Evaluation of Aerosolized 3D Printer Emissions in a Murine Asthma Model

Details

• Personal Author:
  Anderson, Stacey E. ; Cooper MP ; Jackson LG ; Mandler WK ; McKinney W ; Qian Y ; Weatherly LM
• Description:
  Background and Purpose: Occupational asthma is a serious public health burden caused by exposure to various agents in the workplace. Fused filament fabrication 3D printing is a new and emerging industry that uses a variety of filament materials capable of producing ultrafine particulates and volatile organic compounds. Preliminary studies suggest an association between exposure and increased incidence of asthma. However, this relationship has not been thoroughly investigated. The goal of this study was to investigate pulmonary function in mice exposed to inhaled emissions from 3D printing with a polycarbonate filament using a mouse model of asthma. Methods: Female Balb/c mice were exposed to aerosolized emissions generated from 3D printing at 2.5 mg/m3, for 30 days, 4 h/day, 4 days/week or air control. During exposures, mice were sensitized to the experimental allergen ovalbumin (OVA) by intraperitoneal injections (5 µg OVA, 2 mg Alum in 200 µl PBS) on days 1 and 8 of inhalation exposures, and by intratracheal instillations on days 19 and 31 (60 µg OVA in 60 µl PBS). To evaluate the effects of 3D printing emission on pulmonary function, whole-body plethysmography (PenH) was used to measure bronchial reactivity 24 hours after the last exposure. Twenty-four hours after the OVA challenge, the animals were euthanized and tissues including BALF, lung, and blood were collected for analysis. Results: An increase in airway hyperreactivity was observed in the mice exposed to the 3D printing emission compared to the air only controls. This finding was supported by increased OVA-specific IgE levels and alterations in lung pathology in exposed mice. In comparing the cellular phenotyping of BALF, the 3D printing group showed significant increases over the air control in the number of CD11b+ monocytes and macrophages and in mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of CD86 on B cells. In addition, a significant increase in MFI of CD86 on alveolar macrophages in lungs was observed. These results were supported by changes in lung tissue gene expression and cytokines analyses. Conclusions: The findings from this study suggest that emissions from 3D printing with polycarbonate filament results in enhanced airway reactivity and support the need for additional investigation in this area of research. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asthma, Occupational Laboratories Occupational Health Printing, Three-Dimensional Respiratory System Safety Toxicology
• Keywords:
  3D Printing Inhalation Laboratory Animals Occupational Asthma Printer-emitted Particles Three Dimensional Printing Ultrafine Particles
• ISSN:
  1096-6080
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• 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
• Volume:
  198
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069322
• Citation:
  Toxicologist 2024 Mar; 198(S1):237
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing ; Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  The Toxicologist. Society of Toxicology 63rd Annual Meeting & ToxExpo, March 10-14, 2024, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:60d8c5c17ad39187ebb43297df4c34a70678b9408d11b30e2afca0e46b3fb02b0dc0929855f7dde15337ea44bfcc45660bfb2dc73f3b16debde4953443a5fba0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207822/cdc_207822_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 521.15 KB ]