Effect of Short-Term Stainless Steel Welding Fume Inhalation Exposure on Lung Inflammation, Injury, and Defense Responses in Rats

Details

• Personal Author:
  Afshari AA ; Antonini JM ; Chen B ; Frazer DG ; Roberts, Jennifer R. ; Schwegler-Berry D ; Stone S
• Description:
  Many welders have experienced bronchitis, metal fume fever, lung function changes, and an increase in the incidence of lung infection. Questions remain regarding the possible mechanisms associated with the potential pulmonary effects of welding fume exposure. The objective was to assess the early effects of stainless steel (SS) welding fume inhalation on lung injury, inflammation, and defense responses. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to gas metal arc-SS welding fume at a concentration of 15 or 40 mg/m3 × 3 h/day for 1, 3, or 10 days. The control group was exposed to filtered air. To assess lung defense responses, some animals were intratracheally inoculated with 5 × 10(4) Listeria monocytogenes 1 day after the last exposure. Welding particles were collected during exposure, and elemental composition and particle size were determined. At 1, 4, 6, 11, 14, and 30 days after the final exposure, parameters of lung injury (lactate dehydrogenase and albumin) and inflammation (PMN influx) were measured in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In addition, particle-induced effects on pulmonary clearance of bacteria and macrophage function were assessed. SS particles were composed of Fe, Cr, Mn, and Ni. Particle size distribution analysis indicated the mass median aerodynamic diameter of the generated fume to be 0.255 µm. Parameters of lung injury were significantly elevated at all time points post-exposure compared to controls except for 30 days. Interestingly, no significant difference in lung PMNs was observed between the SS and control groups at 1, 4, and 6 days post-exposure. After 6 days post-exposure, a dramatic increase in lung PMNs was observed in the SS group compared to air controls. Lung bacteria clearance and macrophage function were reduced and immune and inflammatory cytokines were altered in the SS group. In summary, short-term exposure of rats to SS welding fume caused significant lung damage and suppressed lung defense responses to bacterial infection, but had a delayed effect on pulmonary inflammation. Additional chronic inhalation studies are needed to further examine the lung effects associated with SS welding fume exposure. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Animals Bacterial Infections Environmental Monitoring Laboratories Lung Lung Diseases Metals Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Welding

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• Keywords:
  Acute-exposure Animal-studies Bacterial-infections Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Fumes Fumigants Inhalation-studies Injuries Laboratory-animals Lung-disorders Lung-function Lung-irritants Metal-fume-fever Metal-fumes Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-system-disorders Stainless-steel Welding-industry

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• ISSN:
  0041-008X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  234-245
• Volume:
  223
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20032510
• Citation:
  Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2007 Sep; 223(3):234-245
• Contact Point Address:
  James M. Antonini, Pathology and Physiology Research Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, Mailstop 2015, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA
• Email:
  jga6@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Chromium (CAS RN 7440-47-3) ; Iron (CAS RN 7439-89-6) ; Manganese (CAS RN 7439-96-5) ; Nickel (CAS RN 7440-02-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fe8b682d5304131d816128ddc3b512af04ed209048832663f7ce04bce36cb257ac76a768003e6c12dd0b811cf5c968670e8e2d11d997b7c2eceeee90205f1543
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/186452/cdc_186452_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.39 MB ]