National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway.
Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2020 Apr;93(3):399-407. doi: 10.1007/s00420-019-01491-8. Epub 2019 Nov 26.
Ambient exposure to fine particles is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Associations between occupational particulate matter (PM) exposure and cardiovascular disease have been studied less. The objective of this study was to examine associations between PM exposure and endothelial function among workers in Norwegian smelters.
We examined endothelial function with Endo-PAT equipment after a working day (WD) and on a day off (DO) in 59 furnace workers recruited from three metal smelters in Norway. The difference in baseline pulse amplitude (BPA) and reactive hyperemia index (RHI) between the 2 days was analysed in relation to individual exposure to PM < 250 nm (PM) or the respirable aerosol fraction of particles, and adjusted for relevant covariates.
The exposure to PM ranged from 0.004 to 5.7 mg/m. The mean BPA was significantly higher on WD relative to DO (772 vs. 535, p = 0.001). This difference was associated with PM concentrations among participants ≥ 34 years, but not among the younger workers. Reactive hyperemia was significantly lower on workdays relative to days off (1.70 vs. 1.84, p = 0.05). This difference was observed only among participants above the age 34. No associations with PM exposure were observed.
PM exposure was associated with higher BPA among participants older than 34 years. BPA reflects microvessel pulsatility. Our results may indicate an age-dependent cardiovascular susceptibility to PM exposure. Endothelial function measured by RHI was reduced on WD among participants 34 years and older, but we found no associations between PM exposure and RHI.
环境细颗粒物暴露与心血管发病率和死亡率增加有关。职业性颗粒物（PM）暴露与心血管疾病之间的关联研究较少。本研究旨在研究挪威冶炼厂工人 PM 暴露与内皮功能之间的关系。
我们使用 Endo-PAT 设备在一名工人工作日后（WD）和休息日（DO）检测了 59 名来自挪威三家金属冶炼厂的炉工的内皮功能。分析了 2 天之间的基础脉搏幅度（BPA）和反应性充血指数（RHI）的差异与个体 PM<250nm（PM）或颗粒可吸入气溶胶部分的暴露之间的关系，并针对相关协变量进行了调整。
PM 的暴露范围从 0.004 到 5.7mg/m3。与 DO 相比，WD 时的平均 BPA 显著更高（772 对 535，p=0.001）。这种差异与年龄≥34 岁的参与者中的 PM 浓度有关，但与年轻工人无关。与休息日相比，工作日的反应性充血明显较低（1.70 对 1.84，p=0.05）。这种差异仅在年龄超过 34 岁的参与者中观察到。未观察到与 PM 暴露相关的差异。
PM 暴露与年龄大于 34 岁的参与者中较高的 BPA 有关。BPA 反映了微血管搏动性。我们的结果可能表明 PM 暴露对心血管的易感性与年龄有关。在年龄为 34 岁及以上的参与者中，WD 时 RHI 测量的内皮功能降低，但我们没有发现 PM 暴露与 RHI 之间的关联。
