Nasosorption as a non-invasive approach to measure metals and metalloids in the airway by benchtop energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Adesina KE ; Lanzer JM ; Rebuli ME ; Rice MB ; Specht AJ ; Zetlen HL
• Description:
  Quantifying metals in samples from the respiratory tract may provide valuable insights into environmental exposure level and the associated risks to respiratory health. This study evaluates the feasibility of a novel method for quantifying metals and metalloids in the upper airway by nasosorption, in which nasal epithelial lining fluid (NELF) is collected on an absorbent fibrous matrix inserted into the nares and analyzed by benchtop energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). To identify methodological calibrations and limitations, we validated EDXRF method using prepared standards on the NELF collection strips were spiked with known standard concentrations of metals and analyzed using the Malvern PANalytical Epsilon 4 X-ray fluorescence system. The results demonstrated excellent agreement between the spiked measured strips at levels identified in humans from previous work and standard values with Pearson correlation coefficients (r = 0.9) for prominent metals and metalloids, including As, Cu, Hg, Mn, Pb, Fe, and Zn. The average minimum detection limit (MDL) was 0.1 ng/strip. There were minimal matrix effects, with accuracy within 5% and precision within 10% RSD. Our findings demonstrate that NELF collection strips, when analyzed by benchtop EDXRF, provide a rapid, inexpensive, and non-invasive method for quantifying metals in the upper airway. This research is a novel study validating the potential use of EDXRF to analyze metals and metalloids from NELF strip samples collected via nasosorption. It offers a promising new method for both environmental monitoring and public health studies, with potential applications for investigating the respiratory health effects of inhaled metals. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Metals Nose Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety Sense Organs
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Elemental Concentrations; Benchtop X-ray Fluorescence; Energy-dispersive; Metals; Metalloids; Nasosorption; NELF; Respiratory Exposure X-ray Fluorescence Analysis; Environmental Exposure; Quantitative Analysis; Metalloids; Metals; Nasal Cavity; Inhalation Studies; Respiratory Health;
• ISSN:
  2451-9766
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; Boston Region [OSHA] ; Chicago Region [OSHA] ; Indiana ; Massachusetts ; North Carolina
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070686
• Citation:
  Expo Health 2025 Mar; :[Epub ahead of print]
• Contact Point Address:
  Aaron J. Specht, School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West-Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA
• Email:
  aspecht@purdue.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  Purdue University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20210901
• Source Full Name:
  Exposure and Health
• End Date:
  20220731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7dc847c09aedf140bc731323e8446b4703641ae07d6ad9e7b7238120dab30b8f7dcaa9b938d34d035f87873a0fe7fec262d5d13dcaf290925445e82b6de3b57d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/248323/cdc_248323_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.02 KB ]