Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy

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Publications

Occupational Exposure of Firefighters in Non-fire Settings

Publication . Slezakova, Klara; Esteves, Filipa; Vaz, Josiana; Alves, Maria José; Madureira, Joana; Costa, Solange; Fernandes, Adília; Teixeira, João Paulo; Morais, Simone; Pereira, Maria do Carmo

This work assessed firefighters’ exposure to particulate matter (PM) in non-fire work settings during pre-fire season, as a baseline for the respective occupational exposure characterization. Indoor and outdoor air sampling was conducted for two weeks in pre-fire season of 2021 in seven fire corporations (FC1-FC7) in north of Portugal. PM fractions (PM2.5, PM10) were continuously monitored concurrently in indoors (living rooms, rest areas, truck bays) and outdoors. The results showed low levels of pollution. Indoor PM10 was between 2 and 205 μg m–3 (mean 10 μg m–3); PM2.5 were 2—115 μg m–3 (8.5 μg m–3). Both indoor PM fractions were highly and significantly correlated (rs = 0.959–0.997). PM2.5 accounted for 85% of indoor PM; indoor to outdoor ratios (I/O) of PM2.5 ranged between 1.4 and 3.0, thus emphasizing the contribution of indoor emission sources for fine fraction. Outdoor PM10 were 2–6 times higher than indoors (6–894 μg m–3; mean 21 μg m–3); and 2–9 times higher for PM2.5 (5 – 169 μg m–3; 5 μg m–3). Outdoor PM were moderately correlated (rs = 0.584 – 0.878), most likely due to meteorological conditions. Coarse particles contributed the majority of ambient PM10 and accounted for 79%.

2022-09-17Book part

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Occupational Exposure of Firefighters in Non-fire Settings

Publication . Slezakova, K.; Esteves, F.; Vaz, J.; Alves, M.J.; Madureira, J.; Costa, S.; Fernandes, A.; Teixeira, João Paulo; Morais, S.; Pereira, M.C.

Freshwater pollution is a huge concern. A study aiming to evaluate physico-chemical characteristics, microbiota, occurrence of two groups of persistent environmental pollutants with similar chemical properties (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons- PAHs and microplastics - MPs) in Alqueva's surface water was performed during 2021.

2022-09Conference object

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Development of a Novel Peptide Nucleic Acid Probe for the Detection of Legionella spp. in Water Samples

Publication . Nácher-Vázquez, Montserrat; Barbosa, Ana; Armelim, Inês; Azevedo, Andreia Sofia; Almeida, Gonçalo Nieto; Pizarro, Cristina; Azevedo, Nuno Filipe; Almeida, Carina; Cerqueira, Laura

Legionella are opportunistic intracellular pathogens that are found throughout the environment. The Legionella contamination of water systems represents a serious social problem that can lead to severe diseases, which can manifest as both Pontiac fever and Legionnaires' disease (LD) infections. Fluorescence in situ hybridization using nucleic acid mimic probes (NAM-FISH) is a powerful and versatile technique for bacterial detection. By optimizing a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) sequence based on fluorescently selective binding to specific bacterial rRNA sequences, we established a new PNA-FISH method that has been successfully designed for the specific detection of the genus Legionella. The LEG22 PNA probe has shown great theoretical performance, presenting 99.9% specificity and 96.9% sensitivity. We also demonstrated that the PNA-FISH approach presents a good signal-to-noise ratio when applied in artificially contaminated water samples directly on filtration membranes or after cells elution. For water samples with higher turbidity (from cooling tower water systems), there is still the need for further method optimization in order to detect cellular contents and to overcome interferents' autofluorescence, which hinders probe signal visualization. Nevertheless, this work shows that the PNA-FISH approach could be a promising alternative for the rapid (3-4 h) and accurate detection of Legionella.

