Faculty Opinions recommendation of Functional, inflammatory and interstitial impairment due to artificial stone dust ultrafine particles exposure.

ObjectiveArtificial stone dust (ASD) contains high levels of ultrafine particles (UFP <1 µm) which penetrate deeply into the lungs. This study aimed to demonstrate the direct effect of UFP in the lungs of ASD-exposed workers on functional inflammatory and imaging parameters.Methods68 workers with up to 20 years of ASD exposure at the workplace were recruited from small enterprises throughout the country and compared with 48 non-exposed individuals. Pulmonary function test (PFT), CT, induced sputum (IS) and cytokine analyses were performed by conventional methods. The CT scans were evaluated for features indicative of silicosis in three zones of each lung. UFP were quantitated by the NanoSight LM20 system (NanoSight, Salisbury) using the Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis. Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels were measured by Luminex (R&D Systems).ResultsThirty-four patients had CT scores between 0 and 42, and 29 of them were diagnosed with silicosis. Content of the UFP retrieved from IS supernatants correlated negatively with the PFT results (total lung capacity r=−0.347, p=0.011; forced expiratory volume in 1 s r=−0.299, p=0.046; diffusion lung carbon monoxide in a single breath r=−0.425, p=0.004) and with the CT score (r=0.378, p=0.023), and with the inflammatory cytokines IL-8 (r=0.336, p=0.024), IL-6 (r=0.294, p=0.065) and TNF-α (r=0.409, p=0.007). Raw material of ASD was left to sedimentate in water for <15 min, and 50% of the floating particles were UFP. A cut-off of 8×106 UFP/mL in IS samples had a sensitivity of 77% to predict pulmonary disease.ConclusionsThis is the first demonstration of an association between UFP-related decreased PFT results, worsening of CT findings and elevation of inflammatory cytokines, which may be attributed to high-dose inhalation of UFP of ASD at the workplace.

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Functional, Inflammatory and Imaging Impairments due to Artificial Stone Dust (ASD) ultrafine particles(UFP) exposure.

10.1183/13993003.congress-2018.oa1953 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Noa Ophir ◽

Amir Bar Shai ◽

Rafi Korenstein ◽

Mordec Kramer ◽

Elizabeth Fireman

Keyword(s):

Ultrafine Particles ◽

Stone Dust ◽

Artificial Stone

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Artificial stone dust-induced functional and inflammatory abnormalities in exposed workers monitored quantitatively by biometrics

ERJ Open Research ◽

10.1183/23120541.00086-2015 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 00086-2015 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Noa Ophir ◽

Amir Bar Shai ◽

Yifat Alkalay ◽

Shani Israeli ◽

Rafi Korenstein ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Function ◽

Pulmonary Function Tests ◽

Induced Sputum ◽

Dust Exposure ◽

Natural Quartz ◽

Inflammatory Parameters ◽

Stone Dust ◽

Exposed Workers ◽

High Concentrations ◽

Artificial Stone

The manufacture of kitchen and bath countertops in Israel is based mainly on artificial stone that contains 93% silica as natural quartz, and ∼3500 workers are involved in cutting and processing it. Artificial stone produces high concentrations of silica dust. Exposure to crystalline silica may cause silicosis, an irreversible lung disease. Our aim was to screen exposed workers by quantitative biometric monitoring of functional and inflammatory parameters.68 exposed artificial stone workers were compared to 48 nonexposed individuals (controls). Exposed workers filled in questionnaires, and all participants underwent pulmonary function tests and induced sputum analyses. Silica was quantitated by a Niton XL3 X-ray fluorescence spectrometer.Pulmonary function test results of exposed workers were significantly lower and induced sputa showed significantly higher neutrophilic inflammation compared to controls; both processes were slowed down by the use of protective measures in the workplace. Particle size distribution in induced sputum samples of exposed workers was similar to that of artificial stone dust, which contained aluminium, zirconium and titanium in addition to silica.In conclusion, the quantitation of biometric parameters is useful for monitoring workers exposed to artificial stone in order to avoid deterioration over time.

