Purpose
The aim of the study was to evaluate exhaled breath condensate acidity (EBC pH) as a biomarker of airway response to occupational respiratory hazards present in sawmill.
Methods
Sixty-one ...sawmill workers in total (26 from Sawmill 1 and 35 from Sawmill 2) provided EBC samples at the beginning and at the end of the working week. Respiratory symptoms, lung function, bronchodilator test and atopy status were assessed. Occupational environment was checked for the levels of respiratory hazards.
Results
Airborne dust concentrations were below threshold limit value. Endotoxin in Sawmill 1 and Sawmill 2, and moulds in Sawmill 1 were at the levels able to induce inflammatory response in the airways. Mould levels were 2.5 times higher in Sawmill 1 than in Sawmill 2. Compared to Sawmill 2 workers, lower spirometry values, higher prevalence of dry cough and positive bronchodilator test were found in Sawmill 1 workers. Monday EBC pH values did not differ between sawmills, but declined after one working week in Sawmill 1 workers (from 7.88 to 7.49,
P
= 0.012) and not in Sawmill 2 workers. Similar results were obtained when only respiratory healthy non-smokers were analysed. Monday-to-Friday change of other respiratory parameters was not observed.
Conclusion
The results suggest EBC pH as a biomarker of acute respiratory effects related to occupational exposure to respiratory hazards in sawmills, presumably increased mould levels. The effect was present even at subclinical level, namely in respiratory healthy subjects. The long-term health implications remain unclear and should be evaluated in a follow-up study.
Flashover training (FOT) for firefighters is a simulation of the flashover phenomenon under controlled conditions. This study assessed arterial blood pressure (BP) and its response to thermal and ...physical strain during FOT in 48 professional and 18 volunteer firefighters.
A high prevalence of obesity (27%), basal hypertensive (53%) and prehypertensive (33%) BP values was found. FOT induced mild hyperthermia and physical strain (average increase of 1.1 °C in tympanic temperature and 61% of the maximal heart beat predicted for age). Compared to professional firefighters, FOT in the volunteers induced a higher increase in pulse (P = 0.050) and tympanic temperature (P = 0.025). Systolic BP did not vary significantly, and diastolic BP slightly decreased in both groups.
Results confirm that FOT induced only physiological cardiovascular responses to thermal and physical strain in firefighters. High prevalence of obesity and elevated BP values indicate the need for better physical fitness and BP control among firefighters.
•Flashover training (FOT) induced a mild physiological cardiovascular response.•More than 25% FOT attendees were obese.•Elevated basal blood pressure was found in >50% FOT attendees.•Croatian firefighters need to improve their physical fitness.
OBJECTIVE:The noninvasive biomarkers of respiratory impairment were assessed in 15 swine confinement (SC) workers and 9 respiratory healthy, nonsmoking volunteers (HV).
METHODS:Spirometry, fraction ...of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) pH were assessed in SC workers after one working shift and one working week and in HV after 5-hour exposure in SC.
RESULTS:Half of the respiratory symptoms (in 8 of 15 SC workers) were work-related. Basal FeNO values were 7.5 ppb higher in the SC workers compared with HV. In the SC workers, EBC pH increased for 0.17 at the end of a working week (P < 0.001). In HV, 5-hour exposure in SC induced 8% drop in forced expiratory flow at 25% of the pulmonary volume (FEF25) (P = 0.008), EBC pH drop for 0.10 units (P = 0.003), and FeNO drop by 1.8 ppb (P = 0.047).
CONCLUSIONS:EBC pH was suggested as a biomarker of acute airway acidification in HV, whereas the SC workers showed signs of the “healthy worker effect.”
Airborne fungi were collected over a one year period at 2-month intervals at 2 sawmills in Croatia (SM 1 and SM 2) processing mainly beech wood and oak wood. A questionnaire concerning respiratory ...symptoms and skin prick test (SPT) with common inhalatory allergens and moulds Cladosporium herbarum, Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium notatum, and Rhizopus nigricans were performed in 96 workers from the same sawmills. Average concentrations of airborne fungi were 1,696-7,316 cfu/m(3) in SM 1 and 1,706-4,819 cfu/m(3) in SM 2, respectively. Health hazardous levels of airborne fungi (above 10 4 /m(3)) were present only in SM 1. These levels were related to saw working sites and were season-dependent, i.e. present only during the summer. Penicillium (50-100%), Paecilomyces (43-100%) and Chrysonilia (33-100%) dominated among 17 fungal genera identified in both sawmills. Symptoms of rhinitis, asthma, and dry cough were most frequently recorded among analysed workers. SPT to moulds was negative in all tested workers, except one positive to R. nigricans, indicating that moderate airborne fungi levels found in the analysed sawmills were not related to IgE-mediated sensitization to moulds in exposed workers, even in atopics. Atopy was present among woodworkers in similar proportions to the general population of Croatia, suggesting that the wood-processing industry is not selective for atopic workers.
