Impact of diesel exhaust exposure on urinary 1-hydroxypyrene in underground salt and potash workers.

Background: Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) and some of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) it contains are carcinogenic to humans (for example benzo(a)pyrene) and can cause lung cancer in workers. The objective of this study was to assess exposures to DEE and its component PAH and the potential associations between these two health hazards in a salt and potash mining population.

Methods: Between 2017 and 2019, 1003 underground workers (mining n = 801, maintenance n = 202) and 243 above-ground facility workers from two German mines participated.

[41 cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by occupational irritating chemicals].

To analyze the case characteristics of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by occupational irritant chemicals (OI-COPD). To provide basis for revising its diagnostic criteria. From June to December 2021, we investigated the information of OI-COPD patients confirmed by Shandong Institute of Occupational Health and Prevention of Occupational Diseases, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention and Control, Qingdao Central Hospital affiliated to Qingdao University and other diagnostic institutions in the past five years, a total of 41 cases.

The third pandemic: The respiratory syncytial virus landscape and specific considerations for the allergist/immunologist.

Since its initial identification in 1956, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been the second most common cause of mortality in infants <6 months of age and a major cause of morbidity and mortality associated with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in older adults (ages >60 years) worldwide. Of particular interest to the allergist/immunologist is a growing body of evidence that suggests an association between LRTI caused by RSV in infants with later-life development of asthma, wheezing, or impaired lung function in adults. Efforts to develop a RSV vaccine have been thwarted for >70 years by the occurrence of enhanced respiratory disease (ERD), an adverse RSV vaccine reaction, in the 1960s, in which more-severe illness occurred on natural infection after vaccination of infants who were RSV naive and with a formalin-inactivated RSV vaccine.

Obstructive Lung Disease Linked to Occupational Exposures in Malawian Tobacco Farmers.

Nicotine and pesticide exposure in agricultural settings have been linked to the development of chronic respiratory disease in workers. However, this has not been extensively studied in Africa. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the prevalence of obstructive lung disease and its relationship to concurrent nicotine and pesticide exposure among small-scale tobacco farmers in Malawi.

Mortality and cancer incidence in UK military veterans involved in human experiments at Porton Down: 48-year follow-up.

Background: We investigated whether military personnel involved in chemical warfare agent research at Porton Down had increased rates of mortality or cancer incidence.

Methods: This was a historical cohort study comprising male UK veterans who participated in the 'Service Volunteer Programme', 1941-89, identified from Porton Down experiment books, and a comparison group of similar 'non-Porton Down' veterans identified from military personnel files. Of 19 233 records retrieved for each group, 18 133 (94%) Porton Down and 17 591 (92%) non-Porton Down were included in our analytical sample.

Living in environmental justice areas worsens asthma severity and control: Differential interactions with disease duration, age at onset, and pollution.

Background: Impoverished and historically marginalized communities often reside in areas with increased air pollution.

Objective: We evaluated the association between environmental justice (EJ) track and asthma severity and control as modified by traffic-related air pollution (TRAP).

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 1526 adult asthma patients in Allegheny County, Pa, enrolled in an asthma registry during 2007-20.

Adhesion Molecules in Lung Inflammation from Repeated Glyphosate Exposures.

Glyphosate is an active ingredient in herbicides. Exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides has been associated with respiratory dysfunctions in agricultural workers. The ability of inhaled glyphosate to induce lung inflammation is not well understood.

Respiratory disease in workers handling cross-linked water-soluble acrylic acid polymer.

Eight workers involved in packing cross-linked water-soluble acrylic acid polymer, an organic substance, developed pulmonary fibrosis, and the upper lobe was the most affected. The dust concentration in the polymer packing workstation was measured. Chest computed tomography (CT) was obtained for 82 individuals, including the 8 workers mentioned above.

Levels of Clara cell secretory protein and surfactant protein A in municipal solid waste management workers in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria.

Toxic pneumonitis and related respiratory symptoms are common among waste management workers (WMWs). Products of different cellular responses following exposure to toxic components of wastes can lead to the production of a variety of biomolecules. There is a growing recognition of the importance of biomarkers in risk assessment and a strong advocacy for their determination and use as indicators of health and safety.

Epigenetic investigation into circulating microRNA 197-3p in sera from patients affected by malignant pleural mesothelioma and workers ex-exposed to asbestos.

The epigenetic role of microRNAs is established at both physiological and pathological levels. Dysregulated miRNAs and their targets appear to be a promising approach for innovative anticancer therapies. In our previous study, circulating miR-197-3p tested dysregulated in workers ex-exposed to asbestos (WEA).

Closing the knowledge gap on the composition of the asbestos bodies.

Asbestos bodies (AB) form in the lungs as a result of a biomineralization process initiated by the alveolar macrophages in the attempt to remove asbestos. During this process, organic and inorganic material deposit on the foreign fibers forming a Fe-rich coating. The AB start to form in months, thus quickly becoming the actual interface between asbestos and the lung tissue.

Relationship between systemic inflammation and lung injury induced by chromate exposure: A cross-sectional study in workers.

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] compounds, known as "Group I Human Carcinogen" and "Category I Respiratory Sensitizer", posed great challenges to the respiratory system. A cross-sectional study was undertaken among chromate workers. Serum club cell protein 16 (CC16) and soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) were measured using ELISA.

[Two cases of airway dysfunction related to diacetyl exposure].

Occupational exposure to diacetyl can lead to bronchiolitis obliterans. In this paper, two patients with severe obstructive ventilation disorder who were exposed to diacetyl at a fragrance and flavours factory were analyzed. The clinical manifestations were cough and shortness of breath.

