Geographical distribution of benzene in air in northwestern Italy and personal exposure

Air pollution, aeroallergens and admissions to pediatric emergency room for respiratory reasons in Turin, northwestern Italy

Background

Air pollution can cause respiratory symptoms or exacerbate pre-existing respiratory diseases, especially in children. This study looked at the short-term association of air pollution concentrations with Emergency Room (ER) admissions for respiratory reasons in pediatric age (0–18 years).

Methods

Daily number of ER admissions in a children’s Hospital, concentrations of urban-background PM_2.5, NO₂, O₃ and total aeroallergens (Corylaceae, Cupressaceae, Gramineae, Urticaceae, Ambrosia, Betula) were collected in Turin, northwestern Italy, for the period 1/08/2008 to 31/12/2010 (883 days). The associations between exposures and ER admissions were estimated, at time lags between 0 and 5 days, using generalized linear Poisson regression models, adjusted for non-meteorological potential confounders.

Results

In the study period, 21,793 ER admissions were observed, mainly (81 %) for upper respiratory tract infections. Median air pollution concentrations were 22.0, 42.5, 34.1 μg/m³ for urban-background PM_2.5, NO₂, and O₃, respectively, and 2.9 grains/m³ for aeroallergens. We found that ER admissions increased by 1.3 % (95 % CI: 0.3-2.2 %) five days after a 10 μg/m³ increase in NO₂, and by 0.7 % (95 % CI: 0.1-1.2 %) one day after a 10 grains/m³ increase in aeroallergens, while they were not associated with PM_2.5 concentrations. ER admissions were negatively associated with O₃ and aeroallergen concentrations at some time lags, but these association shifted to the null when meteorological confounders were adjusted for in the models.

Conclusions

Overall, these findings confirm adverse short-term health effects of air pollution on the risk of ER admission in children and encourage a careful management of the urban environment to health protection.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3376-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Impact of gasoline inhalation on some neurobehavioural characteristics of male rats

BACKGROUND

This paper examines closely and compares the potential hazards of inhalation of two types of gasoline (car fuel). The first type is the commonly use leaded gasoline and the second is the unleaded type enriched with oxygenate additives as lead substituent in order to raise the octane number. The impacts of gasoline exposure on Na+, K+-ATPase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), total protein, reduced glutathione (GSH), and lipid peroxidation (TBARS) in the cerebral cortex, and monoamine neurotransmitters dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5-HT) in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum and hypothalamus were evaluated. The effect of gasoline exposure on the aggressive behaviour tests was also studied.

RESULTS

The present results revealed that gasoline inhalation induced significant fluctuations in the levels of the monoamine neurotransmitters in the studied brain regions. This was concomitant with a decrease in Na+, K+-ATPase activity and total protein content. Moreover, the group exposed to the unleaded gasoline exhibited an increase in lipid peroxidation and a decrease in AChE and superoxide dismutase activities. These physiological impairments were accompanied with a higher tendency towards aggressive behaviour as a consequence to gasoline inhalation.

CONCLUSION

It is concluded from the present work that chronic exposure to either the leaded or the unleaded gasoline vapours impaired the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters and other biochemical parameters in different brain areas and modulated several behavioural aspects related to aggression in rats.

Can NO2be used to indicate ambient and personal levels of benzene and 1,3-butadiene in air?

The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between two toxic volatile organic compounds, 1,3-butadiene and benzene, and a commonly used indicator of vehicle exhaust fumes, NO(2). This was to see if NO(2) can be used to indicate personal exposure to carcinogenic substances or at least estimate ambient levels measured at a stationary point. During the winter of 2001, 40 randomly selected persons living in the City of Umea (in the north of Sweden) were recruited to the study. Personal measurements of 1,3-butadiene, benzene and NO(2) were performed for one week, and were repeated for 20 of the 40 participants. Additional information was gathered using a diary kept by each participant. During the same time period weekly stationary measurements were performed at one urban background station and one street station in the city centre. The results from the personal measurements showed a negligible association of NO(2) with 1,3-butadiene (r= 0.06) as well as with benzene (r= 0.10), while the correlation coefficient between 1,3-butadiene and benzene was high and significant (r= 0.67). In contrast to the personal measurements, the stationary measurements showed strong relations between 1,3-butadiene, benzene and NO(2) both within and in-between the street and urban background station. This study supports NO(2) as a potential indicator for 1,3-butadiene and benzene levels in streets or urban background air, while the weak relations found for the personal measurements do not support the use of NO(2) as an indicator for personal 1,3-butadiene and benzene exposure.

Assessing health risk from benzene pollution in an urban area

A health hazard, specifically the leukaemia risk, is evaluated from different sources of benzene exposure with relation to a population living in an urban area of Italy. The population exposure is calculated for a reference year by sex and lifestyle, with respect to smokers and non smokers. Potential health risk is therefore quantified by means of mathematical models and the relative significance of the different sources is described. The results of the analysis are useful for the identification of appropriate risk reduction strategies to minimize exposure, in particular when resulting from lifestyle and personal activities.

Exposure to benzene in urban workers: environmental and biological monitoring of traffic police in Rome

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the contribution of traffic fumes to exposure to benzene in urban workers, an investigation on personal exposure to benzene in traffic police from the city of Rome was carried out.

METHODS

The study was performed from December 1998 to June 1999. Diffusive Radiello personal samplers were used to measure external exposures to benzene and alkyl benzenes during the workshift in 139 policemen who controlled medium to high traffic areas and in 63 office police. Moreover, as biomarkers of internal exposure to benzene, blood benzene, and urinary trans, trans-muconic and S-phenyl mercapturic acids were measured at the beginning and at the end of the workshift in 124 traffic police and 58 office police.

RESULTS

Time weighted average (TWA) exposure to benzene was consistently higher among traffic police than among indoor workers (geometric mean 6.8 and 3.5 microg/m(3), respectively). Among the traffic police, the distribution of individual exposures was highly asymmetric, skewed toward higher values. Mean ambient benzene concentrations measured by municipal air monitoring stations during workshifts of traffic police were generally higher (geometric mean 12.6 microg/m(3)) and did not correlat with personal exposure values. In particular, no association was found between highest personal exposure scores and environmental benzene concentrations. Among the exposure biomarkers investigated, only blood benzene correlated slightly with on-shift exposure to benzene, but significant increases in both urinary trans, trans-muconic and S-phenylmercapturic acids were found in active smokers compared with non-smokers, irrespective of their job.

CONCLUSION

The exposure to traffic fumes during working activities in medium to high traffic areas in Rome may give a relatively greater contribution to personal exposure to benzene than indoor sources present in confined environments. Smoking significantly contributed to internal exposure to benzene in both indoor and outdoor workers.