Rev Epidemiol Sante Publique

Introduction Nanoscale particles (NPs) are sized between 1 and 100nm. Based on experimental animal studies on NPs and epidemiological studies on air pollution particles, maternal inhalation of NPs may constitute a hazard to fetal development. It is plausible that NPs may translocate from the respiratory tract to the placenta and fetus, but also adverse effects may occur following a maternal systemic inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between maternal occupational exposure to unintentional nanoscale particles (UNP) during pregnancy and small for gestational age (SGA) within the ELFE cohort. Methods Analyzes were based on data from ELFE cohort that included 18,329 infants born at 33 weeks of amenorrhea or more in France in 2011. Sociodemographic characteristics, detailed information on jobs held by mothers during pregnancy, lifestyle and clinical data were collected through a standardized questionnaire administered at birth. Medical files were consulted to supplement relevant maternal and newborn medical information. Mothers who did not work during pregnancy were excluded from analyses. Maternal occupational exposure to UNP was characterized with a job-exposure matrix by frequency and probability of exposure. Mothers who, during pregnancy, held jobs with a probability of exposure greater than 50% were considered to be exposed. Odd ratios (OR) and 95% confidents intervals (CI) were estimated from logistic regression models adjusted for smoking, marital status, maternal education, monthly household income, high blood pressure during pregnancy, gestational diabetes and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Results The study sample included 11,224 mother-child pairs. Among mothers who worked during pregnancy, 5.07% were exposed to UNP. Maternal occupational exposure to UNP was significantly associated with SGA (OR=1.63, 95% CI: 1.22, 2.18) in adjusted analyzes. In a sub-analysis conducted in exposed mothers group (n=569), the total duration of work during pregnancy weighted by the frequency of exposure was not associated with SGA (OR=1.02, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.08) in adjusted analyzes. Conclusion This is the first epidemiological study showing a significant association between maternal occupational exposure to UNP and SGA. These results are consistent with those of the toxicological studies that demonstrated the toxicity of NPs on pregnancy. This preliminary research needs to be deepened by further epidemiological studies

Occupational Exposure to Ultrafine Particles and Placental Histopathological Lesions: A Retrospective Study about 130 Cases

International audienceUltrafine particles (UFPs) are particles smaller than 100 nanometers that are produced unintentionally during human activities or natural phenomena. They have a higher biological reactivity than bigger particles and can reach the placenta after maternal exposure. One study has shown an association between maternal occupational exposure to UFPs and fetal growth restriction. Yet few studies have focused on the effects of UFP exposure on placental histopathological lesions. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between maternal occupational exposure to UFPs and histopathological lesions of their placenta. The analyses were based on data from the ARTEMIS Center. A job-exposure matrix was used to assess occupational exposure to UFPs. The histopathological placental exam was performed by two pathologists who were blinded to the exposure of each subject. The examination was conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the Amsterdam consensus. The study sample included 130 placentas (30 exposed, 100 unexposed). Maternal occupational exposure to UFPs during pregnancy is significantly associated with placental hypoplasia (the phenomenon affected 61% of the exposed patients and 34% of the unexposed ones, p < 0.01). Further research is needed to explain its pathophysiological mechanisms

Sci Total Environ

Ultrafine particles (< 100 nm) are of increasing concern because of their toxicological potential. Emission processes suggest their presence in all environments, including at home, where particularly at-risk populations may be exposed. However, knowledge of their impact on health is still limited, due to difficulties in properly assessing exposure in epidemiological studies. In this context, the objective of this study was to provide a complete summary of indoor exposure to ultrafine particles in highly industrialised countries by examining the domestic activities that influence such exposure. We conducted a systematic review, according to PRISMA guidelines using PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus up to and including 2021. We carried out a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the selected studies with a standardised template. Exposure circumstances, measurement methods, and results were analysed. Finally, a meta-analysis of the measured concentrations was performed to study exposure levels during domestic activities. The review included 69 studies resulting in the analysis of 346 exposure situations. Nine main groups of activities were identified: cooking, which was the most studied, smoking, the use of air-fresheners, cleaning, heating, personal care, printing, do-it-yourself activities, and others. Over 50 different processes were involved in these activities. Based on available particle number concentrations, the highest average of mean concentrations was associated with grilling (14,400 × 10 cm), and the lowest with wood stove (18 × 10 cm). The highest average of peak concentrations was that for the use of hair dryers (695 × 10 cm), and the lowest for the use of air cleaners (11 × 10 cm). A hierarchy of domestic activities and related processes leading to ultrafine particle exposure is provided, along with average exposure concentrations at home. However, more extensive measurement campaigns are needed under real-life conditions to improve assessments of indoor exposure to ultrafine particles

