Lung deposition versus inhalable sampling to estimate body burden of welding fume exposure: A pilot sampler study in stainless steel welders

• Published in: Journal of aerosol science 2021-03, Vol.153, p.105721, Article 105721
• Main Authors: Newton, Ashley, Serdar, Berrin, Adams, Karin, Dickinson, L. Miriam, Koehler, Kirsten
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Lung deposition; Sampler validation; Welding aerosols
• ISSN: 0021-8502; 1879-1964
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaerosci.2020.105721

This pilot study evaluated the ability of a lung deposition sampler (LDS) to estimate body burden by comparing lung-deposited and inhalable nickel and chromium exposures to biomarkers of internal dose. A cohort of stainless steel welders (N = 18) wore side-by-side inhalable and lung deposition samplers for two Monday shifts and urine samples were collected pre- and post-shift. Samplers were analyzed for inhalable and lung-deposited nickel and chromium and urine was analyzed for the respective biomarkers of internal dose. There were statistically significant relationships between lung-deposited nickel (βNi = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.05–0.16) and chromium (βCr = 0.07; 95% CI = 0.006–0.14) and their internal dose biomarkers. No relationship was found between inhalable metals and internal dose biomarkers. In moving towards a more physiologically relevant exposure metric, the LDS can provide better estimates for the total body burden of exposure than traditional penetration-based samplers. •Validation of lung deposition sampler with polyurethane foam collection substrate.•Lung deposited size fraction significantly associated with urinary metal biomarkers.•Inhalable size fraction not significantly associated with urinary biomarkers.