This study investigated a number of biomarkers, associated with systemic inflammation as well as genotoxicity, in 53 young and healthy subjects participating in a course to become firefighters, while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). The exposure period consisted of a 3-day training course where the subjects participated in various live-fire training exercises. The subjects were instructed to extinguish fires of either wood or wood with electrical cords and mattresses. The personal exposure was measured as dermal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations and urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP). The subjects were primarily exposed to particulate matter (PM) in by-stander positions, since the self-contained breathing apparatus effectively prevented pulmonary exposure. There was increased dermal exposure to pyrene (68.1%, 95% CI: 52.5%, 83.8%) and sum of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ƩPAH; 79.5%, 95% CI: 52.5%, 106.6%), and increased urinary excretion of 1-OHP (70.4%, 95% CI: 52.5%; 106.6%) after the firefighting exercise compared with the mean of two control measurements performed 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after the firefighting course, respectively. The level of Fpg-sensitive sites in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was increased by 8.0% (95% CI: 0.02%, 15.9%) compared with control measurements. The level of DNA strand breaks was positively associated with dermal exposure to pyrene and ƩPAHs, and urinary excretion of 1-OHP. Fpg-sensitive sites were only associated positively with PAHs. Biomarkers of inflammation and lung function showed no consistent response. In summary, the study demonstrated that PAH exposure during firefighting activity was associated with genotoxicity in PBMCs.

The formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg) and human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (hOGG1)-modified comet assays have been widely used in human biomonitoring studies. The purpose of this article is to assess differences in reported levels of Fpg- and hOGG1-sensitive sites in leukocytes and suggest suitable assay controls for the measurement of oxidatively damaged DNA. An assessment of the literature showed a large variation in the reported levels of Fpg-sensitive sites (range 0.05-1.31 lesions/106 bp). The levels of Fpg-sensitive sites are lower in studies where Fpg has been obtained from commercial suppliers or unknown sources as compared to Fpg from one particular non-commercial source (χ2 = 7.14, P = 0.028). The levels of hOGG1-sensitive sites are lower (range: 0.04-0.18 lesions/106 bp in leukocytes) compared to the Fpg-sensitive sites. Surprisingly, few publications have reported the use of oxidising agents as assay controls, with the exception of hydrogen peroxide. This may be due to a lack of consensus about suitable controls for the Fpg- and hOGG1-modified comet assay. A major challenge is to find an oxidising agent that only oxidises nucleobases and does not generate DNA strand breaks because this reduces the dynamic range of Fpg- and hOGG1-sensitive sites in the comet assay. Based on a literature search we selected the photosensitiser Ro19-8022 plus light, KBrO3, 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide, Na2Cr2O7 and ferric nitrilotriacetate as possible assay controls. A subsequent assessment of these compounds for generating cryopreserved assay controls in mononuclear blood cells showed that Ro19-8022 plus light, KBrO3 and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide provided suitable assay controls. We recommend these compounds as comet assay controls for oxidatively damaged DNA.

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) from traffic vehicles is hazardous to the vascular system, leading to clinical manifestations and mortality due to ischemic heart disease. By analogy, nanomaterials may also be associated with the same outcomes. Here, the effects of exposure to PM from ambient air, diesel exhaust and certain nanomaterials on atherosclerosis and vasomotor function in animals have been assessed. The majority of studies have used pulmonary exposure by inhalation or instillation, although there are some studies on non-pulmonary routes such as the gastrointestinal tract. Airway exposure to air pollution particles and nanomaterials is associated with similar effects on atherosclerosis progression, augmented vasoconstriction and blunted vasorelaxation responses in arteries, whereas exposure to diesel exhaust is associated with lower responses. At present, there is no convincing evidence of dose-dependent effects across studies. Oxidative stress and inflammation have been observed in the arterial wall of PM-exposed animals with vasomotor dysfunction or plaque progression. From the data, it is evident that pulmonary and systemic inflammation does not seem to be necessary for these vascular effects to occur. Furthermore, there is inconsistent evidence with regard to altered plasma lipid profile and systemic inflammation as a key step in vasomotor dysfunction and progression of atherosclerosis in PM-exposed animals. In summary, the results show that certain nanomaterials, including TiO2, carbon black and carbon nanotubes, have similar hazards to the vascular system as combustion-derived PM.

Firefighting is regarded as possibly carcinogenic, although there are few mechanistic studies on genotoxicity in humans. We investigated exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), lung function, systemic inflammation and genotoxicity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 22 professional firefighters before and after a 24-h work shift. Exposure was assessed by measurements of particulate matter (PM), PAH levels on skin, urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and self-reported participation in fire extinguishing activities. PM measurements indicated that use of personal protective equipment (PPE) effectively prevented inhalation exposure, but exposure to PM occurred when the environment was perceived as safe and the self-contained breathing apparatuses were removed. The level of PAH on skin and urinary 1-OHP concentration were similar before and after the work shift, irrespective of self-reported participation in fire extinction activities. Post-shift, the subjects had reduced levels of oxidatively damaged DNA in PBMC, and increased plasma concentration of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1). The subjects reporting participation in fire extinction activities during the work shift had a slightly decreased lung function, increased plasma concentration of VCAM-1, and reduced levels of oxidatively damaged DNA in PBMC. Our results suggest that the firefighters were not exposed to PM while using PPE, but exposure occurred when PPE was not used. The work shift was not associated with increased levels of genotoxicity. Increased levels of VCAM-1 in plasma were observed. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 59:539-548, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

