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Background: Short-term exposure to air pollution has adverse effects among patients with asthma, but whether long-term exposure to air pollution is a cause of adult-onset asthma is unclear. Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between air pollution and adult onset asthma. Methods: Asthma incidence was prospectively assessed in six European cohorts. Exposures studied were annual average concentrations at home addresses for nitrogen oxides assessed for 23,704 participants (including 1,257 incident cases) and particulate matter (PM) assessed for 17,909 participants through ESCAPE land-use regression models and traffic exposure indicators. Meta-analyses of cohort-specific logistic regression on asthma incidence were performed. Models were adjusted for age, sex, overweight, education, and smoking and included city/area within each cohort as a random effect. Results: In this longitudinal analysis, asthma incidence was positively, but not significantly, associated with all exposure metrics, except for PMcoarse. Positive associations of borderline significance were observed for nitrogen dioxide [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.10; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.21 per 10 μg/m3; p = 0.10] and nitrogen oxides (adjusted OR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.08 per 20 μg/m3; p = 0.08). Nonsignificant positive associations were estimated for PM10 (adjusted OR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.88, 1.23 per 10 μg/m3), PM2.5 (adjusted OR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.88, 1.23 per 5 μg/m3), PM2.5absorbance (adjusted OR = 1.06; 95% CI: 0.95, 1.19 per 10-5/m), traffic load (adjusted OR = 1.10; 95% CI: 0.93, 1.30 per 4 million vehicles × meters/day on major roads in a 100-m buffer), and traffic intensity (adjusted OR = 1.10; 95% CI: 0.93, 1.30 per 5,000 vehicles/day on the nearest road). A nonsignificant negative association was estimated for PMcoarse (adjusted OR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.87, 1.14 per 5 μg/m3). Conclusions: Results suggest a deleterious effect of ambient air pollution on asthma incidence in adults. Further research with improved personal-level exposure assessment (vs. residential exposure assessment only) and phenotypic characterization is needed. Citation: Jacquemin B, Siroux V, Sanchez M, Carsin AE, Schikowski T, Adam M, Bellisario V, Buschka A, Bono R, Brunekreef B, Cai Y, Cirach M, Clavel-Chapelon F, Declercq C, de Marco R, de Nazelle A, Ducret-Stich RE, Ferretti VV, Gerbase MW, Hardy R, Heinrich J, Janson C, Jarvis D, Al Kanaani Z, Keidel D, Kuh D, Le Moual N, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ, Marcon A, Modig L, Pin I, Rochat T, Schindler C, Sugiri D, Stempfelet M, Temam S, Tsai MY, Varraso R, Vienneau D, Vierkotter A, Hansell AL, Kramer U, Probst-Hensch NM, Sunyer J, Kunzli N, Kauffmann F. 2015. Ambient air pollution and adult asthma incidence in six European cohorts (ESCAPE). Environ Health Perspect 123:613-621; [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood dust is one of the most common occupational exposures, with about 3.6 million of workers in the wood industry in Europe. Wood particles can deposit in the nose and the respiratory tract and cause adverse health effects. Occupational exposure to wood dust has been associated with malignant tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. The induction of oxidative stress and the generation of reactive oxygen species through activation of inflammatory cells could have a role in the carcinogenicity of respirable wood dust. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate the prevalence of urinary 15-F 2t isoprostane (15-F 2t -IsoP), a biomarker of oxidative stress and peroxidation of lipids, in 123 wood workers compared to 57 unexposed controls living in Tuscany region, Italy. 15-F 2t -IsoP generation was measured by ELISA. The main result of the present study showed that a statistically significant excess of this biomarker occurred in the workers exposed to 1.48 mg/m3 of airborne wood dust with respect to the unexposed controls. The overall mean ratio (MR) between the workers exposed to wood dust and the controls was 1.36, 95% Confidence Interval (C.I.) 1.18–1.57, after correction for age and smoking habits. A significant increment of 15-F 2t -IsoP (43%) was observed in the smokers as compared to the non-smokers. The urinary excretion of 15-F 2t -IsoP was significantly associated with co-exposure to organic solvents, i.e., MR of 1.41, 95% C.I. 1.17–1.70, after adjustment for age and smoking habits. A 41% excess was observed in long-term wood workers, 95% C.I. 1.14–1.75. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the level of 15-F 2t -IsoP was linearly correlated to the length of exposure, regression coefficient (β) = 0.244 ± 0.002 (SE). The overall increment by exposure group persisted after stratification for smoking habits. For instance, in smokers, a 53% excess was detected in the wood workers as compared to the controls, 95% C.I. 1.23–1.91. Our data support the hypothesis that oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation can have a role in the toxicity of wood dust F 2 -IsoP measure can be a tool for the evaluation of the effectiveness of targeted interventions aimed to reduce exposures to environmental carcinogens. • Occupational wood dust exposure has been associated to sinonasal cancers. • Wood workers were exposed to an average value of 1.48 mg/m3 of airborne wood dust. • Significantly high concentration of urinary F 2 -IsoP was found in wood workers. • Even higher level of F 2 -IsoP was detected with concomitant carcinogen exposure. • F 2 -IsoP amount was associated to occupational history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Today, nanomaterials are broadly used in a wide range of industrial applications. Such large utilization and the limited knowledge on to the possible health effects have raised concerns about potential consequences on human health and safety, beyond the environmental burden. Given that inhalation is the main exposure route, workers exposed to nanomaterials might be at risk of