Context: Professional ski waxers are exposed to particulate matter (PM) during work, but little is known about untoward pulmonary effects. Objectives: The aim was to study lung function and pneumoproteins in professional ski waxers before and during exposure to PM generated during ski waxing and ski preparation. Material and methods: Forty-five male professional ski waxers examined on an exposure-free day in the morning and at least 6 h later were re-examined during ski waxing 2 d later in a cross-shift study. Pulmonary function and gas diffusion capacity were measured and Clara cell protein 16 (CC-16), surfactant protein A and D (SP-A and SP-D), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined in serum. PM was collected by personal sampling. Results: The mean PM concentrations in the respirable and in the inhalable aerosol fraction in air samples collected during waxing were 3.1 mg/m3 and 6.2 mg/m3, respectively. The mid expiratory flow (MEF75%) was significantly lower during exposure. The concentrations of CRP increased significantly by more than 100% during ski waxing, and SP-D and CC-16 were significantly lower during the exposed day as compared with the non-exposed day. The results further suggest that SP-D and CC-16 in serum are affected by diurnal variations. No significant alterations were...

Freberg, Baard Ingegerdsson; Olsen, Raymond; Thorud, Syvert; Daae, Hanne Line; Hersson, Merete; Molander, Pål; Barregard, Lars; Ellingsen, Dag G.
Inhalation Toxicology 28(1): 7–13
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