Title
Cardiovascular effects among workers exposed to multiwalled carbon nanotubes
Author
Kuijpers, E.
Pronk, A.
Kleemann, R.
Vlaanderen, J.
Lan, Q.
Rothman, N.
Silverman, D.
Hoet, P.
Vermeulen, R.
Publication year
2018
Abstract
Objectives: The increase in production of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) has led to growing concerns about health risks. In this study, we assessed the association between occupational exposure to MWCNTs and cardiovascular biomarkers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among 22 workers of a company commercially producing MWCNTs (subdivided into lab personnel with low or high exposure and operators), and a gender and age-matched unexposed population (n=42). Exposure to MWCNTs and 12 cardiovascular markers were measured in participants' blood (phase I). In a subpopulation of 13 exposed workers and six unexposed workers, these measures were repeated after 5 months (phase II). We analysed associations between MWCNT exposure and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk, adjusted for age, body mass index, sex and smoking. Results: We observed an upward trend in the concentration of endothelial damage marker intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), with increasing exposure to MWCNTs in both phases. The operator category showed significantly elevated ICAM-1 geometric mean ratios (GMRs) compared with the controls (phase I: GMR=1.40, P=1.30E-3; phase II: GMR=1.37, P=0.03). The trends were significant both across worker categories (phase I: P=1.50E-3; phase II: P=0.01) and across measured GM MWCNT concentrations (phase I: P=3.00E-3; phase II: P=0.01). No consistent significant associations were found for the other cardiovascular markers. Conclusion: The associations between MWCNT exposure and ICAM-1 indicate endothelial activation and an increased inflammatory state in workers with MWCNT exposure
Subject
Cardiovascular effects
Endothelial damage marker Icam-1
Human biomarkers
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (mwcnts)
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:84daa63e-4165-4525-8427-ba36838be2e8
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2017-104796
TNO identifier
868115
Source
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 75 (5), 351-358
Document type
article