Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Matthew J. Mears, David M. Aslaner, Chad T. Barson, Mitchell D. Cohen, Matthew W. Gorr, Loren E. Wold
Summary: Exposure to dust, smoke, and fumes from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers has had a significant impact on the health of first responders and recovery workers in New York City. This review examines the exposure and causal mechanisms of age-related disease susceptibility in these individuals, specifically in relation to the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and neurological systems. Understanding the deleterious mechanisms of WTC dust exposure on the heart, lungs, and brain is crucial for better treatment of these individuals who risked their lives during and after the September 11, 2001 disaster.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Boowook Kim, Eunyoung Kim, Wonseok Cha, Jungah Shin, Byung-Soon Choi, Daeho Kim, Miyeon Kim, Wonyang Kang, Sungwon Choi
Summary: Despite the lack of sufficient investigation on lung cancer cases among South Korean sanitation workers exposed to carcinogens, this study revealed that sanitation workers are indeed exposed to respirable crystalline silica (RCS). The study found that exposure levels to RCS are influenced by various factors, with special attention needed for handling coal briquette ash and road cleaning tasks involving blowers.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Krassi Rumchev, Dong Van Hoang, Andy Lee
Summary: Occupational exposure to RCS among mine workers is associated with adverse respiratory health effects, even at concentrations below the exposure limit. More stringent prevention strategies are recommended.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Cornelia Wippich, Dorothea Koppisch, Katrin Pitzke, Dietmar Breuer
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between cobalt concentrations in inhalable and respirable dust fractions and develops conversion functions. The resulting power functions can be used to estimate cobalt concentrations in respirable dust in other studies. Limitations of using the conversion functions are discussed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Younes Sohrabi, Sobhan Sabet, Saeed Yousefinejad, Fatemeh Rahimian, Mohammad Aryaie, Esmaeel Soleimani, Saeed Jafari
Summary: Exposure to high levels of silica dust can lead to reduced pulmonary function, even without radiographic evidence of silicosis. Smoking appears to have a synergistic effect on the prevalence of respiratory symptoms.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Cornelia Wippich, Dorothea Koppisch, Katrin Pitzke, Dietmar Breuer
Summary: The study discusses the conversion of nickel concentrations from inhalable to respirable dust fractions, using linear regression analysis to analyze data and derive heuristic groups related to different working activities for enhanced data description quality.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Pernilla Wiebert, Tomas Andersson, Maria Feychting, Bengt Sjogren, Nils Plato, Per Gustavsson
Summary: This study aimed to assess the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after long-term exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) and to explore differences in risk between men and women. The results showed that women exposed to RCS had a higher risk of AMI, while men had a relatively lower risk. In the highest quartile of cumulative exposure, the risk of AMI was higher for women. In conclusion, occupational exposure to RCS increases the risk of AMI, with women being more sensitive to RCS than men.
OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alexander Lenander-Ramirez, Ing-Liss Bryngelsson, Per Vihlborg, Hakan Westberg, Lena Andersson
Summary: The mortality and morbidity pattern for respiratory diseases, particularly for respirable silica dust exposure, was determined in a cohort of 1752 Swedish foundry workers. The study found significantly increased morbidity for respiratory diseases and COPD, even at silica exposure levels below the current Swedish occupational exposure limit.
JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yun-Ti Chen, Jinhui Li, Jen-Ning Chang, Yong-Chun Luo, Wuyue Yu, Lung-Chi Chen, Jinn-Moon Yang
Summary: Since the attack on the Twin Towers in 2001, over 400,000 people have been exposed to World Trade Center particulate matter (WTCPM). Studies have shown that WTCPM exposure may lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In this study, an in vivo mouse exposure model of WTCPM was developed, and two drugs were administered to generate transcriptomic data. The results revealed that WTCPM exposure increased inflammation, which was significantly reduced by the drugs. Furthermore, the drugs regulated different pathways to attenuate the inflammatory effects of WTCPM.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Mimmi Leite, Karl-Christian Nordby, Oivind Skare, Bente Ulvestad, Dag Gunnar Ellingsen, Kari Dahl, Thea Johansen, Nils Petter Skaugset
Summary: The study aimed to assess the exposure to aerosols and gases in the work environment of workers performing tunnel construction using tunnel boring machines (TBMs), with a focus on particulate matter (PM) and respirable crystalline silica (RCS). Personal sampling was conducted and determinants of exposure were identified. The results showed that TBM workers were exposed to PM and RCS, with workers in the front of the TBMs having the highest exposure. Preventive measures are needed to reduce exposure and protect the health of tunnel construction workers.
ANNALS OF WORK EXPOSURES AND HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Denis Vinnikov, Paul D. Blanc, Aizhan Raushanova, Arailym Beisbekova, Jerrold L. Abraham, Yelena Zlobina
Summary: This study characterized personal exposure of workers fabricating aluminium trihydroxide-containing synthetic countertops, finding a nearly 100-fold range in respirable PM concentrations. The 15-min median concentrations increased until 2.35 hours, followed by a plateau, highlighting a need for early prevention measures.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Shilpi Misra, Aaron L. Sussell, Samantha E. Wilson, Gerald S. Poplin
Summary: This study examines hazardous exposures to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) among metal and nonmetal (M/NM) miners in the United States. The results show that high exposures to RCS have been prevalent among M/NM miners in the past 20 years, and may be increasing in certain settings and occupations. Further research and intervention are needed to minimize the risks of acquiring silica-induced respiratory diseases.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Krassi Rumchev, Yun Zhao, Andy Lee
Summary: The study conducted in an industrial bakery in Perth, Western Australia, found that bakery workers in production zones were exposed to higher ambient dust concentrations compared to those in office areas, with the dough room showing the highest exposure levels. The results suggest that bakery workers may be at risk of developing respiratory diseases due to high dust levels, emphasizing the importance of reducing current exposure levels.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering
Samuel J. Taylor, Pedro Nascimento, W. Patrick Arnott, Charles Kocsis
Summary: This research uses photoacoustic spectroscopy to monitor respirable crystalline silica (RCS) mass concentration in real-time without the need for filters. The study demonstrates that a tunable quantum cascade laser can be used as the light source to eliminate interferences from substances such as kaolinite, coal dust, and water vapor. By analyzing the spectral region between 11 and 13 micrometers, the composition and mass concentration of dust can be accurately quantified.
MINING METALLURGY & EXPLORATION
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Signe Hjuler Boudigaard, Vivi Schlunssen, Jesper Medom Vestergaard, Klaus Sondergaard, Kjell Toren, Susan Peters, Hans Kromhout, Henrik A. Kolstad
Summary: Occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica is associated with autoimmune rheumatic diseases, particularly systemic sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. The risk increases with higher cumulative exposure levels, indicating potential causal effects.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2021)