Upper airway inflammation assessed by nasal lavage in compost workers: A relation with bio-aerosol exposure

• Published in: American journal of industrial medicine 2000-05, Vol.37 (5), p.459-468
• Main Authors: Douwes, Jeroen, Wouters, Inge, Dubbeld, Helianthe, van Zwieten, Léanne, Steerenberg, Peter, Doekes, Gert, Heederik, Dick
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3)-glucan; Adult; Aerosols; Air Microbiology; Air Pollutants, Occupational - adverse effects; Air Pollutants, Occupational - analysis; airborne microorganisms; airway inflammation; Albumins - analysis; b(1,3)-Glucan; beta-Glucans; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Proteins - analysis; Chemical compounds (mineral, organic); Chemical, physic and infectious diseases; compost; endotoxin; Endotoxins - analysis; Eosinophil Granule Proteins; Eosinophils - pathology; Follow-Up Studies; Glucans - analysis; household waste; Humans; Immunologic Factors - analysis; Inflammation Mediators - analysis; Interleukin-8 - analysis; Male; Medical sciences; microorganisms; nasal lavage; Nasal Lavage Fluid - chemistry; Nasal Lavage Fluid - cytology; Nitric Oxide - analysis; Non tumoral diseases; Occupational Diseases - diagnosis; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational Exposure - analysis; Occupational medicine; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Peroxidase - analysis; Population Surveillance; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Rhinitis - diagnosis; Ribonucleases; Statistics as Topic; Upper respiratory tract, upper alimentary tract, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands: diseases, semeiology; Urea - analysis; Uric Acid - analysis; Waste Products - adverse effects; Waste Products - analysis; β(1,3)‐glucan
• ISSN: 0271-3586; 1097-0274
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0274(200005)37:5<459::AID-AJIM2>3.0.CO;2-J

Background Exposure to microbial agents in the composting industry may cause work related airway inflammation. Nasal lavage (NAL) has been proposed as a noninvasive method to assess such effects in population studies. Methods Pre‐ and post‐shift NAL were performed in the workers of a compost plant visited in 1995 (n = 14) and 1996 (n=15), of whom only four participated in both surveys. Total cells, cytokines and other inflammation markers were measured in NAL fluid, and pre‐shift levels and post/pre concentration ratios were compared with NAL results obtained in the same periods in 10 and 9 controls, respectively, and with levels of airborne exposure to microbial agents endotoxin and β(1,3)‐glucan as measured in personal air samples. Results Job‐title specific exposure levels in the first survey ranged from 75 to 527 EU/m3 for endotoxin and from 0.54 to 4.85 μg/m3 for β(1,3)‐glucan. In the second survey these values were lower, 29–285 EU/m3 and 0.36–4.44 μg/m3, respectively. In the first survey pre‐shift NAL concentrations of total cells, MPO, IL‐8, NO and albumin were significantly (1.1–4.8 fold) higher in compost workers than in controls. Post/pre ratios for various markers were significantly (1.2–3.2 fold) higher in compost workers in both surveys. NAL cells were mainly neutrophils, while eosinophils were only incidentally observed. A weak relation with exposure was found for pre‐shift levels of MPO, uric acid and urea in the first survey. Conclusions Occupational exposure of compost workers may cause acute and possibly (sub‐)chronic inflammatory reactions in the upper airways, presumably induced by non‐allergenic pro‐inflammatory agents like endotoxins and β(1,3)‐glucans. Am. J. Ind. Med. 37:459–468, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.