HBM4EU Chromates Study: Determinants of Exposure to Hexavalent Chromium in Plating, Welding and Other Occupational Settings

Work-related exposures in industrial processing of chromate (chrome plating, surface treatment and welding) raise concern regarding the health risk of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). In this study, performed under the HBM4EU project, we focused on better understanding the determinants of exposure and recognising how risk management measures (RMMs) contribute to a reduction in exposure. HBM and occupational hygiene data were collected from 399 workers and 203 controls recruited in nine European countries. Urinary total chromium (U-Cr), personal inhalable and respirable dust of Cr and Cr(VI) and Cr from hand wipes were collected. Data on the RMMs were collected by questionnaires. We studied the association between different exposure parameters and the use of RMMs. The relationship between exposure by inhalation and U-Cr in different worker groups was analysed using regression analysis and found a strong association. Automatisation of Cr electroplating dipping explained lower exposure levels in platers. The use of personal protective equipment resulted in lower U-Cr levels in welding, bath plating and painting. An effect of wearing gloves was observed in machining. An effect of local exhaust ventilation and training was observed in welding. Regression analyses showed that in platers, exposure to air level of 5 µg/m3 corresponds to U-Cr level of 7 µg/g creatinine. In welders, the same inhalation exposure resulted in lower U-Cr levels reflecting toxicokinetic differences of different chromium species.

Description

The HBM4EU Chromates study team consists of: Guillaume Antoine1, Rob Anzion2, Manuella Burgart1, Andrea Cattaneo3, Domenico Maria Cavallo3, Flavien Denis1, GiuseppeDe Palma4, Giovanni Forte5, Angela Gambelunghe7, Ogier Hanser1, Emilie Hardy6, Riikka Helenius8, Carina Ladeira9, Henriqueta Louro10, Piero Lovreglio11, Nicole Majery12, Mathieu Melczer1, Philippe Marsan1, Ana Nogueira13, Hermínia Pinhal13, Edna Ribeiro9,Jouko Remes8, Sílvia Reis Santos13, Françoise Schaefers6, Marta Senofonte5, Sally Spankie14, Maurice van Dael2, Henna Veijalainen8, with the correspondent affiliations: 1French National Research and Safety Institute, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France; 2Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; 3Department of Science and High Technology, University of Insubria, Como, Italy; 4Department of Med-ical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Bre-scia, Brescia, Italy; 5 Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy; 6 Department Health Protection, Laboratoire National de Santé (LNS), 1, Rue Louis Rech, 3555 Dudelange, Luxembourg; 7Department of Medicine and Surgery, Uni-versity of Perugia, Perugia, Italy; 8Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Fin-land; 9H&TRC-Health & Technology Research Center, ESTeSL-Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa; Comprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), 1169–056 Lisbon, Portugal; 10National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Department of Human Genetics, Lisbon and ToxOmics –Centre for Toxi-cogenomics and Human Health, NOVA Medical School, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; 11Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy; 12Service de Santé Au Travail Multisectoriel (STM), Luxembourg; 13National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Environmental Health Department, Lisbon, Portugal; 14Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), Edinburgh, EH144AP, UK.
This article belongs to the Special Issue Occupational Health Risk Assessment.

Keywords

Environmental Genotoxicity Hexavalent Chromium Exposure Determinants Risk Management Measures Occupational Hygiene Biomonitoring Air Monitoring Dermal Exposure Genotoxicidade Ambiental Ar e Saúde Ocupacional