occurrence of respiratory morbidity and/or reduced pulmonary function. However, epidemiological evidence regarding the association between cumulative exposure to nanomaterials and respiratory health is still scarce. This study focused on the association between cumulative exposure to nanomaterials and pulmonary function among 136 workers enrolled in the framework of the European multicentric NanoExplore project., Results: Our findings suggest that, independently of lifelong tobacco smoking, ethnicity, age, sex, body mass index and physical activity habits, 10-year cumulative exposure to nanomaterials is associated to worse FEV 1 and FEF 25 - 75% , which might be consistent with the involvement of both large and small airway components and early signs of airflow obstruction. We further explored the hypothesis of a mediating effect via airway inflammation, assessed by interleukin (IL-)10, IL-1β and Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α), all quantified in the Exhaled Breath Condensate of workers. The mediation analysis results suggest that IL-10, TNF-α and their ratio (i.e., anti-pro inflammatory ratio) may fully mediate the negative association between cumulative exposure to nanomaterials and the FEV 1 /FVC ratio. This pattern was not observed for other pulmonary function parameters., Conclusions: Safeguarding the respiratory health of workers exposed to nanomaterials should be of primary importance. The observed association between cumulative exposure to nanomaterials and worse pulmonary function parameters underscores the importance of implementing adequate protective measures in the nanocomposite sector. The mitigation of harmful exposures may ensure that workers can continue to contribute productively to their workplaces while preserving their respiratory health over time., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Restrictive spirometry pattern is an under-recognised disorder with a poor morbidity and mortality prognosis. We compared physical activity levels between adults with a restrictive spirometry pattern and with normal spirometry., Methods: Restrictive spirometry pattern was defined as a having post-bronchodilator FEV 1 /FVC ≥ Lower Limit of Normal and a FVC<80% predicted in two population-based studies (ECRHS-III and SAPALDIA3). Physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The odds of having low physical activity (<1st study-specific tertile) was evaluated using adjusted logistic regression models., Results: Subjects with a restrictive spirometry pattern (n = 280/4721 in ECRHS, n = 143/3570 in SAPALDIA) reported lower levels of physical activity than those with normal spirometry (median of 1770 vs 2253 MET·min/week in ECRHS, and 3519 vs 3945 MET·min/week in SAPALDIA). Subjects with a restrictive spirometry pattern were more likely to report low physical activity (meta-analysis odds ratio: 1.41 [95%CI 1.07-1.86]) than those with a normal spirometry. Obesity, respiratory symptoms, co-morbidities and previous physical activity levels did not fully explain this finding., Conclusion: Adults with a restrictive spirometry pattern were more likely to report low levels of physical activity than those with normal spirometry. These results highlight the need to identify and act on this understudied but prevalent condition., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Tobacco consumption is the largest avoidable health risk. Understanding changes of smoking over time and across populations is crucial to implementing health policies. We evaluated trends in smoking initiation between 1970 and 2009 in random samples of European populations., Methods: We pooled data from six multicentre studies involved in the Ageing Lungs in European Cohorts consortium, including overall 119,104 subjects from 17 countries (range of median ages across studies: 33-52 years). We estimated retrospectively trends in the rates of smoking initiation (uptake of regular smoking) by age group, and tested birth cohort effects using Age-Period-Cohort (APC) modelling. We stratified all analyses by sex and region (North, East, South, West Europe)., Results: Smoking initiation during late adolescence (16-20 years) declined for both sexes and in all regions (except for South Europe, where decline levelled off after 1990). By the late 2000s, rates of initiation during late adolescence were still high (40-80 per 1000/year) in East, South, and West Europe compared to North Europe (20 per 1000/year). Smoking initiation rates during early adolescence (11-15 years) showed a marked increase after 1990 in all regions (except for North European males) but especially in West Europe, where they reached 40 per 1000/year around 2005. APC models supported birth cohort effects in the youngest cohorts., Conclusion: Smoking initiation is still unacceptably high among European adolescents, and increasing rates among those aged 15 or less deserve attention. Reducing initiation in adolescents is fundamental, since youngsters are particularly vulnerable to nicotine addiction and tobacco adverse effects., Competing Interests: TZ has received industry consulting, research grants and/or honoraria from: AstraZeneca, AbbVie, ALK, Almirall, Astellas, Bayer Health Care, Bencard, Berlin Chemie, FAES, HAL, Henkel, Kryolan, Leti, L'Oreal, Meda, Menarini, Merck, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, Stallergenes, Takeda, Teva, UCB; TZ reports the following organizational affiliations: Committee member, WHO-Initiative “Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma” (ARIA); Member of the Board, German Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (DGAKI); Head, European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF); Secretary General, Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA2LEN); Member, Committee on Allergy Diagnosis and Molecular Allergology, World Allergy Organisation (WAO). All the other authors report no financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years, and no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work. These competing interests do not alter the authors' adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. There are no restrictions to the sharing of data from this study.