National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1150 Tusculum Avenue, MS C-14, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA.
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2019 May 1;45(3):217-238. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.3800. Epub 2019 Jan 17.
Objectives The widespread application of nano-enabled products and the increasing likelihood for workplace exposures make understanding engineered nanomaterial (ENM) effects in exposed workers a public and occupational health priority. The aim of this study was to report on the current state of knowledge on possible adverse effects induced by ENM in humans to determine the toxicological profile of each type of ENM and potential biomarkers for early detection of such effects in workers. Methods A systematic review of human studies and epidemiological investigations of exposed workers relative to the possible adverse effects for the most widely used ENM was performed through searches of major scientific databases including Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. Results Twenty-seven studies were identified. Most of the epidemiological investigations were cross-sectional. The review found limited evidence of adverse effects in workers exposed to the most commonly used ENM. However, some biological alterations are suggestive for possible adverse impacts. The primary targets of some ENM exposures were the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Changes in biomarker levels compared with controls were also observed; however, limited exposure data and the relatively short period since the first exposure may have influenced the incidence of adverse effects found in epidemiological studies. Conclusions There is a need for longitudinal epidemiologic investigations with clear exposure characterizations for various ENM to discover potential adverse health effects and identify possible indicators of early biological alterations. In this state of uncertainty, precautionary controls for each ENM are warranted while further study of potential health effects continues.
纳米技术产品的广泛应用和工作场所暴露的可能性增加，使得了解暴露于纳米材料的工人中工程纳米材料（ENM）的影响成为公共和职业健康的优先事项。本研究旨在报告关于 ENM 可能对人类造成的不良影响的现有知识状况，以确定每种类型的 ENM 的毒理学特征以及在工人中早期检测此类影响的潜在生物标志物。
通过搜索包括 Web of Science、Scopus 和 PubMed 在内的主要科学数据库，对与最广泛使用的 ENM 相关的暴露于工人的可能不良影响的人类研究和流行病学调查进行了系统综述。
确定了 27 项研究。大多数流行病学调查都是横断面研究。该综述发现，暴露于最常用的 ENM 的工人中，仅有有限的不良影响证据。然而，一些生物学改变提示可能存在不良影响。一些 ENM 暴露的主要靶标是呼吸系统和心血管系统。与对照组相比，生物标志物水平也发生了变化；然而，暴露数据有限，以及首次暴露后的相对较短时间可能影响了流行病学研究中发现的不良影响的发生率。
需要对各种 ENM 进行具有明确暴露特征的纵向流行病学调查，以发现潜在的健康影响，并确定早期生物学改变的可能指标。在这种不确定的情况下，需要对每种 ENM 进行预防控制，同时继续研究潜在的健康影响。