2022-07-13Journal article

Open access

Fighting occupational risks among Portuguese wildland firefighters: looking at cytogenetic effects

Publication . Esteves, Filipa; Slezakova, Klara; Madureira, Joana; Vaz, Josiana; Fernandes, Adília; Pereira, Maria do Carmo; Morais, Simone; Teixeira, João Paulo; Costa, Solange

Background:Evidence linking wildland firefighters’ occupational exposure and health outcomes is still limited. Cytogenetic endpoints have long been applied in the surveillance of human genotoxic exposures and early effects of genotoxic carcinogens. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to clarify the exposure-induced cytogenetic effects concerning wildland firefighters’ occupational exposure at different time points (Pre-fire season and fire season). Objective:Here, we aim to evaluate the cytogenetic levels in buccal cells among a group of wildland firefighters during a Pre-fire season, considering both the i) influence of self-reported variables (e.g., lifestyle) on buccal micronucleus cytome assay (BMCyt) outcomes and ii) the cytogenetic damage in exfoliated buccal cells considering the estimated inhalation doses to particulate matter (PM) in non-fire work settings. Methods:A total of 176 northern Portuguese wildland firefighters (82% males; mean age of 37.5 ± 10.9) were recruited during the pre-fire season of 2021. Relevant information was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire. Genomic instability was assessed for 172 northern Portuguese wildland firefighters by BMCyt. PM10 and PM2.5 inhalation doses (indoor/outdoor) were estimated for a group of 80 firefighters based on methods described elsewhere [1]. Results:Some lifestyle variables (e.g., daily consumption of vegetables) shown to have a protective role on some BMCyt endpoints (p<0.05), whereas others such coffee consumption or being partof Permanent Intervention Teams (full-time firefighters) presented a negative impact (p<0.05). No significant association was found between estimated inhaled doses of PM10and PM2.5 (mean 1.73 ± 0.43 μg kg-1and 0.53 ± 0.21 μg kg-1, correspondingly) and BMCyt endpoints. Conclusions:The characterization of a population is a very important step to have a broad perspective of the potential risk factors that may influence the studied endpoints in further analysis. Surveillance based on (bio)monitoring programs may be a crucial tool to identify firefighters at high risk for developing adverse health outcomes.

2023-04Conference object

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Assessment of indoor air exposure at residential homes: Inhalation dose and lung deposition of PM10, PM2.5 and ultrafine particles among newborn children and their mothers

Publication . Madureira, Joana; Slezakova, Klara; Silva, Ana Inês; Lage, Bruna; Mendes, Ana; Aguiar, Lívia; Pereira, Maria Carmo; Teixeira, João Paulo; Costa, Carla

Accurate assessment of particulate matter (PM) dose and respiratory deposition is essential to better understand the risks of exposure to PM and, consequently, to develop the respective risk-control strategies. In homes, this is especially relevant in regards to ultrafine particles (UFP; <0.1 μm) which origin in these environments is mostly due to indoor sources. Thus, this study aimed to estimate inhalation doses for different PM mass/number size fractions (i.e., PM10, PM2.5 and UFP) in indoor air of residential homes and to quantify the deposition (total, regional and lobar) in human respiratory tract for both newborn children and mothers. Indoor real-time measurements of PM10, PM2.5 and UFP were conducted in 65 residential homes situated in Oporto metropolitan area (Portugal). Inhalation doses were estimated based on the physical characteristics of individual subjects and their activity patterns. The multi-path particle dosimetry model was used to quantify age-specific depositions in human respiratory tract. The results showed that 3-month old infants exhibited 4-fold higher inhalation doses than their mothers. PM10 were primarily deposited in the head region (87%), while PM2.5 and UFP depositions mainly occurred in the pulmonary area (39% and 43%, respectively). Subject age affected the pulmonary region and the total lung deposition; higher deposition being observed among the newborns. Similarly, lower lobes (left lobe: 37% and right lobe: 30%) received higher PM deposition than upper and middle lobes; right lobes lung are prone to be more susceptible to respiratory problems, since asymmetric deposition was observed. Considering that PM-related diseases occur at specific sites of respiratory system, quantification of site-specific particle deposition should be predicted in order to better evidence the respective health outcomes resulting from inhaled PM.

2020-05-15Journal article

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