Firefighters and the liver: Exposure to PFAS and PAHs in relation to liver function and serum lipids (CELSPAC-FIREexpo study)
Language English Country Germany Media print-electronic
Document type Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PubMed
37418783
DOI
10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114215
PII: S1438-4639(23)00106-2
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- Keywords
- Firefighters, Liver function, Mixture analysis, Occupational exposure, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons/PAHs, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances/PFAS,
- MeSH
- Bayes Theorem MeSH
- Biomarkers urine MeSH
- Fluorocarbons * MeSH
- Firefighters * MeSH
- Liver chemistry MeSH
- Cardiovascular Diseases * MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Lipids MeSH
- Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons * urine MeSH
- Occupational Exposure * analysis MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Names of Substances
- Biomarkers MeSH
- Fluorocarbons * MeSH
- Lipids MeSH
- Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons * MeSH
INTRODUCTION: Firefighting is one of the most hazardous occupations due to exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Such exposure is suspected to affect the cardiometabolic profile, e.g., liver function and serum lipids. However, only a few studies have investigated the impact of this specific exposure among firefighters. METHODS: Men included in the CELSPAC-FIREexpo study were professional firefighters (n = 52), newly recruited firefighters in training (n = 58), and controls (n = 54). They completed exposure questionnaires and provided 1-3 samples of urine and blood during the 11-week study period to allow assessment of their exposure to PFAS (6 compounds) and PAHs (6 compounds), and to determine biomarkers of liver function (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin (BIL)) and levels of serum lipids (total cholesterol (CHOL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides (TG)). The associations between biomarkers were investigated both cross-sectionally using multiple linear regression (MLR) and Bayesian weighted quantile sum (BWQS) regression and prospectively using MLR. The models were adjusted for potential confounders and false discovery rate correction was applied to account for multiplicity. RESULTS: A positive association between exposure to PFAS and PAH mixture and BIL (β = 28.6%, 95% CrI = 14.6-45.7%) was observed by the BWQS model. When the study population was stratified, in professional firefighters and controls the mixture showed a positive association with CHOL (β = 29.5%, CrI = 10.3-53.6%) and LDL (β = 26.7%, CrI = 8.3-48.5%). No statistically significant associations with individual compounds were detected using MLR. CONCLUSIONS: This study investigated the associations between exposure to PFAS and PAHs and biomarkers of cardiometabolic health in the Czech men, including firefighters. The results suggest that higher exposure to a mixture of these compounds is associated with an increase in BIL and the alteration of serum lipids, which can result in an unfavourable cardiometabolic profile.
ISGlobal Barcelona Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra Madrid Spain
RECETOX Faculty of Science Masaryk University Kamenice 753 5 625 00 Brno Czech Republic
References provided by Crossref.org
