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SERUM CONCENTRATION OF ACE, NEOPTERIN, TNF-a AND
SIL-2R IN HEALTHY WORKERS EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT
METAL DUSTS Harald C Ott, Christian Prior,
Manfred Herold, Markus Riha, Guenter
Ott Department of Cardiac Surgery, Department of
Medicine, University Hospital Innsbruck
RESULTS
INTRODUCTION Chronic lead and hard-metal
exposure can cause severe occupational lung
disease. The aim of the study was to detect
early adverse effects of chronic inhalative metal
dust and fume exposure by measurement of
different serum markers.
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• PATIENTS
• 155 healthy employees of a glass manufacturer
  company, a hard-metal plant, a tool manufacturer
  company and a biochemical plant were examined
• 57 workers exposed to lead dust and fumes
• 38 workers exposed to hard-metal dust
• 14 workers exposed to molybdenum dust and fumes
• 17 workers exposed to hard-metal
  grinding-coolant aerosol
• 29 workers exposed to organic dust

Fig.1 to 4 Serum levels of Neopterin, sIL-2R,
ACE and TNF-alpha in different groups of workers
Lead exposure triggers sIL-2R and TNF-a release.
Hard-metal exposure induces TNF-a release.
Grinding-coolant exposure induces TNF-a and
neopterin release. Molybdenum exposure causes
Neopterin release.
CONCLUSION Each of the studied inhalative
exposures seemes to induce a characteristic
cytokine pattern and therefore a specific
inflammatory answer. This can be considered as an
early adverse effect. Increased levels of the
serum markers measured in this study are a common
finding in patients suffering from active
interstitial lung disease. Wether our
observations highlight an ongoing disease or
indicate only a physiological reaction remains
unclear.
METHODS Blood samples were collected during a
routine medical check up, the serum was separated
and the serum probes were kept frozen auntil
further analysis. Serum concentrations were
determined using commercially available enzyme
assays
Corresponding author Harald C Ott MD, Department
of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital
Innsbruck, Anichstraße , 6020 Innsbruck, AUSTRIA,
Fax [phone], Phone [phone],
e-mail h.c.ott_at_aon.at