ABSTRACT
Acute effects of food and cigarette consumption on exhaled breath condensate (EBC) acidity are insufficiently explored. The study aimed to evaluate potential changes in EBC pH within 2 hours ...following cigarette or food consumption. In 15 healthy smokers, samples were obtained after 10 hours of abstinence from smoking and then 15, 30, 60, and 120 minutes after smoking 1 cigarette. In 19 healthy nonsmoking adults, EBC samples were obtained in the morning after an overnight fast, and then 30, 60, and 120 minutes following standardized breakfast. Smoking of 1 cigarette after overnight tobacco abstinence induced significant increase in EBC pH during the 2-hour observation period, for approximately 0.60 logarithmic units (repeated-measures analysis of variance ANOVA, P < .0001). The average presmoking pH value in smokers (7.00 ± 0.50) was significantly lower than average value in nonsmokers (7.62 ± 0.31; P = .0001). No effect of food consumption was found. These results show that cigarette smoking acutely increases EBC pH in healthy smokers. Smoking status and abstinence from smoking before EBC sampling seems to be important in studies evaluating EBC pH and should be standardized or at least stated in the methodology. Acute effects of food were not found under described study conditions in healthy adults.
The aim of this study was to obtain preliminary exhaled breath condensate (EBC) pH values for healthy adult Croatian subjects, and to evaluate criteria for defining respiratory health of population ...providing normal EBC pH values in epidemiologic studies. In 109 adults without a history of lower airway symptoms (AS), four groups were described by narrowing the definition of "health" down to 1) without lower AS; 2) without lower and upper AS; 3) without AS, with normal FEV1 and bronchial normoreactivity; 4) without AS, with normal FEV1, bronchial normoreactivity, normal total IgE, and with negative skin prick test. Median EBC pH values did not differ between the groups (7.72, 7.73, 7.73, 7.73), but as health criteria got stricter, we observed a slight, nonsignificant increase in minimal pH values (6.95, 7.10, 7.20, 7.37). Median EBC pH values with interquartile range in the total sample (7.72; 7.63 to 7.76) were within the range previously reported by other authors. They did not differ regarding sex, smoking habit and atopic status, and were not associated with age, FEV1 or total IgE. The non-significant trend in EBC pH observed with stricter criteria of respiratory health and atopic status indicates the need for further research on criteria for defining healthy population in a larger sample.
Ciljevi preliminarnog istraživanja bili su izmjeriti pH-vrijednosti kondenzata izdaha (pH KI) odraslih stanovnika Hrvatske bez dišnih poremećaja te utvrditi kriterije potrebne za definiranje zdravlja dišnog sustava populacije u kojoj se planiraju utvrditi normalne pH-vrijednosti KI-a. U uzorku od 109 odraslih osoba bez tegoba od strane donjih dišnih putova, sužavajući definiciju "zdravlja", opisane su 4 skupine ispitanika: 1) bez donjih dišnih simptoma (DS); 2) bez gornjih i donjih DS; 3) bez DS i hiperreaktivnosti bronha s normalnim FEV1; 4) bez DS i hiperreaktivnosti bronha s normalnim FEV1, ukupnim IgE i s negativnim prick testom. Medijani pH-vrijednosti nisu se razlikovali između skupina (7,72; 7,73; 7,73; 7,73), ali uvođenjem sve strožih kriterija zdravlja uočen je blag, iako nesignifikantan, porast minimalnih pH-vrijednosti KI-a (6,95; 7,10; 7,20; 7,37). Medijan pH KI s interkvartilnim rasponom u ukupnom uzorku (7,72; 7,63 do 7,76) bio je unutar raspona vrijednosti izmjerenih u istraživanjima drugih autora. Na pH KI nisu utjecali spol, navika pušenja i atopijski status i nije bio povezan s dobi, vrijednostima FEV1 ili ukupnim IgE. Uočeni nesignifikantni trend porasta pH KI nakon uvođenja strožih zdravstvenih kriterija sugerira potrebu daljnjih istraživanja kriterija za definiranje zdravlja dišnog sustava na većem uzorku.
Flashover phenomenon occurs when surfaces exposed to thermal radiation reach the ignition temperature, and the fire rapidly spreads in enclosed area. Flashover training (FOT) performed by ...firefighters is a simulation of flashover phenomenon under controlled conditions. The study aimed to test thermal and physical strain in male firefighters and instructors attending FOT and its influence on DNA damage, exhaled breath condensate (EBC) pH, and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). DNA damage markers were analyzed in 51 attendees and 7 instructors, and EBC pH and FeNO in 40 respiratory healthy non-smoking subjects (34 attendees and 6 instructors).The average body temperature and pulse increase was 1.1°C and 30beats per minute, respectively. A prominent increase in the alkali-labile sites' level has been observed in instructors' peripheral leukocytes compared to first-time attendees (tail length p=0.050, % of DNA in tail p=0.005). FOT was related only to physiological FVC and FEV1 increase (by 4% and 2.7% on average), and FeNO dropped after the exercise by 2ppb in comparison with basal values (P=0.034). EBC pH did not change during FOT, but FeNO was inversely correlated to EBC pH after the exercise (Spearman's rho=−0.66, P=0.013). With respect to the thermal and physical strain, FOT is considered to be a safe training procedure for healthy firefighters. The increase rate in primary DNA damage found in the instructors' peripheral leukocytes requires further examination in a larger sample size.
► Flashover training (FOT) simulates fire-fighting in a flashover container. ► Described FOT conditions induced mild hyperthermia and mild physical strain. ► Significant DNA damage was not observed in fire fighters attending FOT. ► Only physiological changes in FVC, FEV1, FeNO and EBC pH were observed during FOT. ► Described FOT could be considered as safe training procedure for fire fighters.
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