Immune deficiencies, infection, and systemic immune disordersExposure to welding fumes and lower airway infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae
Section snippets
WF: Generation and composition
MS-WF were a gift from the Welding Institute (Cambridge, UK). MS-WF were obtained by using a standardized method in accordance with the International Standard 15011-1:2009, as previously described.17 Briefly, manual metal arc welding electrodes (mild steel E7018 basic type) were run to produce a weld bead inside a fume collection system. MS-WF with a mode particle diameter of 6.8 μm18 were extracted through the hood on top of the box, collected on a filter paper, removed by brushing, and stored
WF: OP
MS-WF contained iron, manganese, titanium, aluminum, and zinc (Table I). The OP of MW-WF for ascorbate and glutathione was increased compared with that of carbon black, and the total OP of MS-WF was increased compared with that of urban PM (Fig 1).
Pneumococcal adhesion and infection: Human airway cells
We first performed dose-response experiments with A549 and BEAS-2B cells to determine the optimal concentration of MS-WF that stimulated adhesion without causing cytotoxicity. MS-WF at concentrations between 200 and 400 μg/mL for 2 hours increased
Discussion
In this study we sought to identify a mechanism for the hypersusceptibility of welders to bacterial pneumonia reported in epidemiologic studies.2, 4, 24 We focused on S pneumoniae because this bacterium is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in adults.10 In addition, a review of all patients presenting with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in Alberta (Canada) from 2000 to 2004 by Wong et al25 reported a 2.7-fold greater incidence of IPD in welders; of the 18 welders with
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Cited by (32)
Exposure to welding fumes suppresses the activity of T-helper cells
2020, Environmental ResearchCitation Excerpt :Airway epithelial cells are the first line of infection defense in the lung. Welding-fume exposure might reduce their viability (Ward et al., 2020) and might render them more susceptible to bacterial infection (Suri et al., 2016). However, knowledge about the T-cell-dependent adaptive immune response to bacteria in welders is limited.
Inhalation of iron-abundant gas metal arc welding-mild steel fume promotes lung tumors in mice
2018, ToxicologyCitation Excerpt :According to prevailing hypotheses, the reasons for increased risk of infection in welders include the ability of Fe to act as a micronutrient for bacteria, inhibition of the immune system, and enhanced binding of Streptococcus pneumoniae to lung epithelial cells (Coggon and Palmer, 2016). Recent research most strongly supports enhanced bacterial binding to lung epithelial cells as the primary mechanism for the increased Streptococcal infection risk (Coggon et al., 1994; Suri et al., 2016; Wong et al., 2010). If GMAW-MS fume suppressed mouse lung defenses in this study, it is possible this represents a potential mechanism by which tumor promotion is occurring.
Occupational lung diseases
2017, Revue des Maladies Respiratoires ActualitesAltered ion transport in normal human bronchial epithelial cells following exposure to chemically distinct metal welding fume particles
2017, Toxicology and Applied PharmacologyCitation Excerpt :Welders experience greater susceptibility to respiratory infections and an increase in mortality due to lobar pneumonia (Coggon et al., 1994; Antonini et al., 2004; Coggon and Palmer, 2016; Marongiu et al., 2016; Suri et al., 2016). A number of proposals have been advanced to explain this finding, including a recent one from a report by Suri et al. (2016) in which it was observed that adherence of pneumococcal bacteria and infection is increased in cultured cells and in vivo in mice. Differences have been observed in the effects of MMA-SS and GMA-MS on the clearance of bacteria from the lungs.
Supported by Colt Foundation grant number CF/05/12. R.J.J. is supported by Wellcome Trust grant 097216/Z/11/Z, and J.P. is supported by Medical Research Council grant MR/K00168X/1.
Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: G. Melton is exclusively funded by the Welding Institute (an independent research organization, limited by guarantee), which is funded by member subscriptions (about 800 members worldwide), single-client and joint industry projects, and European Union– and United Kingdom–funded projects. The rest of the authors declare that they have no relevant conflicts of interest.