Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Pulmonary inflammation and crystalline silica in respirable coal mine dust: Dose response

  • Published:
Journal of Biosciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study describes the quantitative relationships between early pulmonary responses and the estimated lungburden or cumulative exposure of respirable-quartz or coal mine dust. Data from a previous bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) study in coal miners (n = 20) and nonminers (n = 16) were used including cell counts of alveolar macrophages AMs) and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), and the antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. Miners’ individual working lifetime particulate exposures were estimated from work histories and mine air sampling data, and quartz lung-burdens were estimated using a lung dosimetry model. Results show that quartz, as either cumulative exposure or estimated lung-burden, was a highly statistically significant predictor of PMN response (P< 00001); however cumulative coal dust exposure did not significantly add to the prediction of PMNs (P = 0.2) above that predicted by cumulative quartz exposure (P < 0.0001). Despite the small study size, radiographic category was also significantly related to increasing levels of both PMNs and quartz lung burden (P-values < 0.04). SOD in BAL fluid rose linearly with quartz lung burden (P < 0.01), but AM count in BAL fluid did not (P > 0.4). This study demonstrates dose-response relationships between respirable crystalline silica in coal mine dust and pulmonary inflammation, antioxidant production, and radiographic small opacities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

AM:

alveolar macrophage

BAL:

bronchoalveolar lavage

COPD:

chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases

CWP:

coal workers pneumoconiosis

PMN:

polymorphonuclear leukocyte

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

WLL:

whole lung lavage

References

  • Attfield M D and Seixas N S 1995 Prevalence of pneumoconiosis and its relationship to dust exposure in a cohort of US bituminous coal miners and ex-miners;Am. J. Industr. Med. 27 137–151

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Attfield M D, Vallyathan V and Green F H Y 1994 Radiographic appearances of small opacities and their correlation with pathology grading of macules, nodules, and dust burden in the lungs;Ann. Occup. Hyg. (Suppl. 1)38 783–789

    Google Scholar 

  • Castellan R M, Sanderson W T and Petersen M R 1985 Prevalence of radiographic appearance of pneumoconiosis in an unexposed blue collar population;Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 131 684–686

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Castranova V 2000 From coal mine dust to quartz: mechanisms of pulmonary pathogenicity;Inhal. Toxicol. (Suppl. 3)12 7–14

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Castranova V and Vallyathan V 2000 Silicosis and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis;Environ. Health Perspect (Suppl. 14)108 675–684

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Castranova V, Porter D, Millecchia L, Ma J Y C, Hubbs A F and Teass K 2002 Effect of inhaled crystalline silica in a rat model;Mol. Cell Biochem. 234/235 177–184

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Checkoway H, Heyer N J, Seixas N S, Welp E A E, Demers P A, Hughes J M and Weill H 1997 Dose-response associations of silica with nonmalignant respiratory disease and lung cancer mortality in the diatomaceous earth industry;Am. J. Epidem. 145 680.688

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engelen J J, Borm P J A, van Sprundel M and Leenaerts L 1990 Blood anti-oxidant parameters at different stages of pneumo coniosis in coal workers;Environ. Health Perspect. 84 165–172

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hnizdo E and Sluis-Cremer G K 1993 Risk of silicosis in a cohort of white South African gold miners;Am. J. Industr. Med. 24 447–457

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hurley J F, Alexander W P, Hazledine D J, Jacobsen M and Maclaren W M 1987 Exposure to respirable coalmine dust and incidence of progressive massive fibrosis;Br. J. Industr. Med. 44 661–672

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • ILO 1980Guidelines for the use of the ILO international classification of radiographs of pneumoconiosis. Rev. ed. Occupational Safety and Health Series No. 22 (Geneva: International Labour Office)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuempel E D, Smith R J, Attfield M D and Stayner L T 1997 Risks of occupational respiratory diseases among U.S. coal miners;Appl. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 12 823–831

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuempel E D, O’Flaherty E J, Stayner L T, Smith R J, Green F H Y and Vallyathan V 2001a A biomathematical model of particle clearance and retention in the lungs of coal miners: Part I, model development;Reg. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 34 69–87

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuempel E D, Tran C L, Smith R J and Bailer A J 2001b A biomathematical model of particle clearance and retention in the lungs of coal miners: Part II, evaluation of variability and uncertainty;Reg. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 34 88–101

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lapp N L, Lewis D, Schwegler-Berry D, Abrons H, Kung M and Castranova V 1991 Bronchoalveolar laveage in asymptomatic underground coal miners; inProceedings of the 3rd Symposium on Respirable Dust in the Mineral Industry pp 159–169

  • Lapp N L and Castranova V 1993 How silicosis and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis develop a cellular assessment;Occup. Med. State Art Rev. 5 35–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Linden M, Rasmussen J B, Piitulainen E, Anders T, Larson M, Tegner H, Venge P, Laitinen L A and Brattsand R 1993 Airway inflammation in smokers with nonobstructive and obstructive chronic bronchitis;Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 148 1226–1232

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McLintock J S, Rae S and Jacobsen M 1971 The attack rate of progressive massive fibrosis in British coalminers; inInhaled particles III (ed.) W H Walton (Surrey, United Kingdom: Unwin Brothers Limited, The Gresham Press) Vol. II, pp 933–950

