Wood dust and risk of leukemia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between wood dust exposure and leukemia. The objectives included synthesizing available evidence, assessing its quality, identifying potential sources of heterogeneity, and drawing conclusions regarding the association between wood dust and leukemia. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify studies meeting that report on the association between wood dust and leukemia. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools were employed to ensure robust quality assessment. Meta-analysis, using random-effects models, synthesized evidence from studies with low risk of bias. Overall odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Subgroup analyses explored potential sources of heterogeneity. RESULTS: The meta-analysis included a comprehensive review of various study types, encompassing 7 studies that examined the association between wood dust exposure and leukemia risk. The analysis revealed a statistically significant positive association, with an overall odds ratio (OR) of 1.56 (95% CI: 1.15-2.12). This indicates that individuals exposed to wood dust are 1.56 times more likely to develop leukemia compared to those not exposed, with the 95% confidence interval ranging from 1.15 to 2.12, highlighting a substantial risk elevation across different study designs. Quality assessment using The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools demonstrated a low risk of bias across all included studies, enhancing the credibility of the observed association. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore potential sources of heterogeneity within the studies. Notably, subgroup analysis based on the year of the study revealed significant differences, as indicated by an I^2 value of 87%. The robustness of these results underscores the importance of addressing wood dust exposure as an occupational hazard, particularly in industries related to woodworking and forestry. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis provides robust evidence supporting an increased risk of leukemia associated with wood dust exposure implying proactive measures in people exposed to dust.

Occupational Dust Exposure as a Risk Factor for Developing Lung Function Impairment.

OBJECTIVE: Dust exposure is high in several industries. We investigated associations of exposure in paper mills, wood pellet plants, and iron foundries with lung function impairment. METHODS: Respirable silica, inhalable paper dust, or inhalable wood dust were collected as personal samples and spirometry was performed. Multiple linear regression analyzed associations with FEV 1 %pred and FVC%pred. RESULTS: Wood pellet workers with high exposure to inhalable dust had lower FEV 1 %pred (95% CI) (-9.4 [-16 to -2.6]) and FVC%pred (-9.8 [-15 to -4.0]) compared with lowest exposure level. Workers at paper mills and foundries had no dose-dependent association but lower FEV 1 %pred and FVC%pred than in workers at wood pellets plants. CONCLUSIONS: Increased exposure to inhalable wood dust is associated with decreased lung function. Foundry and paper mill workers have generally lower lung function than wood pellet workers. Spirometry should be considered in workers in industries with airborne particulate matter pollution.

Wood smoke exposure affects lung aging, quality of life, and all-cause mortality in New Mexican smokers.

BACKGROUND: The role of wood smoke (WS) exposure in the etiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer (LC), and mortality remains elusive in adults from countries with low ambient levels of combustion-emitted particulate matter. This study aims to delineate the impact of WS exposure on lung health and mortality in adults age 40 and older who ever smoked. METHODS: We assessed health impact of self-reported "ever WS exposure for over a year" in the Lovelace Smokers Cohort using both objective measures (i.e., lung function decline, LC incidence, and deaths) and two health related quality-of-life questionnaires (i.e., lung disease-specific St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ] and the generic 36-item short-form health survey). RESULTS: Compared to subjects without WS exposure, subjects with WS exposure had a more rapid decline of FEV1 (- 4.3 ml/s, P = 0.025) and FEV1/FVC ratio (- 0.093%, P = 0.015), but not of FVC (- 2.4 ml, P = 0.30). Age modified the impacts of WS exposure on lung function decline. WS exposure impaired all health domains with the increase in SGRQ scores exceeding the minimal clinically important difference. WS exposure increased hazard for incidence of LC and death of all-cause, cardiopulmonary diseases, and cancers by > 50% and shortened the lifespan by 3.5 year. We found no evidence for differential misclassification or confounding from socioeconomic status for the health effects of WS exposure. CONCLUSIONS: We identified epidemiological evidence supporting WS exposure as an independent etiological factor for the development of COPD through accelerating lung function decline in an obstructive pattern. Time-to-event analyses of LC incidence and cancer-specific mortality provide human evidence supporting the carcinogenicity of WS exposure.

