Occupational Exposure to Welding Fumes Associated With Pulmonary Surfactant Lipid Compositional Changes, Inflammatory Activity, and Pulmonary Functioning (April 2026)-Occupational Exposure to Welding Fumes Associated With Pulmonary Surfactant Lipid Compositional Changes, Inflammatory Activity, and Pulmonary Functioning

Occupational Exposure to Welding Fumes Associated With Pulmonary Surfactant Lipid Compositional Changes, Inflammatory Activity, and Pulmonary Functioning

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This cross-sectional study examined whether occupational exposure to welding fumes is associated with changes in respiratory tract lining fluid (RTLF) surfactant phospholipids and whether such changes relate to lung function. The researchers enrolled 134 adults in southwest Sweden: 55 with workplace welding-fume exposure (including welders and workers with secondhand exposure) and 79 unexposed controls. RTLF from small airways was sampled noninvasively using the Particles in Exhaled Air (PExA) method, and 90 lipid species across eight lipid classes were quantified by targeted LC–MS/MS. Pulmonary function was assessed using spirometry, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), impulse oscillometry (IOS), and nitrogen multiple-breath washout (MBW). Statistical analyses included univariate tests, multiple linear regression adjusting for smoking, multivariate modeling (PCA/OPLS), and random forest classification.<br /><br />Although PCA did not clearly separate exposed from unexposed participants, OPLS and random forest models identified exposure-related lipid profile differences. Welding-fume exposure was associated with altered lipid class composition, particularly phosphatidylinositol (PI) and ether-linked phosphatidylethanolamine (PE(O)), and with shifts in multiple individual lipid species. Overall, exposed workers showed a pattern consistent with higher proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in RTLF, including increased PUFA-containing phospholipids and higher levels of lysophosphatidylcholine LPC(18:2), suggesting potential links to inflammatory and oxidative pathways.<br /><br />Two lipid species showed weak but notable associations with lung function across groups: higher PC(16:0_18:3) correlated with lower DLCO and greater small-airway resistance, while lower PC(15:0_16:0) correlated with worse small-airway resistance and increased ventilation inhomogeneity. The authors conclude that welding-fume exposure may modify small-airway surfactant phospholipid composition in ways that could contribute to chronic lung disease risk, warranting further mechanistic and longitudinal research.

Keywords

occupational welding fumes exposure

respiratory tract lining fluid (RTLF)

surfactant phospholipids

Particles in Exhaled Air (PExA) sampling

targeted LC–MS/MS lipidomics

small airway function

diffusing capacity (DLCO)

impulse oscillometry (IOS)

nitrogen multiple-breath washout (MBW)

polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and inflammation