Chromium in exhaled breath condensate (EBC), erythrocytes, plasma and urine in the biomonitoring of chrome-plating workers exposed to soluble Cr(vi)

Abstract

Chromium (Cr) levels measured in exhaled breath condensate (EBC-Cr) and urine (Cr-U) at the beginning and end of working shifts were related to those measured in erythrocytes (Cr-RBC) and plasma in 14 non-smoking male chrome-plating workers exposed to Cr(VI) in soluble aerosol form who did not report any significant current or past respiratory disease. Cr-U mainly correlated with Cr-P (Cr in plasma) at the end of the working shift (r(2) = 0.59, p < 0.01), whereas Cr-RBC correlated with EBC-Cr (r(2) = 0.32, p < 0.05); at the beginning of the shift, the only significant correlation was between Cr-U and Cr-RBC (r(2) = 0.74, p < 0.01). The clearance of Cr(iii) arising from Cr(VI) reduction was rapid, thus making Cr-U and Cr-P ideal biomarkers of the most recent exposure, whereas Cr-RBC may represent the fraction of Cr(VI) that reaches the bloodstream in non-reduced form and therefore depends on the airway inhaled dose represented by EBC-Cr. Cr-RBC clearance is slower and not only involves the free diffusion of Cr(iii) from RBC to plasma, but probably also involves more complicated kinetic phenomena involving other tissues and organs, which may explain the correlation between Cr-RBC and Cr-U and the lack of correlation Cr-RBC and Cr-P at least 36 h after the last exposure. In conclusion, our findings reinforce the idea that measuring Cr in EBC can significantly contribute to traditional biomonitoring by providing specific information at the target organ level and integrating our knowledge of Cr toxicokinetics.

Welding Fumes, a Risk Factor for Lung Diseases

“…Changes in urinary excretion of total Cr from pre-to post-shift can be used to evaluate recent exposure, whereas total Cr in pre-shift urine, blood plasma, and blood erythrocytes reflect long-term exposure to Cr [178]. In urine, Cr is totally reduced to trivalent Cr and it is not possible to quantify the real exposure to Cr VI; therefore, the content of Cr VI in erythrocytes may be used [179,180], since it reflects Cr VI compounds which have entered membrane cells. Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) may be a suitable matrix for assessing lung tissue dose and consequent pulmonary effects [181].…”

Exhaled Breath Condensate as a Matrix for Combustion-Based Nanoparticle Exposure and Health Effect Evaluation

“…Exhaled breath condensate (EBC), consisting in condensing the exhaled air of living beings (17) , is an emerging and non invasive technique allowing to study lung processes. EBC sampling is easy to be performed and may give valuable information about inflammatory events in the respiratory tract (18)(19)(20) . As EBC is a highly diluted aqueous media, no matrix effect are reported (21,22) but challenging concerning analytical techniques which must be highly sensitive.…”

Noninvasive molecular identification of particulate matter in lungs by Raman microspectrometry

“…[6] This method provides a noninvasive means of studying not only the exposure objectively but also its impact on the lung. [1,7] Different microanalysis techniques are suitable for identifying the chemical composition of particulate matter. These include electron microscopy (transmission or scanning) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, time-of-flight static secondary ion mass spectroscopy, particle-induced X-ray emission and Raman microspectroscopy.…”