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Inhalation is the main route of exposure to airborne pollutants. To evaluate the safety and assess the risks of occupational hazards different testing approaches are used. 3D airway epithelial tissues allow to mimic exposure conditions in vitro, generates human-relevant toxicology data, allows to elucidate the mode of action of pollutants. Gillian3500 pumps were used to collect the airborne particulate from woodworking and metalworking environments. EpiAirway tissues were used to model half working day (4 h), full working day (8 h), and 3 working day exposures to occupational pollutants. Tissue viability was assessed using an MTT assay. For preliminary assessment, RT-qPCR analyses were performed to analyze the expression of gelsolin, caspase-3, and IL-6. Tissue morphology was assessed by hematoxylin/eosin staining. An effect on the proliferation of lung epithelial cell line A549 was assessed. Acute exposure to workspace pollutants slightly affected tissue viability and did not change the morphology. No inhibiting effect was observed on the proliferation of A549 cells. Preliminary analysis showed that both types of particles suppressed the expression of gelsolin, with the effect of metalworking samples being more pronounced. A slight reduction in caspase-3 expression was observed. Particles from metalworking suppressed IL-6 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three environments were chosen for this study (office, metal, and woodworking industries). The results obtained by an electrical low-pressure impactor (ELPI+) in this study show that the particle number concentration and surface area are significantly higher in workplaces of the metal- and wood-working industries but concentrations of mass are lower. Therefore, the characteristics of mass should not be used on their own as a representative parameter for the description of occupational exposure and cannot be used for occupational risk assessment as a single parameter. The nanoparticles ratio together with occupational exposure limits could possibly be used as the background for occupational risk assessment. At the same time, it is essential to mention that the nanoparticle ratio alone is insufficient and parameters like concentration levels, chemical composition, and shape characterization must also be taken into account, especially in occupational toxicology studies done in the future. According to the SEM data, samples from the metal industry contained more ultramicroscopic and nanometric particles (e.g. toxic metals such as Zn, Mn, and Cr) and fewer microscopic dust particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airborne particulates present a potential hazard to health in a variety of indoor workplaces, from offices to the manufacturing floor. Dust and aerosols are two of the most common occupational risk factors in the workplace worldwide. It is very important to understand when it is sufficient to describe dust exposure only by given mass concentration that dust particles could be in the nanosized range in the workplace air even for brief exposures, such as welding aerosols. The main objective was to assess total dust and nanoparticle concentrations in the selected workplaces and to evaluate their impact on workers' health. This project describes nanoparticle concentrations and their potential impact on workers' health considering the exposure levels in three workplaces. Industrial and non-industrial environments have been included in the project. The office environment was used as an indicator for the background level of comparison with the metalworking and woodworking industries for measurements of dust particles including the nanoscale particles (> 100 nm). Fraction size of the samples according to a dispersity of > 10 μm, 0.25–10 μm, < 0.25 μm, and 1–100 nm was analysed in order to describe the particles' chemical composition at the different stages. The worst working conditions (the smallest particles, 12 nm), the highest total dust concentrations, and the lowest difference between total inhalable particle and nanoparticle concentrations were detected among woodworkers. These findings provide a basis on how to evaluate nanoparticle exposure and its impact on workers' health because the highest immune cell counts and relatively high IL-6 expression were observed among woodworkers compared with the other groups. The data show a negative tendency of nanoparticle exposure concentrations on workers' health based on the increase of inflammatory processes and damage to airway epithelial cell functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]