Burden of lung cancer and predicted costs of occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium in the EU - The impact of different occupational exposure limits.

Background: Exposure to hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] occurs widely in occupational settings across the EU and is associated with lung cancer. In 2025, the occupational exposure limit is set to change to 5 μg/m. Current exposure limits are higher, with 10 μg/m as a general limit and 25 μg/m for the welding industry.

Volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds in landfill gas: Composition characteristics and health risks.

Gas emitted from landfills contains a large quantity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), some of which are carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic, thereby posing a serious threat to the health of landfill workers and nearby residents. However, the global hazards of VOCs and SVOCs in landfill gas to human health remain unclear. To quantify the global risk distributions of these pollutants, we collected the composition and concentration data of VOCs and SVOCs from 72 landfills in 20 countries from the core database of Web of Science and assessed their human health risks as well as analyzed their influencing factors.

The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health.

Background: Plastics have conveyed great benefits to humanity and made possible some of the most significant advances of modern civilization in fields as diverse as medicine, electronics, aerospace, construction, food packaging, and sports. It is now clear, however, that plastics are also responsible for significant harms to human health, the economy, and the earth's environment. These harms occur at every stage of the plastic life cycle, from extraction of the coal, oil, and gas that are its main feedstocks through to ultimate disposal into the environment.

Quantitative assessment of mesothelioma and lung cancer risk based on Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) estimates of fibre exposure: an update of 2000 asbestos cohort data.

An earlier meta-analysis of mortality studies of asbestos-exposed worker populations, quantified excess mesothelioma and lung cancer risks in relation to cumulative exposure to the three main commercial asbestos types. The aim of this paper was to update these analyses incorporating new data based on increased follow-up of studies previously included, as well as studies of worker populations exposed predominantly to single fibre types published since the original analysis. Mesothelioma as a percentage of expected mortality due to all causes of death, percentage excess lung cancer and mean cumulative exposure were abstracted from available mortality studies of workers exposed predominantly to single asbestos types.

Carbon nanotube pathogenicity conforms to a unified theory for mesothelioma causation by elongate materials and fibers.

The purpose of this review is to elucidate how dimensional and durability characteristics of high aspect ratio nanomaterials (HARN), including carbon nanotubes (CNT) and metal nanowires (MeNW), contribute to understanding the fiber pathogenicity paradigm (FPP), including by explaining the structure-activity relationships (SAR) of a diverse range of natural and synthetic elongate materials that may or may not contribute to mesothelioma development in the lung. While the FPP was originally developed to explain the critical importance of asbestos and synthetic vitreous fiber length, width, aspect ratio and biopersistence in mesothelioma development, there are a vast number of additional inhalable materials that need to be considered in terms of pathogenic features that may contribute to mesothelioma or lack thereof. Not only does the ability to exert more exact control over the length and biopersistence of HARNs confirm the tenets of the FPP, but could be studied by implementating more appropriate toxicological tools for SAR analysis.

An updated review of diffuse mesothelioma of the pleura - A sentinel health event of potential elongate mineral particle pathogenicity.

There are approximately 400 inorganic minerals in the Earth's crust, some of which can be encountered as elongate mineral particles [EMPs] with dimensional characteristics similar to the six minerals known as asbestos and other asbestiform amphiboles with established human pathogenicity. In addition, the rapidly developing field of nanotechnology is producing an ever-increasing array of high aspect ratio engineered nanomaterials [HARNs] with physical dimensions and biodurability similar to the asbestos fiber types with recognized pathogenic potential. Many of these non-asbestos/non-asbestiform EMPs and HARNs with the potential for aerosolization into the breathing zones of workers and in individuals in non-occupational environments have not yet been thoroughly studied with respect to their potential human pathogenicity, a fact which obviously poses concerns for both occupational health and public health professionals.

Drug-induced lung disease: a brief update for radiologists.

Pulmonary adverse events and drug-induced lung disease (DILD) can occur when treating many conditions. The incidence of DILDs in clinical practice and the variety of radiological findings have increased, mainly due to the increased use of novel therapeutic agents. It is crucial to determine whether the newly emerging clinical and imaging findings in these patients are due to the progression of the underlying disease, infection, pulmonary edema, or drug use, as this will change the patient management.

Critical aspects in occupational exposure assessment with different aerosol metrics in an industrial spray coating process.

Engineered Nanomaterials (ENMs) have several uses in various industrial fields and are embedded in a myriad of consumer products. However, there is continued concern over the potential adverse health effects and environmental impacts of ENMs due to their unique physico-chemical characteristics. Currently, there are no specific international regulations for various ENMs.

Using Nicotine in A Silica-Exposed Mouse Model to Promote Lung Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

Smoking and exposure to silica are common among occupational workers, and silica is more likely to injure the lungs of smokers than non-smokers. The role of nicotine, the primary addictive ingredient in cigarettes, in silicosis development is unclear. The mouse model employed in this study was simple and easily controlled, and it effectively simulated the effects of chronic nicotine ingestion and repeated exposure to silica on lung fibrosis through epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human beings.

Development of nintedanib nanosuspension for inhaled treatment of experimental silicosis.

Silicosis is an irreversible and progressive fibrotic lung disease caused by massive inhalation of crystalline silica dust at workplaces, affecting millions of industrial workers worldwide. A tyrosine kinase inhibitor, nintedanib (NTB), has emerged as a potential silicosis treatment due to its inhibitory effects on key signaling pathways that promote silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis. However, chronic and frequent use of the oral NTB formulation clinically approved for treating other fibrotic lung diseases often results in significant side effects.