TY - JOUR T1 - Acrylonitrile exposure assessment in the emergency responders of a major train accident in Belgium: a human biomonitoring study. JF - Toxicol Lett Y1 - 2014 A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse A1 - Sébastien Fierens A1 - De Smedt, T A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Christiane Vleminckx A1 - Birgit Mertens A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Bader, M A1 - De Paepe, P A1 - Göen, T A1 - Nemery, B A1 - Schettgen, T A1 - Stove, C A1 - Herman Van Oyen A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - acrylonitrile KW - Adult KW - Belgium KW - Chemical Hazard Release KW - Emergency Responders KW - Environmental Monitoring KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Male KW - middle aged KW - Occupational Exposure KW - Railroads KW - regression analysis KW - Surveys and Questionnaires KW - Valine AB -

BACKGROUND: On May 4, 2013, a train transporting chemicals derailed in Wetteren, Belgium. Several tanks loaded with acrylonitrile (ACN) exploded, resulting in a fire and a leakage of ACN.

OBJECTIVES: To determine exposure to ACN and to assess discriminating factors for ACN exposure in the emergency responders involved in the on-site management of the train accident.

METHODS: The study population consisted of 841 emergency responders. Between May 21 and June 28, they gave blood for the determination of N-2-cyanoethylvaline (CEV) hemoglobin adducts and urine for the measurement of cotinine. They also filled in a short questionnaire.

RESULTS: 163 (26%) non-smokers and 55 (27%) smokers showed CEV concentrations above the reference values of 10 and 200 pmol/g globin, respectively. The 95th percentile in the non-smokers was 73 pmol/g globin and the maximum was 452 pmol/g globin. ACN exposure among the non-smokers was predicted by (1) the distance to the accident, (2) the duration of exposure, and (3) the occupational function.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Emergency responders involved in the on-site management of the train accident were clearly exposed to ACN from the accident. However, the extent of exposure remained relatively moderate with CEV concentrations staying within the ranges described in literature as background for a smoking population. Moreover, the exposure was less pronounced in the emergency responders as compared to that in the local population.

VL - 231 CP - 3 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25128591?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1016/j.toxlet.2014.08.013 ER -