Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 74 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Nutrition, and Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 74 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, Guangdong, China.
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 74 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Environ Pollut. 2022 Oct 1;310:119894. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119894. Epub 2022 Aug 3.
Inhalation is the most frequent route and the lung is the primary damaged organ for human exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and styrene (BTEXS). However, there is limited information on the risk and dose-effect of the BTEXS mixture on pulmonary function, particularly the overall effect. We conducted a cross-sectional study in a petrochemical plant in southern China. Spirometry and cumulative exposure dose (CED) of BTEXS were used to measure lung function and exposure levels for 635 workers in 2020, respectively. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV) were tested and interpreted as percentages to predicted values [FVC or FEV% predicted], and FEV to FVC ratio [FEV/FVC (%)]. We found the reduction in FVC% predicted and the risk of lung ventilation dysfunction (LVD) and its two subtypes (mixed and restrictive ventilation dysfunction, MVD, and MVD) were significantly associated with BTEXS individuals. In addition, pulmonary function damage associated with BTEXS was modified by the smoking status and age. Generalized weighted quantile sum (gWQS) regressions were used to estimate the overall dose-effect on lung function damage induced by the BTEXS mixture. Our results show wqs, an index of weighted quartiles for BTEXS, was potentially associated with the reduction in FVC and FEV% predicted with the coefficients [95% confidence intervals (CI)] between -1.136 (-2.202, -0.070) and -1.230 (-2.265, -0.195). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for the wqs index of LVD, MVD, and RVD were 1.362 (1.129, 1.594), 1.323 (1.084, 1.562), and 1.394 (1.096, 1.692), respectively. Furthermore, xylene, benzene, and toluene in the BTEXS mixture potentially contribute to the development of lung function impairment. Our novel findings demonstrated the dose-response relationships between pulmonary function impairment and the BTEXS mixture and disclosed the potential key pollutants in the BTEXS mixture.
吸入是人体接触苯、甲苯、乙苯、二甲苯和苯乙烯（BTEXS）的最常见途径，也是肺部的主要受损器官。然而，关于 BTEXS 混合物对肺功能的风险和剂量-效应，特别是总体效应，信息有限。我们在中国南方的一家石化厂进行了一项横断面研究。分别使用肺活量测定法和 BTEXS 的累积暴露剂量（CED）来测量 2020 年 635 名工人的肺功能和暴露水平。测试并解释用力肺活量（FVC）和 1 秒用力呼气量（FEV）为预测值的百分比[FVC 或 FEV%predicted]，以及 FEV 与 FVC 的比值[FEV/FVC（%）]。我们发现，FVC%predicted 的降低以及肺通气功能障碍（LVD）及其两种亚型（混合性和限制性通气功能障碍，MVD 和 MVD）的风险与 BTEXS 个体显著相关。此外，BTEXS 引起的肺功能损害与吸烟状况和年龄有关。广义加权数量和（gWQS）回归用于估计 BTEXS 混合物引起的肺功能损害的整体剂量-效应。我们的结果表明，wqs，BTEXS 的加权四分位数指数，与 FVC 和 FEV%predicted 的降低相关，系数为-1.136（-2.202，-0.070）和-1.230（-2.265，-0.195）。LVD、MVD 和 RVD 的 wqs 指数的比值比（OR）和 95%置信区间（CI）分别为 1.362（1.129，1.594）、1.323（1.084，1.562）和 1.394（1.096，1.692）。此外，BTEXS 混合物中的二甲苯、苯和甲苯可能有助于肺功能障碍的发展。我们的新发现表明了肺功能障碍与 BTEXS 混合物之间的剂量-反应关系，并揭示了 BTEXS 混合物中潜在的关键污染物。
