Non-Targeted GC/MS Analysis of Exhaled Breath Samples: Exploring Human Biomarkers of Exogenous Exposure and Endogenous Response from Professional Firefighting Activity

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fent, Kenneth W. ; Geer Wallace MA ; Horn, Gavin P. ; Mentese S ; Oliver KD ; Pleil, Joachim D. ; Whitaker DA
• Description:
  A non-targeted analysis workflow was applied to analyze exhaled breath samples collected from firefighters pre- and post-structural fire suppression. Breath samples from firefighters functioning in attack and search positions were examined for target and non-target compounds in automated thermal desorption-GC/MS (ATD-GC/MS) selected ion monitoring (SIM)/scan mode and reviewed for prominent chemicals. Targeted chemicals included products of combustion such as benzene, toluene, xylenes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) that serve as a standard assessment of exposure. Sixty unique chemical features representative of exogenous chemicals and endogenous compounds, including single-ring aromatics, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile sulfur-containing compounds, aldehydes, alkanes, and alkenes were identified using the nontargeted analysis workflow. Fifty-seven out of 60 non-targeted features changed by at least 50% from pre- to post-fire suppression activity in at least one subject, and 7 non-targeted features were found to exhibit significantly increased or decreased concentrations for all subjects as a group. This study is important for (1) alerting the firefighter community to potential new exposures, (2) expanding the current targeted list of toxicants, and (3) finding biomarkers of response to firefighting activity as reflected by changes in endogenous compounds. Data demonstrate that there are non-targeted compounds in firefighters' breath that are indicative of environmental exposure despite the use of protective gear, and this information may be further utilized to improve the effectiveness of personal protective equipment. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomarkers Firefighters Hydrocarbons Occupational Health Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Safety Volatile Organic Compounds
• Keywords:
  ATD Author Keywords: Non-targeted Analysis Automated Thermal Desorption Breath Analysis Breath Research Combustion Products Fire Fighters Firefighters Gas Chromatography Gas Chromatography-mass Spectrometry GC/MS Mass Spectrometry Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons VOC VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds

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• ISSN:
  1528-7394
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; North Carolina ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  244-260
• Volume:
  82
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055247
• Citation:
  J Toxicol Environ Health A 2019 Feb; 81(4):244-260
• Contact Point Address:
  Joachim D. Pleil, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
• Email:
  pleil.joachim@epa.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A: Current Issues
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:833e67ba39d678853e18f22abf85bcc29f6e55eabcc48840a965d1cda3c81d2ad9a0131c9f3144d34d76cb65ec02746a1c033976f5ad64812682c18645bd1439
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217593/cdc_217593_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.16 MB ]