Inhaled Manual Metal Arc and Shieldgas Stainless and Mild Steel Welding Fumes in Rat Lung

Welders have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) following exposure to welding fumes. The underlying mechanisms are largely unknown; however, oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction have been suggested as contributing factors to particle-induced CVD. We investigated effects of mild steel welding fume (MSWF) on three target cell types: macrophages, pulmonary epithelial, and vascular endothelial cells. Cells were exposed to MSWF at nontoxic doses for 6 h/day, for five consecutive days. The expression of 40 genes involved in inflammation, fibrosis, and endothelial activation was analyzed. Moreover, changes in the reactive oxygen species production and migration capacity of cells were assessed. The expression of matrix metallopeptidase 1 ( MMP1) was induced in both epithelial and endothelial cells following repeated exposure to MSWF. Although MMP1 is important in inflammatory responses in vivo, this effect was not concurrent with changes in the inflammatory status, cell proliferation, and migration capacities, nor did it induce oxidative stress in the cells. Thus, repeated exposure with low doses of MSWF was sufficient neither for inducing inflammatory stress in epithelial cells and macrophages nor for endothelial activation, and higher concentrations of MSWF or the nonparticle fraction of MSWF may be critical in causing the increased risk of CVD observed among welders.

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Preliminary Study to Investigate the Distribution and Effects of Certain Metals After Inhalation of Welding Fumes in Mice

10.21203/rs.3.rs-896288/v1 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Kővágó Csaba ◽

Barbara Szekeres ◽

Éva Szűcs-Somlyó ◽

Kornél Májlinger ◽

Ákos Jerzsele ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stainless Steel ◽

Mild Steel ◽

Gma Welding ◽

Inhalation Exposure ◽

Glycogen Metabolism ◽

Systemic Effect ◽

Welding Fumes ◽

Welding Processes ◽

Mn Concentration ◽

Sampling Times

Abstract The most important welding processes used are the Gas Metal Arc (GMA) welding, the Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding, and the Manual Metal Arc (MMA) welding processes. The goal of our investigation was to monitor the distribution of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) in the lung, spleen, liver, and kidney of mice after inhalation exposure of different welding methods using different steel base materials. The treatment groups were the following: MMA-mild steel, MMA-molybdenum-manganese (MoMn) alloy, TIG-mild steel, and TIG-stainless steel. The samples were taken 24- and 96 hours after the treatments.Most importantly, it was found that the Mn concentration in the lung’ samples of the MMA-mild steel and the MMA-MoMn groups was increased extremely at both sampling times and in the spleen’ samples also. In the TIG groups, the rise of the Mn concentration was only considerable in the lungs and spleens at 24h, and emerged concentration was found in the liver in 96h samples. Histopathology demonstrated emerged siderin content in the spleens of the treated animals and in siderin filled macrophages in the lungs mostly in all treated groups. Traces of high-level glycogen retention was found in the MMA groups at both sampling times. Similar glycogen retention in TIG-Ms and TIG stainless group’s liver samples and emerged number of vacuoles, especially in the hepatocytes of the TIG-stainless steel 96h group were also found.The mentioned results raise the consequence that there is a considerable difference in the kinetics of the Mn distribution between the MMA- and the TIG-fume treated groups. Hence, the result suggests that manganese has a particle-size dependent toxico-kinetics property. The anomaly of the glycogen metabolism indicates the systemic effect of the welding fumes. Also, the numerous vacuoles mentioned above show a possible liver-specific adverse effect of some components of the TIG-stainless steel welding fumes.

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Mild steel welding is associated with alterations in circulating levels of cancer-related proteins

Archives of Toxicology ◽

10.1007/s00204-019-02594-4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 93 (12) ◽

pp. 3535-3547 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anda R. Gliga ◽

Tahir Taj ◽

Maria Hedmer ◽

Eva Assarsson ◽

Lars Rylander ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mild Steel ◽

Longitudinal Analysis ◽

Function Analysis ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Respirable Dust ◽

Welding Fumes ◽

Respiratory Protection ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Related Proteins ◽

Circulating Levels

Abstract Welding fumes were recently classified as carcinogenic to humans and worldwide millions work as welders or perform welding operations. The purpose of this study was to identify new biomarkers of welding-induced carcinogenesis. We evaluated a panel of 91 putative cancer-related proteins in serum in a cohort of welders working with mild steel (n = 77) and controls (n = 94) from southern Sweden sampled on two occasions 6-year apart using a longitudinal analysis (linear mixed models). The significant results from the longitudinal analysis were tested for reproducibility in welders (n = 88) and controls (n = 69) sampled once during the same sampling period as timepoint 1 or timepoint 2 (linear regression models), i.e., in a cross-sectional setting. The models were adjusted for age, body-mass index, and use of snus. All study participants were non-smokers at recruitment. Exposure to welding fumes was assessed using questionnaires and respirable dust measurement in the breathing zone that was adjusted for personal respiratory protection equipment. The median respirable dust in welders was 0.7 (0.2–4.2) and 0.5 (0.1–1.9) mg/m3 at the first and second timepoints, respectively. We identified 14 cancer-related proteins that were differentially expressed in welders versus controls in the longitudinal analysis, out of which three were also differentially expressed in the cross-sectional analysis (cross-sectional group). Namely, syndecan 1 (SDC1), folate receptor 1 (FOLR1), and secreted protein acidic and cysteine rich (SPARC) were downregulated, in welders compared with controls. In addition, FOLR1 was negatively associated with years welding. Disease and function analysis indicated that the top proteins are related to lung cancer as well as cell invasion and migration. Our study indicates that moderate exposure to welding fumes is associated with changes in circulating levels of putative cancer-related proteins, out of which FOLR1 showed a clear dose–response relationship. It is, however, unclear to which extent these changes are adaptive or potential early biomarkers of cancer.

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