BackgroundFirefighters have increased risk of cardiovascular disease and of sudden death from coronary heart disease on duty while suppressing fires. This study investigated the effect of firefighting activities, using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), on biomarkers of cardiovascular effects in young conscripts training to become firefighters.MethodsHealthy conscripts (n = 43) who participated in a rescue educational course for firefighting were enrolled in the study. The exposure period consisted of a three-day training course where the conscripts participated in various firefighting exercises in a constructed firehouse and flashover container. The subjects were instructed to extinguish fires of either wood or wood with electrical cords and mattresses. The exposure to particulate matter (PM) was assessed at various locations and personal exposure was assessed by portable PM samplers and urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene. Cardiovascular measurements included microvascular function and heart rate variability (HRV).ResultsThe subjects were primarily exposed to PM in bystander positions, whereas self-contained breathing apparatus effectively abolished pulmonary exposure. Firefighting training was associated with elevated urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene (105%, 95% CI: 52; 157%), increased body temperature, decreased microvascular function (−18%, 95% CI: -26; −9%) and altered HRV. There was no difference in cardiovascular measurements for the two types of fires.ConclusionObservations from this fire extinction training show that PM exposure mainly occurs in situations where firefighters removed the self-contained breathing apparatus. Altered cardiovascular disease endpoints after the firefighting exercise period were most likely due to complex effects from PM exposure, physical exhaustion and increased core body temperature.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12940-017-0303-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Exposure to high aspect ratio nanomaterials, such as multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) may be associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis, pulmonary disease, and cancer. In the present study, we investigated the cardiovascular and pulmonary health effects of 10 weeks of repeated oral or pulmonary exposures to MWCNTs (4 or 40μg each week) in Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE) mice fed a Western-type diet. Intratracheal instillation of MWCNTs was associated with oxidative damage to DNA in lung tissue and elevated levels of lipid peroxidation products in plasma, whereas the exposure only caused a modest pulmonary inflammation in terms of increased numbers of lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Ultrasound imaging in live animals revealed an increase in the inner and outer wall thickness of the aortic arch at 10 weeks after pulmonary exposure to MWCNTs, which may suggest artery remodelling. However, we did not find accelerated plaque progression in the aorta or the brachiocephalic artery by histopathology. Furthermore, repeated oral exposure to MWCNTs did not cause changes in the composition of gut microbiota of exposed mice. Collectively, this study indicates that repeated pulmonary exposure to MWCNTs was associated with oxidative stress, whereas cardiovascular effects encompassed remodelling of the aorta wall.

Background Short-term controlled exposure to diesel exhaust (DE) in chamber studies have shown mixed results on lung and systemic effects. There is a paucity of studies on well-characterized real-life DE exposure in humans. In the present study, 29 healthy volunteers were exposed to DE while sitting as passengers in diesel-powered trains. Exposure in electric trains was used as control scenario. Each train scenario consisted of three consecutive days (6 h/day) ending with biomarker samplings. Results Combustion-derived air pollutants were considerably higher in the passenger carriages of diesel trains compared with electric trains. The concentrations of black carbon and ultrafine particles were 8.5 μg/m 3 and 1.2–1.8 × 10 5 particles/cm 3 higher, respectively, in diesel as compared to electric trains. Net increases of NOx and NO 2 concentrations were 317 μg/m 3 and 36 μg/m 3 . Exposure to DE was associated with reduced lung function and increased levels of DNA strand breaks in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), whereas there were unaltered levels of oxidatively damaged DNA, soluble cell adhesion molecules, acute phase proteins in blood and urinary excretion of metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Also the microvascular function was unaltered. An increase in the low frequency of heart rate variability measures was observed, whereas time-domain measures were unaltered. Conclusion Exposure to DE inside diesel-powered trains for 3 days was associated with reduced lung function and systemic effects in terms of altered heart rate variability and increased levels of DNA strand breaks in PBMCs compared with electric trains. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.Gov ( NCT03104387 ). Registered on March 23rd 2017

Diesel-powered trains are used worldwide for passenger transport. The present study aimed to assess air pollution concentrations in passenger cars from diesel and electric trains. Personal exposure monitoring (6-7 hours per day) was carried out for 49 days on diesel and 22 days on electric trains. Diesel trains had higher concentrations of all the assessed air pollution components. Average increases (and fold differences) in passenger cars of diesel trains compared with electric trains were for ultrafine particles 212,000 particles/cm 3 (35-fold), black carbon 8.3 µg/m 3 (6-fold), NO X 316 µg/m 3 (8-fold), NO 2 38 µg/m 3 (3-fold), PM 2.5 34 µg/m 3 (2-fold) and benzo(a)pyrene 0.14 ng/m 3 (6-fold). From time-series data, the pull and push movement modes, the engine in use and the distance to the locomotive influenced the concentrations inside the diesel trains. In conclusion, concentrations of all air pollutants were significantly elevated in passenger cars in diesel trains compared to electric trains.