TY - JOUR
T1 - Occupational exposure to Cr(VI) in Finland in 1980–2016 and related lung cancer risk assessment
AU - Mahiout, Selma
AU - Kiilunen, Mirja
AU - Vermeire, Theo
AU - Viegas, Susana
AU - Woutersen, Marjolijn
AU - Santonen, Tiina
N1 - Funding Information:
This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 733032 ( www.HBM4EU.eu ); co-funding was received from the authors' organizations: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) , Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and National School of Public Health from NOVA University of Lisbon (ENSP-UNL). We would like to warmly thank Dr. Simo Porras for producing Fig. 1 .
Funding Information:
This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 733032 ; co-funding was received from the authors' organizations: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) , Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and National School of Public Health from NOVA University of Lisbon (ENSP-UNL).
Funding Information:
According to the REACH regulation, all companies using Cr(VI) compounds must apply for authorisation of their uses. The REACH authorisation process is meant to promote the substitution of the most hazardous chemicals. However, due to technical reasons, substituting Cr(VI) compounds has not yet been possible in many applications, explaining the high number of authorisations being requested and granted at EU level (ECHA 2021a). In many authorisation applications published at ECHA's webpages (ECHA 2021a), exposures in surface treatment activities (covering e.g. plating and spraying) have been estimated to stay below 2 μg/m3. These estimates are, in many cases, based on modelling. In cases that estimation was obtained through measured data, further adjustments were done for the use of respiratory protection devices and for the frequency of the task being considered. Less common were the authorisation processes that included biomonitoring data. Recently, ECHA's RAC Capacity Building Seminar was organised to discuss the assessment of biomonitoring data in the context of the authorisation process under REACH (ECHA 2021b). In this meeting, it was decided that where there is a serious exposure concern, and suitable sampling and analytical methods are available, RAC may recommend biomonitoring. This will allow the European Commission the option of adding this to the decision, and if there is a history of biomonitoring evident in an application, RAC can recommend to the applicant to continue biomonitoring and use the data in an anonymised form as part of their future exposure assessment. Therefore, hopefully in the future, biomonitoring data will be more frequently used to support exposure and risk assessment also in the REACH authorisation process.This project received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 733032; co-funding was received from the authors' organizations: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and National School of Public Health from NOVA University of Lisbon (ENSP-UNL).This project received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 733032 (www.HBM4EU.eu); co-funding was received from the authors' organizations: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and National School of Public Health from NOVA University of Lisbon (ENSP-UNL). We would like to warmly thank Dr. Simo Porras for producing Fig. 1.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], a known lung carcinogen, remains a relevant concern. When performing exposure assessment for risk assessment, biomonitoring is an important tool, reflecting actual internal exposure of workers. Here, we present total urinary chromium (U–Cr) biomonitoring data from several occupational sectors, spanning 1980–2016 (n > 42,000). Based on these data, we estimated lifelong (40-year) occupational lung cancer risks in the Cr-plating and welding sectors. We used published regression formulas to relate internal (U–Cr) and external Cr(VI) inhalation exposures, allowing risk assessment based on a published lung cancer dose-response. Generally, measured U–Cr levels decreased considerably over the study period. The overall highest U–Cr P95 levels (representing realistic worst-case) were measured in the interval 1980–1989 in casters, maintenance workers and welders (40–45 μg/L). By the interval 2010–2016, the U–Cr P95 had decreased to ≤9.5 μg/L in all studied sectors. Lifelong external Cr(VI) exposure estimation for 1980–2019 was 0.16–0.32 mg/m3 x year for platers and 1.03 mg/m3 x year for welders. Worst-case lifelong lung cancer relative risk (RR) estimates were 1.28–1.56 for platers and 2.80 for welders; attributable risks (AR) were 22–36% for platers and 64% for welders. Uncertainties that may have impacted the risk assessment are discussed.
AB - Occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], a known lung carcinogen, remains a relevant concern. When performing exposure assessment for risk assessment, biomonitoring is an important tool, reflecting actual internal exposure of workers. Here, we present total urinary chromium (U–Cr) biomonitoring data from several occupational sectors, spanning 1980–2016 (n > 42,000). Based on these data, we estimated lifelong (40-year) occupational lung cancer risks in the Cr-plating and welding sectors. We used published regression formulas to relate internal (U–Cr) and external Cr(VI) inhalation exposures, allowing risk assessment based on a published lung cancer dose-response. Generally, measured U–Cr levels decreased considerably over the study period. The overall highest U–Cr P95 levels (representing realistic worst-case) were measured in the interval 1980–1989 in casters, maintenance workers and welders (40–45 μg/L). By the interval 2010–2016, the U–Cr P95 had decreased to ≤9.5 μg/L in all studied sectors. Lifelong external Cr(VI) exposure estimation for 1980–2019 was 0.16–0.32 mg/m3 x year for platers and 1.03 mg/m3 x year for welders. Worst-case lifelong lung cancer relative risk (RR) estimates were 1.28–1.56 for platers and 2.80 for welders; attributable risks (AR) were 22–36% for platers and 64% for welders. Uncertainties that may have impacted the risk assessment are discussed.
KW - HBM4EU
KW - Hexavalent chromium
KW - Human biomonitoring
KW - Lung cancer
KW - Occupational exposure
KW - Risk assessment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140078583&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105276
DO - 10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105276
M3 - Article
C2 - 36240957
AN - SCOPUS:85140078583
SN - 0273-2300
VL - 136
JO - Regulatory Toxicology And Pharmacology
JF - Regulatory Toxicology And Pharmacology
M1 - 105276
ER -