Tracking bioaerosol exposure among municipal solid waste workers using hematological and inflammatory biomarkers

Ashraf Mazaheri Tehrani; Nima Berijani; Sajjad Hajiketabi; Mohammadtaghi Samadi

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124124

Tracking bioaerosol exposure among municipal solid waste workers using hematological and inflammatory biomarkers

Environ Pollut. 2024 May 7:352:124124. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124124. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ashraf Mazaheri Tehrani¹, Nima Berijani², Sajjad Hajiketabi³, Mohammadtaghi Samadi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
² Sepehr Occupational Medicine Center, Hamadan, Iran.
³ Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran; Student Research Committee, Faculty of Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
⁴ Research Center for Health Sciences, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran. Electronic address: samadi@umsha.ac.ir.

PMID: 38723706
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124124

Abstract

High levels of bioaerosols may exist in the air of municipal solid waste (MSW) management facilities, constituting a significant occupational hazard for workers. In this study, we investigated the potential association between exposure to bioaerosols and inflammatory biomarkers among municipal solid waste workers (MSWWs) at both the landfill site and the municipal solid waste transfer station (MSWTS), in comparison to a control group without exposure. Air sampling was conducted at six points around the landfill, two points at the MSWTS, and one point in a public park (as a control area) during the spring and summer of 2019. The results of our study revealed that airborne pathogens were highly prevalent at the sampling points, especially in the active zone and leachate collection pond. Aspergillus species were the predominant fungal species detected in this study, with the highest occurrence observed for Aspergillus flavus (83.3%), Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus fumigatus (75.0%). Furthermore, Staphylococcus species accounted for over 75% of the total bacterial bioaerosols detected across all study areas. The blood test results of workers revealed a significant increase in platelets (PLT), immunoglobulin G (IgG), white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils, basophils, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) compared to the control group. Conversely, platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR) in the exposed subjects exhibited a decreasing trend compared to the control group. These findings suggest a potential association between exposure to bioaerosols, particularly in the vicinity of open dumpsites, and elevated levels of hematologic and inflammatory markers in circulation. Furthermore, the influence of smoking status and confounding factors appears to be significant in both the control and exposure groups.

Keywords: Air pollution; Bioaerosols; Hematologic parameters; Inflammatory biomarkers; Waste workers.