Serum pneumoproteins in tunnel construction workers

• Published in: International archives of occupational and environmental health Vol. 88; no. 7; pp. 943 - 951
• Main Authors: Ellingsen, Dag G., Ulvestad, Bente, Bakke, Berit, Seljeflot, Ingebjørg, Barregard, Lars, Thomassen, Yngvar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Air sampling; Biomarkers; Body Mass Index; C-Reactive Protein - analysis; Carbon - blood; Clinical Medicine; Confined Spaces; Construction Industry; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Humans; Inflammation; Klinisk medicin; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Exposure - analysis; Occupational health; Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine; Original Article; Particulate matter; Particulate Matter - blood; Proteins; Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D - blood; Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins - blood; Quartz - blood; Rehabilitation; Smoking - blood; Tunnel construction; Tunnels; Uteroglobin - blood; Young Adult; α-Quartz; SP-D; Tunnel construction; CC-16; Diesel exhaust
• ISSN: 0340-0131; 1432-1246; 1432-1246
• DOI: 10.1007/s00420-015-1023-4

Purpose The aim was to study inflammatory biomarkers in tunnel construction workers (TCW). Methods Surfactant protein D (SP-D), Clara cell protein 16 (CC-16) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were studied in serum of 90 TCW and 50 referents before and at the end of an 11-day work period. Personal air sampling was carried out on the two consecutive days before follow-up. Results The TCW’s geometric mean exposure to particulate matter and α-quartz were 604 and 74 µg/m 3 , respectively. The arithmetic mean concentration of elemental carbon was 51 µg/m 3 . The arithmetic mean concentration of SP-D was reduced by 7.6 µg/L in the TCWs and 0.6 µg/L in the referents ( p  = 0.04) at the end as compared to before the work period. Subjects who had ever been TCW had lower arithmetic mean CC-16 concentrations at baseline (5.4 µg/L) than subjects who had never worked as TCW (6.4 µg/L). Years worked as TCW was significantly associated with an annual mean decline of the CC-16 concentration of 0.04 µg/L. The concentrations of the biomarker of systemic inflammation, CRP, were not affected by exposure in the TCWs. Current smoking and body mass index have a large impact on the measured biomarker concentrations. Conclusions The results suggest that former and current TCWs have lower serum CC-16 concentrations than referents, while the concentrations of SP-D decreased during exposure. The serum biomarker of systemic inflammation, CRP, was not altered during exposure. Current smoking and BMI were related to the concentrations of all measured biomarkers.