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• The study was carried out in metal industry plants under real working conditions. • Welding fumes and airborne metals were collected in the welders' breathing zone. • Chromium, nickel and manganese were determined in biological samples. • Effectiveness of biological monitoring was confirmed. The aim of the study was to determine the concentration of hexavalent and trivalent chromium, nickel, manganese, and iron in welding fumes (WFs) and to evaluate the significant association between the concentration of metals in the biological material of welders. The studies were conducted in welders (n = 67) and controls (n = 52). Stainless steel WFs were continuously collected in the workers' breathing zone during a shift. The serum and urine concentrations of Cr and Ni were determined by ICP-MS. The content of Mn in the whole blood was determined using ET-AAS. The content of Cr in the erythrocytes was determined using ICP-MS. The Cr concentration in the welders' urine positively correlated with a work environment concentration of Cr (R = 0.59, p < 0.0001), Cr(VI) (R = 0.58, p < 0.0001), and Cr(III) (R = 0.64, p < 0.0001) in the inhalable fraction. The Ni concentration in the welders' urine positively correlated with the Ni concentration in the inhalable and respirable fraction (R = 0.34, p < 0.005 and R = 0.44, p < 0.002). The correlation between the Mn concentration in the work environment air and the Mn concentration in the welders' whole blood (R = 0.46, p < 0.0001) was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anita Liput-Sikora,1 Anna Maria Cybulska,2 Wiesława Fabian,1 Marzanna Stanisławska,2 Magdalena Sylwia Kamińska,3 Elżbieta Grochans,2 Anna Jurczak4 1Primary Care Center (NZOZ Przychodnia Medycyny Rodzinnej SJ), Szczecin 71-521, Poland; 2Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin 71-210, Poland; 3Subdepartment of Long-Term Care, Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin 71-210, Poland; 4Department of Specialized Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin 71-210, PolandCorrespondence: Anna Maria CybulskaPomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Faculty of Health Sciences, Żołnierska 48, Szczecin 71-210, PolandTel +48 91 48 00 910Fax +48 91 48 00 905Email anna.cybulska@pum.edu.plPurpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the severity of changes in cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, overweight and obesity, carbohydrate metabolism disorders, burdened family history) and to assess the risk of a cardiovascular incident according to the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) algorithm in the same group of patients over a five-year interval.Patients and Methods: The research method was analysis of medical records of patients from the area of West Pomeranian Province, Poland, included in the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Program of the National Health Fund five years after the first examination (2012/2013 vs 2017/2018). We collected data on changes in the levels of selected cardiovascular risk factors over five years and calculated the SCORE values.Results: In the second measurement (after five years), the odds of obesity were about 2.5 times higher. The repeated BMI measurement showed that after five years more respondents were classified as overweight and obese compared with the first measurement (p = 0.000; η2 = 0.056). The repeated SCORE measurement indicated that after five years the SCORE values significantly increased compared with the first measurement (p = 0.000; η2 = 0.588). Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were also found between the first and the second measurements of arm circumference, waist circumference, BMI, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and triglycerides. The risk of visceral obesity was statistically significantly higher for men than for women (RHM = 1.47).Conclusion: In the group of patients examined twice over five years, the incidence of obesity, including abdominal obesity, significantly increased. Furthermore, five years after the last examination, the risk of a cardiovascular incident significantly increased. The participants had higher values of such parameters as: arm circumference, waist circumference, BMI, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and triglycerides.Keywords: cardiovascular disease, risk factors, prevention, SCORE