Respiratory Disease Occupational Biomonitoring Collaborative Project (ROBoCoP): A longitudinal pilot study and implementation research in the Parisian transport company.

The ROBoCoP project is launched within the EU COST Action CA16113 "CliniMARK" aiming to increase the number of clinically validated biomarkers and focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) biomarker development and validation. ROBoCoP encompasses two consecutive studies consisting of a pilot study followed by a field study. The pilot study is a longitudinal exposure assessment and biomarker study aiming at: 1-understanding the suitability of the candidate biomarkers in surveying populations at risk such as workers exposed to COPD causing agents; 2-determining the best sampling plan with respect to the half-life of the candidate biomarkers; 3-implementing and validating the sampling procedures and analytical methods; 4-selecting the best suitable biomarkers to be measured in the field. Each study participant is surveyed every day during the 6-8 h work-shifts for two consecutive weeks. The field study has an implementation research designe that enabled us to demonstrate the applicability of the standardized protocol for biomarker measurements in occupational settings while also assessing the biomarkers' validity. ROBoCoP will focus on particulate matter (PM) exposure measurements, exposure biomarkers and a series of effect biomarkers, including markers of lipoperoxidation: 8-isoprostane, malondialdehyd in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and urine, potential markers of nitrosative stress: NO2-, NO3- and formate anion in EBC; markers of DNA oxidation: 8-hydroxy-2'deoxyguanosine in EBC and urine, marker of genotoxicity: micronuclei in buccal cells, and oxidative potential in exhaled air (OPEA). OPEA appears particularly promising as a clinical biomarker for detecting COPD, and will be tested independently and as part of a biomarker panel. COPD diagnosis will be performed by an experienced occupational physician according to international diagnostic standards and confirmed by a pulmonologist.This research will include approximatively 300 underground subway workers randomly selected from the personnel registry of a large Parisian transport company. Underground subways are suggested as the most PM polluted urban transport environment. We believe this occupational exposure is relevant for biomonitoring of workers and early detection of respiratory diseases.

Particle and metal exposure in Parisian subway: Relationship between exposure biomarkers in air, exhaled breath condensate, and urine.

Subway particulate toxicity results from in vitro and in vivo studies diverge and call for applied human research on outcomes from chronic exposures and potential exposure biomarkers. We aimed to (1) quantify airborne particulate matter (PM) concentrations (mass and number) and metal concentrations in exhaled breath condensate (EBC), urine, and PM; (2) investigate their associations (EBC vs. PM vs. urine); and (3) assess the relevance of EBC in biomonitoring. Nine subway workers in three jobs: station agents, locomotive operators and security guards were monitored during their 6-h shifts over two consecutive weeks. Six-hour weighed average mass concentrations expressed as PM10, PM2.5 and their metal concentrations were determined. Urine and EBC samples were collected pre- and post-shift. Ultrafine particle (UFP) number concentrations were quantified in PM and EBC samples. Metal concentrations in urine and EBC were standardized by creatinine and EBC volume, respectively, and log-transformed. Associations were investigated using Pearson correlation and linear mixed regression models, with participant's ID as random effect. PM concentrations were below occupational exposure limits (OEL) and varied significantly between jobs. Locomotive operators had the highest exposure (189 and 137 µg/m3 for PM10 and PM2.5, respectively), while station agents had the highest UFP exposure (1.97 × 104 particles/cm3). Five metals (Al, Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn) in PM2.5 and three (Al, Fe, and Zn) in PM10 were above the limit of quantification (LOQ). Fe, Cu, Al and Zn were the most abundant by mass fraction in PM. In EBC, the metal concentrations in decreasing order were: Zn > Cu > Ni > Ba > Mn. Security guards had the highest EBC metal concentrations, and in particular Zn and Cu. Urinary metal concentrations in decreasing order were: Si > Zn > Mo > Ti > Cu > Ba ≈ Ni > Co. All urinary metal concentrations from the subway workers were similar to concentrations found in the general population. A statistically significant relationship was found for ultrafine particle number concentrations in PM and in EBC. Zn and Cu concentrations in post-shift EBC were associated with Zn and Cu concentrations in PM10 and with post-shift urinary Zn and Cu concentrations. Therefore, EBC appears a relevant matrix for assessing exposure to UFP in human biomonitoring when inhalation is a primary route of exposure. We found different temporal variation patterns between particle and metal exposures in three matrices (PM, urine, EBC) quantified daily over two full weeks in subway workers. These patterns might be related to metal oxidation, particulates' solubility and size as well as their lung absorption capabilities, which need to be further explored in toxicological research. Further research should also focus on understanding possible influences of low chronic exposures to subway particulates on health in larger cohorts.