Occupational exposure to particulate matters and telomere length

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Molecular Biology
• Occupational Medicine

Background:

• Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a biomarker for biological aging.
• Limited data exists on the association between occupational exposure to mineral particulate matter and LTL.
• Understanding this link is crucial for assessing occupational health risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between occupational exposure to mineral dust and LTL in ceramic factory workers.
• To compare LTL between workers exposed to mineral dust and non-exposed workers.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 110 male workers (80 exposed, 30 non-exposed) from a ceramic factory.
• Collected personal air samples for inhalable and respirable dust fractions.
• Measured relative LTL using quantitative real-time PCR.

Main Results:

• Exposed workers had significantly shorter LTL (0.64 ± 0.06) compared to non-exposed workers (0.73 ± 0.07).
• Exposure to respirable dust exceeded threshold limit values for 38.75% of exposed workers.
• Adjusted models showed a positive association between both dust fractions and LTL, with a stronger effect for respirable particles.

Conclusions:

• Occupational exposure to mineral dust is associated with shorter LTL, indicating accelerated biological aging.
• Mineral dust exposure, distinct from traffic-related air pollution, is a potential risk factor for cellular aging.
• Telomere shortening may mediate the health effects of occupational air pollution.