James A. Antonini, Ph.D. Toxicologist National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Adjunct Professor Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences School of Pharmacy Graduate Training: Ph.D., Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, West Virginia University, WV Fellowship: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
	Office: L-2204 NIOSH Lab: L3407 NIOSH 1095 Willowdale Road Mailstop 2015 Morgantown, WV 26505	Email: jga6@cdc.gov Phone: 304-285-6244 Fax: 304-285-5938

Research Interests:

This laboratory is interested in the health effects associated with the inhalation of aerosols (e.g., welding fume, fly ash, silica, asbestos) generated in the workplace. Currently, the major emphasis of the lab is to study the pulmonary, immunological, and potential neurological responses induced by welding fume inhalation. Welding fumes are complex aerosols composed of different potentially toxic metals, such as manganese (neurotoxicity), chromium (carcinogenic, irritant), and nickel (carcinogenic). Epidemiology indicates that millions of workers who are exposed to welding fumes may be at risk for lung disease, Parkinson-like neurological disorders, and infection. The lab has constructed a welding fume generator and inhalation exposure system to assess these potential effects. Our projects involve toxicology, occupational health, physiology, immunology, pathology, and molecular biology.

Images:

Figure 1. Photograph of NIOSH automated robotic electric arc welding generator for fume exposure and characterization studies.	Figure 2. Three-dimensional reconstruction of lung tissue after exposure to welding fume using laser scanning confocal microscopy.  Inhaled welding particles (red)  have been phagocytized by lung macrophages that line an alveolar duct.	Figure 3. Activated lung macrophages after environmental particle exposure.  Macrophages (red) actively phagocytize yellow fluorescent beads.

Selected Publications:

1. Antonini JM, Afshari AA, Stone S, Chen B, Schwegler-Berry D, Fletcher WG, Goldsmith WT, Vandestouwe KH, McKinney W, Castranova V, and Frazer DG. Design, Construction, and Characterization of a Novel Robotic Welding Fume Generation and Inhalation Exposure System for Laboratory Animals. J Occup Environ Hyg 3:194-203, 2006.
   
   
2. Antonini JM, Santamaria A, Jenkins NT, Albini E, and Lucchini R. Fate of manganese associated with the inhalation of welding fumes: Potential neurological effects. Neurotoxicol 27:304-310, 2006.
   
   
3. Antonini JM, O’Callaghan JP, Miller DB. Development of an animal model to study the potential neurotoxic effects associated with welding fume inhalation. Neurotoxicol 27:745-751, 2006.
   
   
4. Roberts JR, Young S-H, Castranova V, and Antonini JM. Soluble metals in residual oil fly ash alter lung immune responses to bacterial infection in rats. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 221:306-319, 2007.
   
   
5. Antonini JM, Stone S, Jenny R. Roberts JR, Bean Chen B, Schwegler-Berry D, Afshari AA, and Frazer DG. Effect of short-term stainless steel welding fume inhalation exposure on lung inflammation, injury, and defense responses in rats. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 223:234-245, 2007.
   
   
6. Zeidler-Erdely PC, Kashon ML, Battelli LA, Young S-H, Erdely AD, Roberts JR, Reynolds SH, and Antonini JM. Lung inflammation and tumor induction in lung tumor susceptible A/J and resistant C57BL/6J mice exposed to welding fume. Particle Fibre Toxicol, 5:12, 2008.
   
   
7. Antonini JM, Roberts JR, Stone S, Chen BT, Schwegler-Berry D, and Frazer DG. Short-term inhalation exposure to mild steel welding fume had no effect on lung inflammation and injury but did alter defense responses to bacteria in rats. Inhal Toxicol 21:182-192, 2009.
   
   
8. Keane M, Stone S, Chen BT, Slaven J, Schwegler-Berry D, and Antonini JM. Hexavalent chromium content in stainless steel welding fumes is dependent on the welding process and shield gas type. J Environ Monitoring 11:418-424, 2009.