Occupational trichloroethylene exposure and antinuclear antibodies: a cross-sectional study in China.
Occup Environ Med
; 79(10): 717-720, 2022 10.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35504721
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
There has been concern over the possible risk of autoimmune diseases from exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent and common pollutant near hazardous waste sites. Studies of TCE-exposed lupus-prone mouse strains have reported increases in serum antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), a marker of autoimmunity, and autoimmune pathologic changes, while epidemiologic studies have provided limited support for an association between TCE exposure and scleroderma. To investigate exposure-related biologic evidence of autoimmunity in humans, we measured ANA levels in sera from a cross-sectional study of TCE-exposed (n=80) and TCE-unexposed (n=96) workers in Guangdong, China.METHODS:
Full-shift personal air exposure measurements for TCE were taken prior to blood collection. Serum ANAs were detected by immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells. We calculated ORs and 95% CI relating levels of TCE exposure (categorised using tertiles as cut-points) and ANA positivity (1+ intensity at 1320 dilution) using multivariable logistic regression.RESULTS:
Samples from 16 of 176 participants were ANA-positive. We found higher levels of TCE exposure (concentrations>17.27 ppm) to be associated with an elevated odds of ANA positivity (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.3 to 16.8) compared with unexposed controls. This association remained after excluding two subjects with diagnosed autoimmune disease (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.2 to 16.2). We did not observe an association with ANAs at lower exposure levels.CONCLUSIONS:
Our findings, to our knowledge the first direct human evidence of an association between TCE exposure and systemic autoimmunity, provide biologic plausibility to epidemiologic evidence relating TCE and autoimmune disease.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Autoimmune Diseases
/
Trichloroethylene
/
Biological Products
/
Occupational Exposure
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Occup Environ Med
Journal subject:
MEDICINA OCUPACIONAL
/
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
Year:
2022
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States