Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2023 Jul;78:127169. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2023.127169. Epub 2023 Mar 31.
Zinc- and copper-containing welding fumes typically induce a systemic inflammation indicated by increase in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, also known as welding fume fever. It typically includes symptoms like fever, myalgia or headaches, but only a quarter of patients experience respiratory symptoms, e.g. coughing. This retrospective analysis of data of three studies with either control (filtered air) or zinc- and copper-containing welding fume exposure aims to identify and characterize the effect of the welding fumes on lung function. Spirometry and body plethysmography data of male healthy volunteers were analyzed and comparisons between different timepoints after a 6 h exposure were conducted. For controls no significant changes in spirometry were observed between baseline and 6 h, 24 h and 1 week after exposure. For volunteers exposed to zinc- and copper-containing welding fumes no significant reductions in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and minimal reductions in vital capacity (VC) (52 ml, 0.9%) were detected after 6 h. After 24 h significant reductions in FEV1 (147 ml, 3.2%) and VC (162 ml, 2.9%) could be observed. 1 week after exposure FEV1 was still significantly reduced (102 ml, 2.1%) and airway resistance were increased while no differences in VC were detected. The reduction of FEV1% after 24 week significantly correlated with increases in CRP levels. In conclusion, a single exposure to zinc- and copper-containing welding fumes leads not only to a systemic inflammation but could also induce slight sustained airway constrictions after 24 h and 1 week. The observed slight airway constriction is not caused by immediate effects but possibly inflammatory processes. Although welding fume fever does not necessarily present respiratory symptoms, welders exposed to zinc- and copper-containing welding fumes should be monitored for respiratory symptoms and obstructive ventilation pattern.
含锌和铜的焊接烟尘通常会引起全身性炎症，表现为 C 反应蛋白（CRP）水平升高，也称为焊接烟尘热。它通常包括发热、肌痛或头痛等症状，但只有四分之一的患者出现呼吸道症状，例如咳嗽。本研究对三项研究的数据进行了回顾性分析，这些研究的对象为接触（过滤空气）或含锌和铜的焊接烟尘的对照人群，旨在确定和描述焊接烟尘对肺功能的影响。对男性健康志愿者的肺量测定和体描法数据进行了分析，并对暴露后不同时间点的结果进行了比较。对于对照组，暴露后 6 小时、24 小时和 1 周，与基线相比，肺量测定结果没有显著变化。对于暴露于含锌和铜的焊接烟尘的志愿者，在 6 小时后，1 秒用力呼气量（FEV1）没有明显下降，肺活量（VC）略有减少（52ml，0.9%）。24 小时后，FEV1（147ml，3.2%）和 VC（162ml，2.9%）明显减少。暴露后 1 周，FEV1 仍明显下降（102ml，2.1%），气道阻力增加，而 VC 无差异。24 小时后 FEV1%的下降与 CRP 水平的升高显著相关。结论：单次接触含锌和铜的焊接烟尘不仅会引起全身性炎症，还会在 24 小时和 1 周后引起轻微持续的气道收缩。观察到的轻微气道收缩不是由即时效应引起的，而可能是炎症过程引起的。虽然焊接烟尘热不一定出现呼吸道症状，但接触含锌和铜的焊接烟尘的焊工应监测呼吸道症状和阻塞性通气模式。
