The Effect of Inhaled Chromium on Different Exhaled Breath Condensate Biomarkers among Chrome-Plating Workers Andrea Caglieri,1 Matteo Goldoni,1,2 Olga Acampa,1 Roberta Andreoli,1,2 Maria Vittoria Vettori,1,2 Massimo Corradi,1,2 Pietro Apostoli,3 and Antonio Mutti1 1Laboratory of Industrial Toxicology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Health Sciences, University of Parma, Italy; 2National Institute of Occupational Safety and Prevention, Research Centre at the University of Parma, Parma, Italy; 3Laboratory of Industrial Hygiene, Department of Experimental and Applied Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy Abstract Chromium is corrosive, cytotoxic, and carcinogenic for humans and can induce acute and chronic lung tissue toxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate Cr levels in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) of workers exposed to Cr(VI) and to assess their relationship with biochemical changes in the airways by analyzing EBC biomarkers of oxidative stress, namely, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) . EBC samples were collected from 24 chrome-plating workers employed in a chrome-plating plant both before and after the Friday work shift and before the work shift on the following Monday. Cr-EBC levels increased from the beginning (5.3 µg/L) to the end of Friday (6.4 µg/L) but were considerably lower on Monday morning (2.8 µg/L) . A similar trend was observed for H2O2-EBC levels (which increased from 0.36 µM to 0.59 µM on Friday and were 0.19 µM on Monday morning) and MDA-EBC levels (which increased from 8.2 nM to 9.7 nM on Friday and were 6.6 nM on Monday) . Cr-EBC levels correlated with those of H2O2-EBC (r = 0.54, p < 0.01) and MDA-EBC (r = 0.59, p < 0.01) , as well as with urinary Cr levels (r = 0.25, p < 0.05) . The results of this study demonstrate that EBC is a suitable matrix that can be used to investigate both Cr levels and biomarkers of free radical production sampling the epithelial-lining fluid of workers exposed to Cr(VI) . Key words: chromium, exhaled breath condensate, hydrogen peroxide, lung, malondialdehyde. Environ Health Perspect 114: 542-546 (2006) . doi:10.1289/ehp.8506 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 8 December 2005] Address correspondence to A. Mutti, Laboratory of Industrial Toxicology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Health Sciences, University of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43100 Parma, Italy. Telephone: 39-0521-033075. Fax: 39-0521-033076. E-mail: antonio.mutti@unipr.it This study was supported by the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute (NHLBI ; grant R01 HL72323) and the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (PRIN 200306145) . The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NHLBI or the National Institutes of Health. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 15 July 2005 ; accepted 8 December 2005. The full version of this article is available for free in HTML or PDF formats. |