Case-control study about magnitude of exposure to wood smoke and risk of developing lung cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Exposure to biomass combustion products, particularly firewood, has been considered as a potential carcinogen for developing lung cancer. In this regard, current evidence is widely heterogeneous; besides, in most studies, wood smoke exposure is not appropriately quantified, which further complicates the analysis of wood smoke as a potential carcinogen. The aim of the present study was to estimate the risk of developing lung cancer according to the degree of exposure to wood smoke in patients who use firewood for cooking. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a case-control study that included 482 patients with lung cancer (cases) and 592 hospital controls. Exposure to wood smoke was evaluated as a dichotomous variable (i.e. yes or no); in patients with prior wood smoke exposure, an index of exposure in hours per year was calculated (WSEI). Using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, the odds ratio (OR) between wood smoke exposure and lung cancer were calculated. RESULTS: The ORs for developing lung cancer (raw and adjusted) for a WSEI > 100 h/year were OR 1.55 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-2.26) and OR 2.26 (95% CI, 1.50-3.40), respectively; the ORs (raw and adjusted) for WSEI >300 h/year were OR 1.76 (95% CI, 1.06-2.91) and OR 3.19 (95% CI, 1.83-5.55), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to wood smoke is a risk factor for lung cancer; furthermore, this effect maintains a dose-response relationship which has a multiplicative effect with smoking.

Occupational and environmental risk factors of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a systematic review and meta-analyses.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, fibrosing interstitial lung disease of unknown cause. It has a high risk of rapid progression and mortality. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the risk factor of IPF. We searched Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane library from the earliest record to March, 2020. Case-control studies on occupational and environmental risk factors or on jobs with a risk of IPF were searched for. From 2490 relevant records, 12 studies were included. Any occupational or environmental exposure to metal dust (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.15-2.91, I2 = 54%), wood dust (OR 1.62 5% CI 1.04-2.53, I2 = 5%) and pesticide (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.24-3.45, I2 = 0%) were associated with an increased risk of IPF. Farming or agricultural work (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.17-3.04, I2 = 67%) was also associated with an increased risk of IPF. Moreover, smoking increased IPF risk with an odds ratio of 1.39 (95% CI 1.01-1.91, I2 = 29%). In conclusion, metal dust, wood dust, pesticide, occupational history of farming or agriculture and ever smoking increased the risk of IPF.

Household pollution and COVID-19: irrelevant association?

Evidence supports the link between air pollution and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, exposure to indoor pollution (IDP) is likely to be associated with the disease. The poor, refugees, and migrant workers who live in feeble conditions are the most vulnerable. The pandemic has caused many people to remain indoors, especially at-risk individuals (e.g., the elderly, diabetics, obese, cardiac, and chronic lung disease patients). Home isolation may be an underlying factor to other health problems among these populations if the place where they are socially isolating is not adequately ventilated. Therefore, understanding the consequences of the relationship between IDP and the COVID-19 pandemic is essential.

Large wooden orbital foreign body: case report and literature review.

Orbital trauma is often associated with foreign bodies. Wooden foreign bodies pose an urgent need for removal owing to their reactive nature and the high risk for infection. Though visual prognosis depends on associated ocular trauma, in selected cases, excellent visual and cosmetic outcomes are possible. An 18-year-old woman presented to our trauma facility with a history of fall directly onto a wooden stick from a height. On examination, there was a large wooden foreign body in the left medial orbit, extending into the ethmoidal sinus as visualised on imaging. After administration of perioperative antibiotics, the foreign body was removed in toto using careful tissue dissection and the soft tissue was closed in layers. Postoperatively at six months, the vision in the left eye was 20/20 with mild ptosis. Early surgery, careful dissection of soft tissues and adequate infection prophylaxis can lead to good outcomes in such cases.

Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin-1 and Vanilloid-3 Differentially Regulate Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Cytotoxicity in Human Lung Epithelial Cells After Pneumotoxic Wood Smoke Particle Exposure.

