Measured Pulmonary and Systemic Markers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Following Wildland Firefighter Simulations

Abstract

Objective A controlled human exposure study was conducted to investigate the impact of inhalational exposures to wood smoke PM2.5 on measured concentrations of airway and systemic inflammatory biomarkers. Methods Mimicking wildland firefighter activities, 10 participants were exposed to three doses of wood smoke PM2.5 (filtered-air, 250 µg/m3, and 500 µg/m3) while exercising on a treadmill. Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and blood plasma samples were obtained pre-, immediately post-, and 1-hour post-exposure. 8-isoprostane, pH, and myeloperoxidase were measured in EBC while H2O2, surfactant protein D, and pentraxin-3 (PTX3) were measured in both EBC and plasma. Results Only pH, 8-isoprostane, and PTX3 displayed significant changes when comparing pre- and post- exposures. Conclusions Markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, including PTX3, pH, and 8-isoprostane in EBC and/or plasma, are sensitive to wood smoke inhalation, with further investigations warranted.

Mechanisms of lung toxicity induced by biomass burning aerosols

“…1 and Additional file 1: Figure S4). To confirm the increase in the inflammatory response observed in BALF, the gene expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6, which are inflammatory cytokines involved in PM-induced inflammation, was investigated by real-time PCR [15,16,31]. Exposure to aerosols generated from the high-concentration wood tar solution (677 μg dose) increased the transcript levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 ( Table 1 and Additional file 1: Figure S5) in lung tissue, whereas exposure to aerosols generated from the low-concentration solution (16 μg dose) increased only the transcription levels of IL-1β.…”

Controlled human exposures to wood smoke: a synthesis of the evidence

“…All time points are taken with 0 h = start of controlled exposure. Abbreviations are denoted in the list of abbreviations in main text Ghio et al [16] Burbank et al [17] Rebuli et al [18] Sehlstedt et al [20] Ferguson et al [22] Barregard et al [25] Stockfelt et al [29] Riddervold et al [31] Muala et al [35] Exposure Ghio et al [16] Burbank et al [17] Rebuli et al [18] Sehlstedt et al [20] Ferguson et al [22] Barregard et al [25] Stockfelt et al [29] Riddervold et al [31] Muala et al [ Table 3 Effects of WS exposure on circulating cells and proteins. The table displays the significant effects of WS exposure per publication or effects that were reported in multiple publications (biomarkers only reported in one publication with non-significant results not included).…”

“…Similarly, air-starved operation of a pellet stove [20] will also result in emissions dominated by organics, although soot and ash particles are also emitted. With increasing temperatures and air supply, soot aggregates will be formed, resulting in emission of a mixture of soot and organics from flaming combustion in stoves, fireplaces and open fires [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. Upon even more complete combustion conditions (eg, highest temperatures in stoves with good air supply) soot is reduced to inorganic ash, consisting of elements that are refractory to combustion [31][32][33]38].…”

A Review of the Usefulness of Non-invasive Exhaled Breath Condensate pH Analysis for Diseases Diagnosis with Elements of Meta-analysis: An Update from 2012

“…Air pollution and exposure to certain substances are important factors that can influence airway acidity, and it is important to keep this in mind when analyzing EBC pH as a biomarker for various clinical conditions. Substances that have been proven to increase the level of hydrogen ions in exhaled breath-thus, lowering the pH value-include: O 3 [73], [74], SPM (suspended particulate matter) [73,75,76], black carbon [77], NO 2 [76], benzene [76], ethylbenzene [76], TiO 2 [78], PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) [79], wood dust [80], wood smoke [81], and cigarette smoke [82,83]. Furthermore, living next to a major road is also associated with lower pH values [84].…”