Appl Ergon

Despite recent concerns for workers’ health, exposure situations to nanoparticles can occur in numerous workplaces. Understanding how exposures occur considering human work in these transformations remains a crucial issue of nanotechnologies. The objective of this article is to understand exposure situations to nanoparticles, their determinants and the resources to act on them. This understanding was achieved by specific measurement of nanoparticles aerosols, combined with an analysis of work activity (actions performed and physical strain) in a rubber industry. The presentation of real time measurements, associated with the video of work situations, during confrontation interviews becomes a means of making exposing work activities visible, to analyze and transform them from the points of view formulated by the company's stakeholders. In this way, characterized “typical exposure situations” serve to trigger discussions and open up new spaces for debate highlighting how innovation affects work and gives rise to enhanced prevention projects

Relationship between Occupational Exposure to Airborne Nanoparticles, Nanoparticle Lung Burden and Lung Diseases

The biomonitoring of nanoparticles in patients’ broncho-alveolar lavages (BAL) could allow getting insights into the role of inhaled biopersistent nanoparticles in the etiology/development of some respiratory diseases. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between the biomonitoring of nanoparticles in BAL, interstitial lung diseases and occupational exposure to these particles released unintentionally. We analyzed data from a cohort of 100 patients suffering from lung diseases (NanoPI clinical trial, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02549248) and observed that most of the patients showed a high probability of exposure to airborne unintentionally released nanoparticles (>50%), suggesting a potential role of inhaled nanoparticles in lung physiopathology. Depending on the respiratory disease, the amount of patients likely exposed to unintentionally released nanoparticles was variable (e.g., from 88% for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to 54% for sarcoidosis). These findings are consistent with the previously performed mineralogical analyses of BAL samples that suggested (i) a role of titanium nanoparticles in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and (ii) a contribution of silica submicron particles to sarcoidosis. Further investigations are necessary to draw firm conclusions but these first results strengthen the array of presumptions on the contribution of some inhaled particles (from nano to submicron size) to some idiopathic lung diseases

Environ Res

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between occupational exposures to carbonaceous unintentionally emitted nanoscale particles (UNPs) during pregnancy and the child's language development and behaviour at two years old. METHODS: Using data from the French Longitudinal Study of Childhood - ELFE, we selected mothers who worked during pregnancy and their children. Exposure to carbonaceous UNPs was assessed by the MatPUF (job-exposure matrix for ultrafine particles). Children's lexical development was analysed using 'the Mac Arthur - Bates communicative development inventories-words and sentences-short form' (MB-CDI) in a multivariate binary logistic regression. Their risk for autism spectrum disorders was studied using 'the Modified-CHecklist for Autism in Toddler' (M-CHAT) according to the recommended thresholds (low risk = 0-2; intermediate risk = 3-6 and high risk = 7-23) in unordered multinomial logistic regression models. RESULTS: Maternal occupational exposure to carbonaceous UNPs was associated with delayed child language development (ORadj: 1.34; 95 % CI: 1.00, 1.80) but not with behavioural disorders (autism spectrum disorders) at two years old. CONCLUSION: This is the first epidemiological study to show a significant association between maternal occupational exposure to carbonaceous nanoscale particles and child language development at 2 years old

Environ Int

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between maternal occupational exposures to nanoscale particles (NPs) during pregnancy and small for gestational age (SGA). METHODS: This study included 11,224 mothers and singleton birth pairs from the French Longitudinal Study of Children (ELFE cohort), which included infants born after 33weeks of gestation or more in continental France in 2011. Mothers who did not work during pregnancy were excluded from the analyses. Maternal occupational exposures to NPs was estimated using a job-exposure matrix for the probability (>50%: occupationally exposed group, n=569; 0%: occupationally non-exposed group, n=9113; between these two thresholds: uncertain group, n=1542) and frequency of exposure. Associations were estimated from multivariate logistic regression models for occupationally exposed vs occupationally unexposed groups in a first analysis, and with the frequency-weighted duration of work for the occupationally exposed group only in a second analysis. RESULTS: Among working mothers, 5.1% were occupationally exposed to NPs. Maternal occupational exposures to NPs was associated with SGA (ORa=1.63, 95% CI: 1.22, 2.18). The frequency-weighted duration of work for the occupationally exposed group (n=569) was not associated with SGA (ORa=1.02, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.08) in adjusted analyses. CONCLUSIONS: These results, showing a significant association between occupational exposures to NPs and SGA, should encourage further studies to examine the adverse effect of NPs exposure on fetal development

Strategies to Assess Occupational Exposure to Airborne Nanoparticles: Systematic Review and Recommendations.

International audienceIn many industrial sectors, workers are exposed to manufactured or unintentionally emitted airborne nanoparticles (NPs). To develop prevention and enhance knowledge surrounding exposure, it has become crucial to achieve a consensus on how to assess exposure to airborne NPs by inhalation in the workplace. Here, we review the literature presenting recommendations on assessing occupational exposure to NPs. The 23 distinct strategies retained were analyzed in terms of the following points: target NPs, objectives, steps, "measurement strategy" (instruments, physicochemical analysis, and data processing), "contextual information" presented, and "work activity" analysis. The robustness (consistency of information) and practical aspects (detailed methodology) of each strategy were estimated. The objectives and methodological steps varied, as did the measurement techniques. Strategies were essentially based on NPs measurement, but improvements could be made to better account for "contextual information" and "work activity". Based on this review, recommendations for an operational strategy were formulated, integrating the work activity with the measurement to provide a more complete assessment of situations leading to airborne NP exposure. These recommendations can be used with the objective of producing homogeneous exposure data for epidemiological purposes and to help improve prevention strategies

Maternal occupational exposure to carbonaceous nanoscale particles and small for gestational age and the evolution of head circumference in the French Longitudinal Study of Children - Elfe study

International audienceObjectives: To investigate the association between exposure to unintentionally emitted carbonaceous nanoscale particles (NPs) and small for gestational age (SGA), as well as head circumference (HC) at birth and at two years of age.Methods: Mothers from the French Longitudinal Study of Children (Elfe cohort) who worked during pregnancy were selected for our study. Data collected at birth and during follow-up (up to two years) were used. The probability and frequency of maternal occupational exposure to unintentionally emitted carbonaceous NPs was estimated using a job exposure matrix (MatPUF). Multivariate logistic regression, linear regression, and mixed models were applied to estimate any associations. Analyses were carried out depending on whether mothers stopped working during the first, second, or third trimester of pregnancy.Results: Maternal occupational exposure to unintentionally emitted carbonaceous NPs was associated with SGA in the overall study population by multivariate analysis (ORa = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.29, 2.46), as well as in sub-groups of mothers who stopped working during the second (ORa = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.13, 3.02) or third (ORa = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.10, 2.95) trimesters. There were no significant associations with HC at birth or two years of age.Conclusions: We found a significant association between occupational exposure to carbonaceous NPs and SGA, with the effect depending on the period of exposure during pregnancy. These results should encourage further studies concerning the adverse effects of exposure to carbonaceous NPs on the development of offspring

EXPROPNANO : Towards a better assessment of occupational exposure to airborne NP by integrating work task analysis and exposure measurement

There are numerous industry sectors and processes where worker exposures to nanoscale particles (NP), either unintentionally emitted or manufactured, have the potential to be significant if organisational and control measures and personal protective equipment are not properly defined, usable or used. However, too little exposure data are available today for meta-analysis for risk assessment or epidemiology. One reason for this observation is probably the lack of a harmonized and consistent approach to assess worker exposure. In this work, we propose a multi-tiered approach that integrates aerosol measurement and work task analysis. This multi-disciplinary approach aims to enhance exposure assessment and understand more precisely determinants of exposure. Illustrated in the Figure 1, this approach combines (i) information gathering; (ii) real time aerosol measurements and aerosol sampling (e.g. for electron microscopy analysis); (iii) contextual and observational information; (iiii) video exposure monitoring; (iiiii) interviews with stakeholders and construction of suitable safety measures. In the context of the development of the method, the proposed approach will now be tested in a variety of work environments, including research laboratories (involving manufactured NP) and facilities in aeronautic (additive manufacturing, machining, surface treatment and maintenance) and rubber sectors (mixture of fillers)