This study investigated the roles of transient receptor potential (TRP) ankyrin-1 (TRPA1) and TRP vanilloid-3 (TRPV3) in regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and cytotoxicity in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) treated with pneumotoxic wood smoke particulate matter (WSPM) and chemical agonists of each channel. Functions of TRPA1 and TRPV3 in pulmonary epithelial cells remain largely undefined. This study shows that TRPA1 activity localizes to the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of cells, whereas TRPV3 resides primarily in the ER. Additionally, treatment of cells using moderately cytotoxic concentrations of pine WSPM, carvacrol, and other TRPA1 agonists caused ERS as a function of both TRPA1 and TRPV3 activities. Specifically, ERS and cytotoxicity were attenuated by TRPA1 inhibition, whereas inhibiting TRPV3 exacerbated ERS and cytotoxicity. Interestingly, after treatment with pine WSPM, TRPA1 transcription was suppressed, whereas TRPV3 was increased. TRPV3 overexpression in HBECs conferred resistance to ERS and an attenuation of ERS-associated cell cycle arrest caused by WSPM and multiple prototypical ERS-inducing agents. Alternatively, short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of TRPV3, like the TRPV3 antagonist, exacerbated ERS. This study reveals previously undocumented roles for TRPA1 in promoting pathologic ERS and cytotoxicity elicited by pneumotoxic WSPM and TRPA1 agonists, and a unique role for TRPV3 in fettering pathologic facets of the integrated ERS response. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: These findings provide new insights into how wood smoke particulate matter and other transient receptor potential ankyrin-1 (TRPA1) and transient receptor potential vanilloid-3 (TRPV3) agonists can affect human bronchial epithelial cells and highlight novel physiological and pathophysiological roles for TRPA1 and TRPV3 in these cells.

Impairment of nasal mucociliary clearance time in wood industry workers.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of wood dust on nasal mucociliary clearance time in wood industry workers. Moreover, the correlation between duration of exposure to wood dust and nasal mucociliary clearance time will be evaluated. METHODS: A total of 50 male subjects were included in the study. All of the subjects were non-smokers. Nasal mucociliary clearance time of 25 wood industry workers was measured with saccharine method and compared with the results of 25 age-matched control group. Also, the correlation between nasal mucociliary clearance time and duration of exposure to wood dust in woodworkers was evaluated. RESULTS: The mean mucociliary clearance time in control group and wood industry workers was 12.28 ± 1.98 and 16.72 ± 2.71, respectively. The mean mucociliary clearance time in wood industry workers was significantly longer than control group (p < 0.0001). Also,there was positive correlation between duration of exposure to wood dust and nasal mucociliary clearance time in wood industry workers (r = 0.879, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The clinicians must remember that mucociliary clearance time in wood industry workers is prolonged. So the wood industry workers must be followed up more closely for sinonasal infections and respiratory tract diseases.

Solid fuels for cooking and tobacco use and risk of major chronic liver disease mortality: a prospective cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND: Harmful substances in solid fuel and tobacco smoke are believed to enter the bloodstream via inhalation and to be metabolized in the liver, leading to chronic liver damage. However, little is known about the independent and joint effects of solid fuel use and smoking on risks of chronic liver disease (CLD) mortality. METHODS: During 2004-08, ∼0.5 million adults aged 30-79 years were recruited from 10 areas across China. During a 10-year median follow-up, 2461 CLD deaths were recorded. Multivariable Cox regression yielded adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the individual associations of self-reported long-term cooking fuel and tobacco use with major CLD death. RESULTS: Overall, 49% reported solid fuel use and 26% smoked regularly. Long-term solid fuel use for cooking and current smoking were associated with higher risks of CLD deaths, with adjusted HRs of 1.26 (95% CI, 1.02-1.56) and 1.28 (1.13-1.44), respectively. Compared with never-smoking clean fuel users, the HRs were 1.41 (1.10-1.82) in never-smoking solid fuel users, 1.55 (1.17-2.06) in regular-smoking clean fuel users and 1.71 (1.32-2.20) in regular-smoking solid fuels users. Individuals who had switched from solid to clean fuels (1.07, 0.90-1.29; for median 14 years) and ex-regular smokers who stopped for non-medical reasons (1.16, 0.95-1.43; for median 10 years) had no evidence of excess risk of CLD deaths compared with clean fuel users and never-regular smokers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Among Chinese adults, long-term solid fuel use for cooking and smoking were each independently associated with higher risks of CLD deaths. Individuals who had stopped using solid fuels or smoking had lower risks.

Occupational exposure to organic dusts and risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis: findings from a Swedish population-based case-control study.

