The aims were to study biomarkers of systemic inflammation, platelet/endothelial activation and thrombosis in tunnel construction workers (TCW).
Biomarkers and blood fatty acids were measured in blood of 90 TCW and 50 referents before (baseline) and towards the end (follow-up) of a 12 days work period. They had been absent from work for 9 days at baseline. Air samples were collected by personal sampling.
Personal thoracic air samples showed geometric mean (GM) particulate matter and a-quartz concentrations of 604 and 74 µg/m(3), respectively. The arithmetic mean (AM) concentration of elemental carbon was 51 µg/m(3). The GM (and 95% confidence interval) concentration of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-a decreased from 2.2 (2.0-2.4) at baseline to 2.0 pg/mL (1.8-2.2) (p?=?0.02) at follow-up among the TCW. Also the platelet activation biomarkers P-selectin and CD40L decreased significantly [25.4 (24.1-26.6) to 24.4 (22.9-26.0)] ng/mL, p?=?0.04 and 125 (114-137) to 105 (96-115) pg/mL, p?
Notes
Cites: Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007 Aug 15;176(4):395-40017446340