Respiratory Disease Occupational Biomonitoring Collaborative Project (ROBoCoP): A longitudinal pilot study and implementation research in the Parisian transport company

Abstract

The ROBoCoP project is launched within the EU COST Action CA16113 “CliniMARK” aiming to increase the number of clinically validated biomarkers and focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) biomarker development and validation. ROBoCoP encompasses two consecutive studies consisting of a pilot study followed by a field study. The pilot study is a longitudinal exposure assessment and biomarker study aiming at: 1-understanding the suitability of the candidate biomarkers in surveying populations at risk such as workers exposed to COPD causing agents; 2-determining the best sampling plan with respect to the half-life of the candidate biomarkers; 3-implementing and validating the sampling procedures and analytical methods; 4-selecting the best suitable biomarkers to be measured in the field. Each study participant is surveyed every day during the 6–8 h work-shifts for two consecutive weeks. The field study has an implementation research designe that enabled us to demonstrate the applicability of the standardized protocol for biomarker measurements in occupational settings while also assessing the biomarkers’ validity. ROBoCoP will focus on particulate matter (PM) exposure measurements, exposure biomarkers and a series of effect biomarkers, including markers of lipoperoxidation: 8-isoprostane, malondialdehyd in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and urine, potential markers of nitrosative stress: NO2−, NO3− and formate anion in EBC; markers of DNA oxidation: 8-hydroxy-2’deoxyguanosine in EBC and urine, marker of genotoxicity: micronuclei in buccal cells, and oxidative potential in exhaled air (OPEA). OPEA appears particularly promising as a clinical biomarker for detecting COPD, and will be tested independently and as part of a biomarker panel. COPD diagnosis will be performed by an experienced occupational physician according to international diagnostic standards and confirmed by a pulmonologist.This research will include approximatively 300 underground subway workers randomly selected from the personnel registry of a large Parisian transport company. Underground subways are suggested as the most PM polluted urban transport environment. We believe this occupational exposure is relevant for biomonitoring of workers and early detection of respiratory diseases.

Oxidative Potential in Exhaled Air (OPEA) as a Tool for Predicting Certain Respiratory Disorders in the General Adult Population: Cross-Sectional Analysis Nested in the Swiss Health Study

“…Furthermore, we found that OPEA is stable with respect to individual characteristics such as sex and age, but also with respect to some exposures such as tobacco smoking or different types of diets. Such a stability was also observed in the pilot clinical study [ 6 ] and in two ongoing studies [ 26 , 27 ], and is a valuable characteristic for a candidate biomarker, facilitating its interpretation and therefore its use in clinical practice.…”

“…Consequently, we could not investigate the effect of ethnicity on OPEA in this study sample. Nevertheless, the results from the French–Swiss study of subway workers [ 26 , 35 ] and those from the European cohort of nanotechnology workers [ 27 ] showed that OPEA did not differ across ethnicity groups. The tests were not statistically significant, with p = 0.158, and p = 0.776, respectively (unpublished results).…”

Metal and oxidative potential exposure through particle inhalation and oxidative stress biomarkers: a 2-week pilot prospective study among Parisian subway workers

“…Security guards were responsible for maintaining order at the various stations, as well as on board of the metro, trains, bus and tram lines they use to travel around the network. Field measurements were collected over 6 weeks between 7th of October to 15th of November 2019 according to a registered research protocol (Canu et al 2021b ). All workers provided informed written consent prior to enrolment and completed an epidemiological questionnaire.…”

“…We expect subway workers to have greater PM exposures than subway commuters, and consequently, a greater chance of detecting possible biological responses. The obtained results should help in defining the most relevant biomarkers to measure in a large epidemiological study (Canu et al 2021b ).…”

Method Validation and Characterization of the Associated Uncertainty for Malondialdehyde Quantification in Exhaled Breath Condensate

“…In order to assess the suitability of the validated method, we used 164 EBC samples collected in an ongoing occupational field study [ 32 ]. This study included nine non-smoking healthy adults of both sexes working in the underground subway in Paris.…”