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smoking has a protective effects on functional and inflammatory parameters in workers exposed to artificial stone dust

10.1183/13993003.congress-2016.pa4281 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Noa Ophir ◽

Amir Bar Shai ◽

Yifat Alcalay ◽

Yehuda Schwarz ◽

Rafi Korenstein ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protective Effects ◽

Inflammatory Parameters ◽

Stone Dust ◽

Artificial Stone

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Studies of copper selenide ultrafine particles by newly developed gas evaporation method

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100174667 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 306-307

Author(s):

Chihiro Kaito ◽

Yoshio Saito

Keyword(s):

Crystal Structure ◽

Ultrafine Particles ◽

Fine Particles ◽

Production Method ◽

Atmospheric Temperature ◽

Copper Selenide ◽

Quartz Boat ◽

Selenium Vapor ◽

Ar Gas ◽

Ultra Fine Particles

The direct evaporation of metallic oxides or sulfides does not always given the same compounds with starting material, i.e. decomposition took place. Since the controll of the sulfur or selenium vapors was difficult, a similar production method for oxide particles could not be used for preparation of such compounds in spite of increasing interest in the fields of material science, astrophysics and mineralogy. In the present paper, copper metal was evaporated from a molybdenum silicide heater which was proposed by us to produce the ultra-fine particles in reactive gas as shown schematically in Figure 1. Typical smoke by this method in Ar gas at a pressure of 13 kPa is shown in Figure 2. Since the temperature at a location of a few mm below the heater, maintained at 1400° C , were a few hundred degrees centigrade, the selenium powder in a quartz boat was evaporated at atmospheric temperature just below the heater. The copper vapor that evaporated from the heater was mixed with the stream of selenium vapor,and selenide was formed near the boat. If then condensed by rapid cooling due to the collision with inert gas, thus forming smoke similar to that from the metallic sulfide formation. Particles were collected and studied by a Hitachi H-800 electron microscope.Figure 3 shows typical EM images of the produced copper selenide particles. The morphology was different by the crystal structure, i.e. round shaped plate (CuSe;hexagona1 a=0.39,C=l.723 nm) ,definite shaped p1 ate(Cu5Se4;Orthorhombic;a=0.8227 , b=1.1982 , c=0.641 nm) and a tetrahedron(Cu1.8Se; cubic a=0.5739 nm). In the case of compound ultrafine particles there have been no observation for the particles of the tetrahedron shape. Since the crystal structure of Cu1.8Se is the anti-f1uorite structure, there has no polarity.

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Crystal structure-size relationship in ultrafine metallic particles

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100153300 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 266-267

Author(s):

Jun Liu ◽

Mehmet Sarikaya ◽

Ilhan A. Aksay

Keyword(s):

Ultrafine Particles ◽

Carbon Film ◽

Lattice Defects ◽

Careful Examination ◽

Seeded Growth ◽

Gold Particles ◽

Metallic Particles ◽

Interfacial Structures ◽

Typical Particle ◽

Many Particles

Ultrafine particles usually have unique physical properties. This study illustrates how the lattice defects and interfacial structures between particles are related to the size of ultrafine crystalline gold particles.Colloidal gold particles were produced by reducing gold chloride with sodium citrate at 100°C. In this process, particle size can be controlled by changing the concentration of the reactant. TEM samples are prepared by transferring a small amount of solution onto a thin (5 nm) carbon film which is suspended on a copper grid. In this work, all experiments were performed with Philips 430T at 300 kV.With controlled seeded growth, particles of different sizes are produced, as shown in Figure 1. By a careful examination, it can be resolved that very small particles have lattice defects with complex interfaces. Some typical particle structures include multiple twins, resulting in a five-fold symmetry bicrystals, and highly disordered regions. Many particles are too complex to be described by simple models.

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