capacity (FEV 1 /FVC) (–0.3%, 95% CI –0.6% to 0.0%) in association with VGDF exposure were observed only in PiMZ carriers (P interaction 〈0.0001 and P interaction =0.03, respectively). A three-way interaction between PiMZ genotype, smoking and VGDF exposure was identified such that VGDF-associated FEF 25–75% decline was observed only in ever smoking PiMZ carriers (P interaction =0.01). No interactions were identified between PiMZ genotype and outdoor PM 10 . Conclusions SERPINA1 PiMZ genotype, in combination with smoking, modified the association between occupational VGDF exposure and longitudinal change in lung function, suggesting that interactions between these factors are relevant for lung function decline. These novel findings warrant replication in larger studies.
    Keywords: Air pollution, air quality, Other exposures
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    Topics: Medicine
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  • 10
    Publication Date: 2014-02-07
    Description: Objectives An ‘information gap’ has been identified regarding the effects of chronic disease on occupational injury risk. We investigated the association of ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, depression and asthma with acute occupational injury in a cohort of manufacturing workers from 1 January 1997 through 31 December 2007. Methods We used administrative data on real-time injury, medical claims, workplace characteristics and demographics to examine this association. We employed a piecewise exponential model within an Andersen–Gill framework with a frailty term at the employee level to account for inclusion of multiple injuries for each employee, random effects at the employee level due to correlation among jobs held by an employee, and experience on the job as a covariate. Results One-third of employees had at least one of the diseases during the study period. After adjusting for potential confounders, presence of these diseases was associated with increased hazard of injury: heart disease (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.36), diabetes (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.27), depression (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.38) and asthma (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.287). Hypertension was not significantly associated with hazard of injury. Associations of chronic disease with injury risk were less evident for more serious reportable injuries; only depression and a summary health metric derived from claims remained significantly positive in this subset. Conclusions Our results suggest that chronic heart disease, diabetes and depression confer an increased risk for acute occupational injury.
    Keywords: Open access, Editor's choice
    Print ISSN: 1351-0711
    Electronic ISSN: 1470-7926
    Topics: Medicine
    Published by BMJ Publishing Group
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