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Bello D, Chanetsa L, Cristophi CA, Poh TY, Singh D, Setyawati MI, Christiani D, Chotirmall SH, Ng KW, Demokritou P. Chronic upper airway and systemic inflammation from copier emitted particles in healthy operators at six Singaporean workplaces. NanoImpact 2021; 22:100325. [PMID: 35559961 DOI: 10.1016/j.impact.2021.100325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Toner-based printing equipment (TPE), including laser printers and photocopiers, utilize several engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to improve toner performance. Operation of TPE, which rarely employ any exposure controls, generates high exposures to nanoparticles that contain ENMs and complex organics. Epidemiological literature in copier operators documents respiratory effects, including nasal blockage, cough, excessive sputum, and breathing difficulties, cardiovascular effects, oxidative stress, and inflammation. However, epidemiological studies in humans with adequate exposure assessment and dose-response analysis are lacking. We present herein the analysis of the upper airway and systemic inflammation in plasma of 19 healthy copier operators at six Singapore workplaces. We employed a repeated panel design (four biomarker measurements over two weeks) combined with a multi-marker approach (14 inflammatory cytokines in plasma and nasal lavage (NL)), and comprehensive exposure assessment using four distinct exposure metrics. We investigated spatial and temporal patterns of markers of upper airway and systemic inflammation and their association with various exposure metrics. Several inflammatory markers, namely fractalkine, IL-1β, and IL-1α in NL, and fractalkine, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in plasma, were strongly and positively associated with at least one exposure metric, whereas GM-CSF was negatively associated. The inflammation score was also strongly associated with TPE nanoparticle exposures. Exposure to TPE emissions induced moderate upper airway inflammation and stronger systemic inflammation in these healthy operators, characterized by upregulation of at least IL-1β, fractalkine, TNF-α and IFN-γ. Proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-1β play an important role in orchestrating inflammatory responses in various clinical conditions, including cardiovascular and autoimmune disease, and likely trigger activation of endothelial cells, leading to overexpression of fractalkine, a chemokine that is involved in and associated with multiple disorders, including atherosclerosis and vascular disease. Future larger-scale epidemiological studies in these workers and consumers exposed chronically to TPE nanoparticle emissions and proactive interventions to reduce or eliminate TPE exposures are recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhimiter Bello
- Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Bldg 1, Rm 1310B, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 883 Broadway Street, Dugan 108-C, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
| | - Lucia Chanetsa
- Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 883 Broadway Street, Dugan 108-C, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
| | - Costas A Cristophi
- Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health, Cyprus University of Technology, 30 Arch. Kyprianos Str. 3036 Limassol, Cyprus
| | - Tuang Yeow Poh
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 11 Mandalay Road, 308232, Singapore
| | - Dilpreet Singh
- Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Bldg 1, Rm 1310B, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Magdiel Inggrid Setyawati
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, N4.1, #01-21, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore
| | - David Christiani
- Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Bldg 1, Rm 1310B, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sanjay H Chotirmall
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 11 Mandalay Road, 308232, Singapore
| | - Kee Woei Ng
- Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Bldg 1, Rm 1310B, Boston, MA 02115, USA; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, N4.1, #01-21, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore; Environmental Chemistry and Materials Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institution, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, CleanTech One, 637141, Singapore
| | - Philip Demokritou
- Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Bldg 1, Rm 1310B, Boston, MA 02115, USA; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, N4.1, #01-21, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore.
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