title: Increased metal concentrations in exhaled breath condensate of industrial welders.
abstract: It was the aim of this study to evaluate the effect of different devices on the metal concentration in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and to prove whether working conditions in different welding companies result in diverse composition of metallic elements. The influence of two collection devices (ECoScreen, ECoScreen2) on detection of metallic elements in EBC was evaluated in 24 control subjects. Properties of ECoScreen and a frequent use can alter EBC metal content due to contamination from metallic components. ECoScreen2 turned out to be favourable for metal assessment. Concentrations of iron, nickel and chromium in EBC sampled with ECoScreen2 were compared between non-exposed controls and industrial welders. Metal concentrations in EBC were higher in 36 welders recruited from three companies. Exposure to welding fumes could be demonstrated predominantly for increased iron concentrations. Concentrations of iron and nickel differed by working conditions, but chromium could not be detected in EBC.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (IPA), Germany. hoffmeyer@ipa-dguv.de
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hoffmeyer
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lehnert
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pesch
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Berresheim
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raulf-Heimsoth
authors.forename: Horst Christoph
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Broding
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bünger
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Harth
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brüning
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001944:Breath Tests; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D014896:Welding / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D017132:Workplace / Q000592:standards; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008670:Metals