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Abstract
In battery-recycling facilities, exposure to trace elements may occur through inhalation of contaminated dust or vapor emanating from the treatment processes. Thus, biomonitoring coupled with air measurements, appeared to be a relevant approach to assess exposure of battery recyclers. While lead exposure has been quite well covered in the literature, in contrast, data on exposure to other elements contained in batteries are lacking. The aim of this study was to characterize the exposure of French battery recyclers to multiple elements using biomonitoring and airborne measurements. Eighty-six workers participated in the study. Pre-shift and post-shift urine samples and personal airborne samples were collected during the working week. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to analyze 7 trace elements in both type of sample: Cd, Co, Cr, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb. Results showed battery recyclers to be mostly exposed to Cd, Co, Li, Mn and Ni. Urinary sample analysis indicated exposure to Cd and Co, with levels measured at up to 27.6 and 3.34 µg/g of creatinine, respectively. Cd, Co, Li, Mn, and Ni were detected at high levels in air samples, especially near the treatment facilities, with airborne cadmium levels of up to 79.4 µg/m3. Administrative and sorting workers were exposed at lower levels than maintenance, treatment, and dismantling workers. The data presented provide valuable information on exposure to trace elements for battery recyclers. They also highlight the need to improve both collective and individual protective measures, which were not sufficient in the participating companies.

The EU human biomonitoring initiative, HBM4EU, aims to co-ordinate and advance human biomonitoring (HBM) across Europe. Within its remit, the project is gathering new, policy relevant, EU-wide data on occupational exposure to relevant priority chemicals and developing new approaches for occupational biomonitoring. In this manuscript, the hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] study design is presented as the first example of this HBM4EU approach. This study involves eight European countries and plans to recruit 400 workers performing Cr(VI) surface treatment e.g. electroplating or stainless steel welding activities. The aim is to collect new data on current occupational exposure to Cr(VI) in Europe and to test new methods for Cr biomonitoring, specifically the analysis of Cr(VI) in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and Cr in red blood cells (RBC) in addition to traditional urinary total Cr analyses. Furthermore, exposure data will be complemented with early biological effects data, including genetic and epigenetic effects. Personal air samples and wipe samples are collected in parallel to help informing the biomonitoring results. We present standard operational procedures (SOPs) to support the harmonized methodologies for the collection of occupational hygiene and HBM samples in different countries. ; This work has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 733032 and received co-funding from the author's organizations and/or Ministries. ; Sí

Exposure to hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] may occur in several occupational activities, e.g., welding, Cr(VI) electroplating and other surface treatment processes. The aim of this study was to provide EU relevant data on occupational Cr(VI) exposure to support the regulatory risk assessment and decision-making. In addition, the capability and validity of different biomarkers for the assessment of Cr(VI) exposure were evaluated. The study involved nine European countries and involved 399 workers in different industry sectors with exposures to Cr(VI) such as welding, bath plating, applying or removing paint and other tasks. We also studied 203 controls to establish a background in workers with no direct exposure to Cr(VI). We applied a cross-sectional study design and used chromium in urine as the primary biomonitoring method for Cr(VI) exposure. Additionally, we studied the use of red blood cells (RBC) and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) for biomonitoring of exposure to Cr(VI). Personal measurements were used to study exposure to inhalable and respirable Cr(VI) by personal air sampling. Dermal exposure was studied by taking hand wipe samples. The highest internal exposures were observed in the use of Cr(VI) in electrolytic bath plating. In stainless steel welding the internal Cr exposure was clearly lower when compared to plating activities. We observed a high correlation between chromium urinary levels and air Cr(VI) or dermal total Cr exposure. Urinary chromium showed its value as a first approach for the assessment of total, internal exposure. Correlations between urinary chromium and Cr(VI) in EBC and Cr in RBC were low, probably due to differences in kinetics and indicating that these biomonitoring approaches may not be interchangeable but rather complementary. This study showed that occupational biomonitoring studies can be conducted successfully by multi-national collaboration and provide relevant information to support policy actions aiming to reduce occupational exposure to chemicals. ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 733032 and received co-funding from the author's organizations and/or Ministries. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion