Feb 2019 additions to NERDB

NERDB is the New and emerging risks database. This bibliographic database is an initiative of Nicole Palmen and Annet Lenderink with the support of Modernet and is currently powered by Obvibase.

More information on this database on the NERDB page

On the website we will publish from this month on regular updates on new disease – exposure combinations we added to the database. Currently, we have 194 entries. Ordered by year in which the abstract is published

Last new entries

Zhao et al. 2018 Cardiopulmonary effects induced by occupational exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles Nanotoxicology. 2018 Mar;12(2):169-184.

This study explores cardiopulmonary effects among workers who were exposed to nano-TiO₂ with the aim to identify biomarkers associated with exposure. Exposure assessment and characterization of TiO₂ particles were performed in a packaging workshop. Physical examination and possible biomarkers for cardiopulmonary effects were examined among 83 exposed workers and 85 controls. Lung damage markers (SP-D and pulmonary function), cardiovascular disease markers (VCAM-1, ICAM-1, LDL, and TC), oxidative stress markers (SOD and MDA), and inflammation markers (IL-8, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10) were associated with occupational exposure to nano-TiO₂. Among those markers, SP-D showed a time (dose)-response pattern within exposed workers. The data strongly suggest that nano-TiO₂ could contribute, at least in part, to the cardiopulmonary effects observed in workers.

Chan et al. 2018 Health survey of employees regularly using 3D printers. Occup Med (Lond). 2018 May 17;68(3):211-214.

3-D printers emit potentially hazardous ultrafine particles and volatile organic compounds. Workers using 3D printing technologies may be at risk of respiratory illness from occupational exposure. This study tries to assess whether 3D printing is associated with health effects in occupational users. A preliminary survey with questionnaires was conducted in 17 companies using 3D printing, including commercial prototyping businesses, educational institutions, and public libraries, in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. Among 46 surveyed workers, 27 (59% of participants) reported having respiratory symptoms at least once per week in the past year. Working more than 40 h per week with 3D printers was significantly associated with having been given a respiratory-related diagnosis (asthma or allergic rhinitis) (P < 0.05). Our finding of frequently reported respiratory symptoms suggests a need for additional studies on exposed workers in this field.

Vandenplas et al. 2018 Occupational asthma caused by an epoxy amine hardener Occup Med (Lond). 2017 Dec 30;67(9):722-724. 

A 43-year-old epoxy floor layer who developed work-related asthma while exposed to an epoxy hardener based on isophorone diamine (IPDA). Challenge exposures to the curing of the epoxy resin system and subsequently to the polyfunctional amine hardener containing IPDA both elicited delayed asthmatic reactions. This report further indicates that exposure to epoxy hardeners containing polyfunctional amines should be considered as a potential cause of occupational asthma.

Marie et al. 2019 Systemic sclerosis and exposure to heavy metals: A case-control study of 100 patients and 300 controls. Autoimmun Rev. 2017 Mar;16(3):223-230. 

This case-control study assessed: 1) the relationship of systemic sclerosis (SSc) related to exposure to heavy metals; and 2) the risk of SSc related to occupational exposure in male and female patients. Between 2005 to 2008, 100 patients with a definite diagnosis of SSc were included in the study; Per patient 3 age, gender, and smoking habit matched controls were selected. All SSc patients and controls underwent detection and quantification of heavy metal traces in hair samples. SSc patients exhibited higher median levels of the following metals: antimony (p=0.001), cadmium (p=0.0003), lead (p=0.02), mercury (p=0.02), molybdenum (p=0.04), palladium (p<0.0001) and zinc (p=0.0003). A marked association between SSc and occupational exposure was further found for: 1) antimony (p=0.008) and platinum (p=0.04) in male patients; and 2) antimony (p=0.02), cadmium (p=0.001), lead (p=0.03), mercury (p=0.03), palladium (p=0.0003) and zinc (p=0.0001) in female patients. The results show the impact of occupational risk factors in the development of SSc for: antimony, cadmium, lead, mercury, molybdenum, palladium and zinc. Finally, the association between SSc and occupational exposure may be variable according to patients’ gender.