Paris University, CRESS - INSERM UMR_1153, INRAE, HERA team, Paris, France; Lebanese University, Faculty of Public Health, Pharmacoepidemiology Surveillance Unit, CERIPH, Fanar, Lebanon.
Paris University, CRESS - INSERM UMR_1153, INRAE, HERA team, Paris, France; Hôtel-Dieu Hospital, APHP. Centre - Paris University, Department of Occupational and Environmental Diseases, Paris, France.
Environ Int. 2021 Feb;147:106346. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106346. Epub 2020 Dec 31.
Professional drivers are exposed inside their vehicles to high levels of air pollutants due to the considerable time they spend close to motor vehicle emissions. Little is known about ultrafine particles (UFP) or black carbon (BC) adverse respiratory health effects compared to the regulated pollutants.
We aimed to study the short-term associations between UFP and BC concentrations inside vehicles and (1) the onset of mucosal irritation and (2) the acute changes in lung function of Parisian taxi drivers during a working day.
An epidemiological study was carried out on 50 taxi drivers in Paris. UFP and BC were measured inside their vehicles with DiSCmini® and microAeth®, respectively. On the same day, the frequency and the severity of nose, eye, and throat irritations were self-reported by each participant and a spirometry test was performed before and after the work shift. Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the associations between in-taxis UFP and BC concentrations and mucosal irritation and lung function, after adjustment for potential confounders.
In-taxis UFP concentrations ranged from 17.9 to 37.9 × 10 particles/cm and BC concentrations from 2.2 to 3.9 μg/m3, during a mean of 9 ± 2 working hours. Significant dose-response relationships were observed between in-taxis UFP concentrations and both nasal irritation and lung function. The increase of in-taxis UFP (for an interquartile range of 20 × 10 particles/cm) was associated to an increase in nasal irritation (adjusted OR = 6.27 [95% CI: 1.02 to 38.62]) and to a reduction in forced expiratory flow at 25-75% by -7.44% [95% CI: -12.63 to -2.24], forced expiratory volume in one second by -4.46% [95% CI: -6.99 to -1.93] and forced vital capacity by -3.31% [95% CI: -5.82 to -0.80]. Such associations were not found with BC. Incident throat and eye irritations were not related to in-vehicle particles exposure; however, they were associated with outdoor air quality (estimated by the Atmo index) and in-vehicle humidity, respectively.
To our knowledge, our study is the first to show a significant association, within a short-period of time, between in and vehicle UFP exposure and acute respiratory effects in professional drivers.
由于专业驾驶员在车内的时间较长，因此他们会接触到高水平的空气污染物。与受监管的污染物相比，人们对超细颗粒（UFP）或黑碳（BC）对呼吸道的不良健康影响知之甚少。
我们旨在研究车辆内 UFP 和 BC 浓度与（1）黏膜刺激的发生以及（2）巴黎出租车司机在工作日期间肺功能的急性变化之间的短期关联。
在巴黎对 50 名出租车司机进行了一项流行病学研究。使用 DiSCmini®和 microAeth®分别测量车辆内的 UFP 和 BC。同一天，每位参与者自我报告鼻子、眼睛和喉咙刺激的频率和严重程度，并且在轮班前后进行了肺活量测定。使用多元分析来评估车内 UFP 和 BC 浓度与黏膜刺激和肺功能之间的关联，调整了潜在混杂因素。
在平均 9±2 小时的工作时间内，车内 UFP 浓度范围为 17.9 至 37.9×10 个粒子/cm，BC 浓度范围为 2.2 至 3.9μg/m3。在车内 UFP 浓度与鼻刺激和肺功能之间观察到显著的剂量反应关系。车内 UFP 增加（四分位距为 20×10 个粒子/cm）与鼻刺激增加相关（调整后的 OR=6.27 [95%CI：1.02 至 38.62]），用力呼气流量在 25-75%之间降低了 -7.44%[95%CI：-12.63 至-2.24]，一秒用力呼气量降低了 -4.46%[95%CI：-6.99 至-1.93]，用力肺活量降低了 -3.31%[95%CI：-5.82 至-0.80]。未发现 BC 与这些关联。车辆内颗粒物暴露与咽和眼刺激的发生无关；然而，它们分别与室外空气质量（由 Atmo 指数估计）和车内湿度有关。
据我们所知，我们的研究首次在短时间内显示了车内 UFP 暴露与职业驾驶员急性呼吸道效应之间的显著关联。
