Inhalation Exposure of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Filament 3D Printer Emissions Induces Pulmonary and Systemic Toxicity in Rats

Details

• Personal Author:
  Battelli L ; Burns D ; Farcas MT ; Friend SA ; Hammond, Duane R. ; Jackson M ; Kashon M ; Lebouf RF ; Mandler KW ; Matheson J ; McKinney W ; Orandle M ; Qi C ; Qian Y ; Ranpara, Anand ; Russ KA ; Stefaniak, Aleksandr B. ; Thomas TA ; Winn A
• Description:
  Fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3-D printing is an emerging technology that has recently gained wide popularity among both consumers and manufacturers due to their increased product efficiency, reduced waste, and greater design flexibility. Numerous studies demonstrate that during thermal decomposition of the filaments, incidental ultrafine particles (UFP) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with potential adverse respiratory health effects are released into the air. This study sought to evaluate the respiratory and systemic toxicity of emissions from printing with acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), the most common thermoplastic filament on the market. A real-time generation system was designed to allow for concurrent printing of three commercially available desktop 3-D printers and delivery of an aerosol comprised of a mixture of particles and VOCs to the animal exposure chamber. A time-course exposure study was conducted via whole-body inhalation exposure. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to a single concentration for 4 h/d throughout five exposure durations: 1, 4, 8, 15, and 30 d (4 d/wk). At 24 h after the last exposure, pulmonary injury, inflammation, and fibrotic responses, as well as systemic toxicity blood markers, were assessed. 3-D printing generated particulates with average particle mass concentration of 240 +/- 90 micro g/m3, and an average geometric mean particle mobility diameter of 85 nm (geometric standard deviation 1.6). The number of macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage increased significantly at day 15. IFN-y and IL-10 were significantly increased at days 1 and 4. Neither pulmonary oxidative stress responses nor histopathological changes of the lungs and nasal passages were found among the treatments. There was an increase in platelets and monocytes in the circulation at day 15. Several serum biomarkers of hepatic and kidney functions were significantly higher at day 1. Under the current conditions of this experiment, it was concluded that the emissions from ABS filament caused minimal and transient pulmonary and systemic toxicity. This work is critical to fill the knowledge gap regarding the potential toxicological effects of exposure to the FFF 3-D emissions, which would help to establish effective control strategies and exposure limits to prevent adverse health effects from 3-D printing emission exposure. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Animals Biomarkers Blood Environmental Exposure Fibrosis Laboratories Lung Lung Diseases Macrophages Nose Occupational Health Particulate Matter Plastics Printing, Three-Dimensional Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Sense Organs Toxicology Volatile Organic Compounds

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• Keywords:
  3D Printing Exposure Levels Health Effects Histopathology Kidney Function Kidneys Laboratory Animals Nasal Cavity Oxidative Stress Particle Size Particulates Platelets Pulmonary Effects Pulmonary System Disorders Respiratory System Disorders Risk Factors Three Dimensional Printing Toxic Effects Ultrafine Particles Ultrafine Particulates VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds

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• ISSN:
  1096-6080
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; 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:
  180
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062272
• Citation:
  Toxicologist 2021 Mar; 180(S1):276
• CAS Registry Number:
  Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (CAS RN 9003-56-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  The Toxicologist. Society of Toxicology 60th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo, March 12-26, 2021, Virtual Event
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:97736717f276b7b36b2e9b07d8429b9dab52e41eb98a0182fc1f5fcee55650fa18c3d46c4d44cfacecbcb32aa9fb01cd0d378aa68072012af7efcd43d5105fa4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225553/cdc_225553_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 147.15 KB ]