title: Recent developments in human biomonitoring: non-invasive assessment of target tissue dose and effects of pneumotoxic metals.
abstract: Tobacco smoke and polluted environments substantially increase the lung burden of pneumotoxic chemicals, particularly pneumotoxic metallic elements. To achieve a better understanding of the early events between exposure to inhaled toxicants and the onset of adverse effects on the lung, the characterization of dose at the target organ would be extremely useful. Exhaled breath condensate (EBC), obtained by cooling exhaled air under conditions of spontaneous breathing, is a novel technique that could provide a non-invasive assessment of pulmonary pathobiology. Considering that EBC is water practically free of interfering solutes, it represents an ideal biological matrix for elemental characterization. Published data show that several toxic metals and trace elements are detectable in EBC, raising the possibility of using this medium to quantify the lung tissue dose of pneumotoxic substances. This novel approach may represent a significant advance over the analysis of alternative media (blood, serum, urine, hair), which are not as reliable (owing to interfering substances in the complex matrix) and reflect systemic rather than lung (target tissue) levels of both toxic metals and essential trace elements. Data obtained among workers occupationally exposed to either hard metals or chromium (VI) and in smokers with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are reviewed to show that--together with biomarkers of exposure--EBC also allows the simultaneous quantification of biomarkers of effect directly sampled from the epithelial lining fluid, thus providing novel insights on both kinetic and dynamic aspects of metal toxicology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Health Sciences, University of Parma. antonio.mutti@unipr.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mutti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corradi
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D000497:Alloys; D015415:Biomarkers; D001944:Breath Tests; D002857:Chromium / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D003035:Cobalt / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D015897:Comorbidity; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000032:analysis; D008670:Metals / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010316:Particle Size; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D013696:Temperature; D017973:Tungsten Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D000497:Alloys; D015415:Biomarkers; D008670:Metals; D017973:Tungsten Compounds; D014867:Water; D002857:Chromium; C002802:tungsten carbide; C074702:chromium hexavalent ion; D003035:Cobalt; D008315:Malondialdehyde