No short-term respiratory effects among particle-exposed employees in the Stockholm subway

Bigert, Carolina; Alderling, Magnus; Svartengren, Magnus; Plato, Nils; Gustavsson, Per

doi:10.5271/sjweh.3074

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In addition, the study found increased concentration of circulating coagulation markers and BALF oxylipins in the healthy group only, suggesting that disease-specific differences may not necessarily manifest at the site of the pathology, although the clinical significance of this is unclear [20,94]. A similar lack of obvious effect has been noted in Stockholm underground workers over the course of an 8-h shift, albeit with an increase in circulating coagulation markers, as with the aforementioned study [95,96]. Similarly, 5-h exposure of volunteers at multiple sites across the Netherlands, including an underground railway station, found that exhaled nitric oxide fraction was not obviously associated with underground exposure [97], nor was nasal lavage inflammatory cytokine concentration [98] or coagulation markers in contrast to the Stockholm studies [99,100], although nasal lactoferrin expression was associated with underground railway PM metals [98], as were circulating white blood cell, neutrophil and monocyte counts [101].…”

Section: Inflammatory and Barrier Responses To Pm In Vitrosupporting

confidence: 71%

Particulate matter and the airway epithelium: the special case of the underground?

Cooper

Loxham

2019

Eur Respir Rev

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Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a leading driver of premature mortality and cardiopulmonary morbidity, associated with exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and lung cancer. The airway epithelium, as the principal site of PM deposition, is critical to the effects of, and initial response to, PM. A key mechanism by which PM exerts its effects is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), inducing antioxidant and inflammatory responses in exposed epithelial cells. However, much of what is known about the effects of PM is based on research using particulates from urban air. PM from underground railways is compositionally highly distinct from urban PM, being rich in metals associated with wheel, rail and brake wear and electrical arcing and component wear, which endows underground PM with potent ROS-generating capacity. In addition, underground PM appears to be more inflammogenic than urban PM in epithelial cells, but there is a lack of research into effects on exposed individuals, especially those with underlying health conditions. This review summarises current knowledge about the effects of PM on the airway epithelium, how the effects of underground PM may be different to urban PM and the potential health consequences and mitigation strategies for commuters and workers in underground railways.

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Section: Inflammatory and Barrier Responses To Pm In Vitrosupporting

confidence: 71%

Particulate matter and the airway epithelium: the special case of the underground?

Cooper

Loxham

2019

Eur Respir Rev

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“…The lack of effect on lung function parameters was also found in a study by Bigert et al, who investigated effects of short-term exposure of employees in the Stockholm underground by measuring the before-work and after-work fraction of exhaled NO (F E NO), and taking regular measurements of PEF and FEV 1 [20]. These employees were mainly non-asthmatic (74/81), and were either platform workers, train drivers, or ticket office staff, in order of decreasing PM 2.5 exposure.…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 81%

Health effects of particulate matter air pollution in underground railway systems – a critical review of the evidence

2019

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Background Exposure to ambient airborne particulate matter is a major risk factor for mortality and morbidity, associated with asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke, and more recently type 2 diabetes, dementia and loss of cognitive function. Less is understood about differential effects of particulate matter from different sources. Underground railways are used by millions of people on a daily basis in many cities. Poor air exchange with the outside environment means that underground railways often have an unusually high concentration of airborne particulate matter, while a high degree of railway-associated mechanical activity produces particulate matter which is physicochemically highly distinct from ambient particulate matter. The implications of this for the health of exposed commuters and employees is unclear. Main body A literature search found 27 publications directly assessing the potential health effects of underground particulate matter, including in vivo exposure studies, in vitro toxicology studies, and studies of particulate matter which might be similar to that found in underground railways. The methodology, findings, and conclusions of these studies were reviewed in depth, along with further publications directly relevant to the initial search results. In vitro studies suggest that underground particulate matter may be more toxic than exposure to ambient/urban particulate matter, especially in terms of endpoints related to reactive oxygen species generation and oxidative stress. This appears to be predominantly a result of the metal-rich nature of underground particulate matter, which is suggestive of increased health risks. However, while there are measureable effects on a variety of endpoints following exposure in vivo, there is a lack of evidence for these effects being clinically significant as may be implied by the in vitro evidence. Conclusion There is little direct evidence that underground railway particulate matter exposure is more harmful than ambient particulate matter exposure. This may be due to disparities between in vivo exposures and in vitro models, and differences in exposure doses, as well as statistical under powering of in vivo studies of chronic exposure. Future research should focus on outcomes of chronic in vivo exposure, as well as further work to understand mechanisms and potential biomarkers of exposure.

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“…However, investigations of the effects on lung function (FEV 1 , peak expiratory flow, and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide) in the healthy 40 and asthmatic 41 subjects participating in this study did not reveal any significant effects on lung function of the subway exposure, which was also confirmed by others investigating more chronic effects on subway personnel. 65 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Altered microRNA profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid exosomes in asthmatic patients

Levänen

Bhakta

Paredes

et al. 2013

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

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272

259

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Background Asthma is characterized by increased airway narrowing in response to nonspecific stimuli. The disorder is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. Exosomes are nanosized vesicles of endosomal origin released from inflammatory and epithelial cells that have been implicated in asthma. In this study we characterized the microRNA (miRNA) content of exosomes in healthy control subjects and patients with mild intermittent asthma both at unprovoked baseline and in response to environmental challenge. Objective To investigate alterations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) exosomal miRNA profiles due to asthma, and following subway air exposure. Methods Exosomes were isolated from BALF from healthy control subjects (n = 10) and patients with mild intermittent asthma (n = 10) after subway and control exposures. Exosomal RNA was analyzed by using microarrays containing probes for 894 human miRNAs, and selected findings were validated with quantitative RT-PCR. Results were analyzed by using multivariate modeling. Results The presence of miRNAs was confirmed in exosomes from BALF of both asthmatic patients and healthy control subjects. Significant differences in BALF exosomal miRNA was detected for 24 miRNAs with a subset of 16 miRNAs, including members of the let-7 and miRNA-200 families, providing robust classification of patients with mild nonsymptomatic asthma from healthy subjects with 72% cross-validated predictive power (Q2 = 0.72). In contrast, subway exposure did not cause any significant alterations in miRNA profiles. Conclusion These studies demonstrate substantial differences in exosomal miRNA profiles between healthy subjects and patients with unprovoked, mild, stable asthma. These changes might be important in the inflammatory response leading to bronchial hyperresponsiveness and asthma.

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No short-term respiratory effects among particle-exposed employees in the Stockholm subway

Cited by 17 publications

References 32 publications

Particulate matter and the airway epithelium: the special case of the underground?

Particulate matter and the airway epithelium: the special case of the underground?

Health effects of particulate matter air pollution in underground railway systems – a critical review of the evidence

Altered microRNA profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid exosomes in asthmatic patients

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