Objectives: We estimated the association between occupational exposures to five different organic dusts: wood, animal, paper, textile and flour dust and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: This population-based case-control study analysed 12 582 incident cases and 129 335 controls. Participants were identified from national public authority and quality registers. Census data on occupations were collected 1960-2010 and we estimated the exposure to organic dust with the help of job-exposure matrices. We used logistic regression to assess the OR of seropositive or seronegative RA. Estimates were adjusted for the matching variables (sex, county, age and index year), education and occupational silica exposure. Results: Exposure to animal dust was associated with an increased risk of RA among both men and women. The OR was 1.2 (95% CI=1.1 to 1.4) for seropositive RA and 1.3 (95% CI=1.1 to 1.5) for seronegative RA among ever exposed participants compared with unexposed. The risk increased with duration of exposure for seropositive RA, and participants who had been exposed in five or more censuses had an OR of 1.6 (95% CI=1.1 to 2.2, p for trend=0.003). Exposure to textile dust also generated a significant dose-response relationship for seropositive RA (p for trend=0.014). We detected no association between exposure to wood, paper or flour dust and risk of RA. Conclusions: Overall, exposure to animal dust and textile dust was associated with an increased risk of developing RA. These observations give further support to the notion that airborne exposures are involved in the aetiology of RA.

Biomass fuel as a risk factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The link between use of solid biomass fuel (wood, charcoal, coal, dung, and crop residues) for cooking and/or heating and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: We systematically reviewed the literature and performed a meta-analysis to determine whether cooking fuel type influences esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Knowledge and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for studies investigating cooking fuel and ESCC from 2000 until March 2019. We performed random effects meta-analysis stratified by the continent, World Bank's country income classifications and fuel type and calculated pooled odds ratios and 95% CIs for the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in biomass fuel users compared with non-users. RESULTS: Our analysis included 16 studies (all case-control) with 16,189 participants (5233 cases and 10,956 controls) that compared risk of ESCC among those using nonsolid fuels and biomass fuels. We found use of biomass fuel was associated with Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with a pooled odds ratio (OR) 3.02 (95% CI 2.22, 4.11, heterogeneity (I2) = 79%). In sub-group analyses by continent, Africa (OR 3.35, 95%CI 2.34, 4.80, I2 = 73.4%) and Asia (OR 3.08, 95%CI 1.27, 7.43, I2 = 81.7%) had the highest odds of ESCC. Use of wood as fuel had the highest odds of 3.90, 95% CI 2.25, 6.77, I2 = 63.5%). No significant publication bias was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Biomass fuel is associated with increased risk of Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Biomass fuel status should be considered in the risk assessment for Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Investigation of the Antibacterial Activity and Subacute Toxicity of a Quercus crassifolia Polyphenolic Bark Extract for its Potential Use in Functional Foods.

Oak wood is used in barrels for wine aging. During aging, polyphenols are transferred from the barrels to the liquid. Although the bioactivity of oak polyphenols in wines has been extensively studied, no investigation exists on their toxicological properties, which limits their use as functional safe ingredients for other products. In this work, the chemical composition of a polyphenolic extract of Quercus crassifolia bark (QCBe) was studied by GC-MS. Its antibacterial properties on probiotic and pathogenic bacteria and its subacute-oral toxicity were determined as a way to understand the potential impact from its addition to fermented food as a functional ingredient. QCBe shows a selective inhibition of Escherichia coli compared with Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophylus. According to the toxicity evaluation, the subacute no-observed-adverse-effect-level was achieved at 11 mg/kg bw/day, whereas the subacute lowest-observed-adverse-effect-level for kidney damage was at 33 mg/kg bw/day. These results suggest that, given the fact an adverse effect was observed after subacute administration of this extract, further longer term toxicological studies are needed to provide sufficient safety evidence for its use in humans. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Mexico's yogurt market is growing which creates opportunities for the development of some yogurt products as functional foods. As a first step to evaluate its potential use in yogurt formulation, the antibacterial effect of a Quercus crassifolia polyphenolic extract (QCBe) on probiotic bacteria and its subacute-oral toxicity in rats were studied. A low inhibition on probiotic bacteria growth was observed after QCBe addition to Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophylus cultures. Exposure to QCBe for a subacute duration resulted in renal injury in rats at dosages greater than or equal to 33 mg/kg/bw/day. This adverse effect indicates the importance of performing further long-term toxicological assessments prior to the addition of QCBe to a food like yogurt, which is regularly eaten by consumers.

