Artery Status in Mineral Fertilizer Industry Workers Occupationally Exposed to Particulate Matter

Abstract

Introduction: Particulate matter is one of the anthropogenic pollutants of the occupational environment that increases the risk of adverse cardiovascular events in workers. Objective: To assess structural and functional characteristics of arteries in workers with chronic exposure to airborne particulate matter. Materials and methods: In September 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional study involving 161 workers occupationally exposed to airborne particulate matter (observation group) and 82 administrative employees (reference group). Standard methods were used to measure intima-media thickness of the brachiocephalic trunk (in 142 blue and 78 white-collar workers), assess endothelial function (in 94 and 70), and brachial artery wall stiffness (in 150 and 65 workers, respectively). Airborne particle concentrations were measured using a DustTrak 8533 analyzer. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 23. The Mann - Whitney and chi-square tests were used to compare quantitative and qualitative indicators, respectively. The relationship between dust exposure and endothelial dysfunction was established using logistic regression. Results: Workplace air concentrations of fine particles measured for the observation group were significantly higher than those for the reference group: from 76 times for PM10 to 357 times for PM1. In the observation group, the relative increase in the brachial artery diameter (12.7 % versus 16.1 %) and the endothelial sensitivity index (0.08 versus 0.14 conventional units) were significantly lower than in the reference group (p = 0.0001 to 0.006); endothelial dysfunction was more prevalent (28 (29.8 %) versus 9 (12.9 %) workers, p = 0.003), and the brachial augmentation index was higher (1.02 (0.91; 1.15) versus 0.96 (0.87; 1.06), p = 0.006). We established a statistical relationship between higher airborne particle concentrations and increased likelihood of endothelial dysfunction (R2 = 0.37–0.4). Conclusions: High levels of particulate matter in the occupational environment enhance the likelihood of endothelial dysfunction and increased arterial stiffness with the estimated contribution of 37–40 %. Effective dust control measures are essential for prevention of cardiovascular diseases in industrial workers.