    Google Scholar 

  • Mossman B T and Churg A 1998 Mechanisms in the pathogenesis of asbestosis and silicosis;Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 157 1666–1680

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IAMSHA 2001Respirable coal mine dust (1970-2001) and quartz dust (1982-2001) data bases (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration Coal Division)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadif R, Bourgkard E, Dusch M, Bernadac P and Bertrand J P 1998 Relations between occupational exposure to coal mine dusts, erythrocyte catalase and Cu++/Zn++ superoxide dimutase activities, and the severity of coal worker’s pneumoconiosis;Occup. Environ. Med. 55 533–540

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Porter D W, Ramsey D, Hubbs A F, Battelli L, Ma J, Barger M, Landsittel D, Robinson V A, McLaurin J, Khan A, Jones W, Teass A and Castranova V 2001 Time course of pulmonary response of rats to inhalation of crystalline silica: histological results and biochemical indices of damage, lipidosis, and fibrosis;J. Environ. Pathol. Toxicol. Oncol. (Suppl. 1)20 1–14

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Porter D W, Millecchia L, Robinson V A, Hubbs A, Willard P, Puck D, Ramsey D, McLaurin J, Khan A, Landsittel D, Teass K and Castranova V 2002a Enhanced nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species production and damage after inhalation of silica;Am. J. Physiol. Lung. Cell Mol. Physiol. 283 L485-L493

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Porter D, Ye J, Ma J, Barger M and Robinson V A 2002b Time course of pulmonary response of rats to inhalation of chrystalline silica: NF-kB activation, inflammation, cytokine production, and damage;Inhal. Toxicol. 14 349–367

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Repine J E, Bast A, Lankhorst I and the Oxidative Stress Study Group 1997 Oxidative stress in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 156 341–357

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rice F L, Park R, Stayner L, Smith R, Gilbert S and Checkoway H 2001 Crystalline silica exposure and lung cancer mortality in diatomaceous earth industry workers: a quantitative risk assessment;Occup. Environ. Med. 58 38–45

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rom W L 1991 Relationship of inflammatory cell cytokines to disease severity in individuals with occupational inorganic dust exposure;Am. J. Industr. Med. 19 15–27

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schins RPF and Borm P J A 1999 Mechanisms and mediators in coal dust induced toxicity: a review;Ann. Occup. Hyg. 43 7–33

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schins RPF, Keman S and Borm P J A 1997 Blood antioxidant status in coal dust-induced respiratory disorders: a longitudinal evaluation of multiple biomarkers;Biomarkers 2 45–50

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Steenland K and Brown D 1995 Silicosis among gold miners: Exposure-response analyses and risk assessment;Am. J. Public Health 85 1372–1377

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tran C L and Buchanan D 2000Development of a Biomathematical Lung Model to Describe the Exposure-dose Relationship for Inhaled Dust among U.K. Coal Miners, IOM Research Report TM/00/02 (Edinburgh, UK: Institute of Occupational Medicine)

    Google Scholar 

  • Vallyathan V, Goins M, Lapp L N, Pack D, Leonard S, Shi X and Castranova V 2000 Changes in bronchoalveolar lavage indices associated with radiographic classification in coal miners;Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 162 958–965

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wallaert B, Lassalle P, Forton F, Aerts C, Bart F, Fourheir E and Voisin C 1990 Superoxide anion generation by alveolar inflammatory cells in simple pneumoconiosis and in progressive massive fibrosis of non-smoking coal workers;Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 141 129–133

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weber S L, Lapp N L, Vallyathan V, Castranova V, Shumaker J and Schwegler Berry D 1996 Role of cytokines and mineral particle profile in the development of coal workers’ pneumo coniosis as assessed by bronchoalveolar lavage;App. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 11 923–927

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilt J L, Banks D E, Weissman D N, Parker J E, Vallyathan V, Castranova V, Dedhia H V, Stulken E, Ma J K H, Ma J Y C, Cruzzavala J, Shumaker J, Childress C P and Lapp N L 1996 Reduction of lung dust burden in pneumonoconiosis by whole lung lavage;Occup. Environ. Med. 38 619–624

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Education and Information Division, Risk Evaluation Branch, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH), 45226-1998, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    E. D. Kuempel, M. D. Attfield, V. Vallyathan, N. L. Lapp, J. M. Hale, R. J. Smith & V. Castranova

  2. Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, NIOSH, Morgantown, WV, USA

    M. D. Attfield & J. M. Hale

  3. Health Effects Laboratory Division, NIOSH, Morgantown, WV, USA

    V. Vallyathan & V. Castranova

  4. Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

    N. L. Lapp

Authors
  1. E. D. Kuempel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. D. Attfield
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. V. Vallyathan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. N. L. Lapp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. J. M. Hale
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. R. J. Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. V. Castranova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. D. Kuempel.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kuempel, E.D., Attfield, M.D., Vallyathan, V. et al. Pulmonary inflammation and crystalline silica in respirable coal mine dust: Dose response. J. Biosci. 28, 61–69 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02970133

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02970133

Keywords

Search

Navigation