Reducing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination in smoked fish in the Global South: a case study of an improved kiln in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Smoked fish is a major source of animal protein in developing countries. It is largely produced by hot-smoking on traditional kilns using fuelwood. This practice is associated with high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in products, with consequences for public health. An improved kiln, comprising the FAO-Thiaroye Technique (FTT), has been introduced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to address such a concern. The present study investigated the efficacy of the FTT in Ghana through comparative fish smoking experiments with traditional kilns followed by determination of PAH levels [benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and PAH4] in the products by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. For each kiln, the effect of smoking fuel type on PAH contamination was determined. The impact of the design characteristics of the FTT on the levels of the compounds was also determined. RESULTS: Mean BaP and PAH4 levels in the FTT products were up to 1.8 and 7.6 µg kg-1 , respectively, whereas the corresponding levels in traditional kiln products were up to 70 and 395 µg kg-1 . PAH levels in FTT products were below European Union regulatory limits, whereas levels in traditional kiln products exceed such limits by up to 33-fold. Across kiln types, the use of wood fuels caused higher PAH contamination compared to the use of fully-lit charcoal as an alternative fuel. CONCLUSION: The improved kiln (FTT) is efficacious in yielding smoked fish with a PAH content lower than the levels in traditional kiln products and also below current regulatory limits. Kiln design and type of processing fuel have significant impacts on PAH contamination during fish smoking. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Volatile organic compounds from residential solid fuel burning in Guanzhong Plain, China: Source-related profiles and risks.

Characteristics of indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their health risks were investigated in kitchens and bedrooms during the heating season in rural Guanzhong Plain, China. Toxic-VOC concentrations in kitchens with traditional wood (299 ±â€¯38.8 µg m-3) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stoves (187 ±â€¯54.6 µg m-3) were considerably higher than those in bedrooms. High levels of toxic VOCs in traditional kitchens were strongly correlated with wood combustion (R = 0.72). The coefficient of determination of VOC profiles between the kitchen and wood combustion was 0.27, indicating that VOCs in traditional kitchens are mainly derived from wood combustion. For women, who do most of the cooking, noncancer risk from exposure to toxic VOCs could reach 7600 and 2550 in traditional and LPG kitchens, respectively. Noncancer risks were much lower in bedrooms than in kitchens, but still two orders of magnitude higher than the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) threshold. Cancer risk from exposure to VOCs for women was 8.98 × 10-4 and 1.67 × 10-4 in both traditional and LPG kitchens, respectively, and ranged from 2.51 × 10-6 to 3.85 × 10-5 in bedrooms-all exceeding the USEPA threshold. Thus, during the heating season indicated that the rural Guanzhong residents were exposed to toxic VOCs from indoor heating and cooking at levels higher than the recommended safety levels. Moreover, traditional cooking and heating styles in rural Guanzhong need to be urgently updated to improve the indoor air quality for residents.

The Role of Occupational and Environmental Exposures in the Pathogenesis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Narrative Literature Review.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic interstitial lung disease characterised by a progressive and irreversible decline in lung function, which is associated with poor long-term survival. The pathogenesis of IPF is incompletely understood. An accumulating body of evidence, obtained over the past three decades, suggests that occupational and environmental exposures may play a role in the development of IPF. This narrative literature review aims to summarise current understanding and the areas of ongoing research into the role of occupational and environmental exposures in the pathogenesis of IPF.

[Progressive loss of vision as the only symptom of sinonasal cancer].

In this case report, an 81-year-old former carpenter presented with unilateral deteriorating vision. Due to gradual worsening and involvement of the other eye, he was seen by an ophthalmologist and underwent both CT and MRI, which gave rise to suspicion of a sinonasal cancer. Nasal endoscopy revealed a tumour in the ethmoid bilaterally, and a biopsy showed intestinal type adenocarcinoma. This type of cancer is rare, but strongly associated with occupational exposure to wood dust. Symptoms are usually vague, and the diagnosis is made with some delay, which is reflected in a poor prognosis.