Urban stressors and plasmatic 17-β-estradiol (E2) in male exposed workers

The aim of the study is to evaluate if the occupational exposure to urban stressors could cause alterations in 17-β-estradiol (E2) plasma levels and related disorders in male traffic police compared with a control group. After excluding from the study, the subjects with the principal confounding factors, traffic police and controls were matched by age, working life, Body Mass Index (BMI), smoking and drinking habit. A total of 171 male traffic police and 171 controls were included in the study. In traffic police, mean E2 values were significantly lower versus controls ( P < 0.001). The distribution of E2 values in traffic police and controls was significant ( P < 0.001). No significant differences were found in percentage of traffic police versus controls concerning the following questionnaire items: fertility and mental health diseases. Our results suggest that the occupational exposure to chemical urban stressor, interacting with and adding to the psychosocial ones, could alter plasma E2 concentrations in male traffic police compared with a control group. According to our previous researches on other neuro-immune-endocrine parameters, E2 could be used as an early biological marker, valuable for the group, to be used in occupational set even before the onset of the pathologies.

[Extra-auditory effects of noise]

In the last thirty years, several studies have demonstrated a correlation between exposure to noise and the development of alterations and/or pathologies in organs and apparatus, apart from the auditory one. Exposure to noise can induce biochemical, physiological, or psychosocial modifications that can remain either inside the range of biological normality or alter and compromise the psychophysical well-being of the individual depending on the extent of the functional alterations of organic systems and psychosocial functions; both the reversibility and duration of the alterations and the adaptation could be related to the recovery capabilitiy of the human organism and to the environmental condition. Among the factors that can influence the effects of noise we can find: intrinsic characteristics of the physical insult (pressure, sound intensity, emission frequency), extrinsic characteristics (duration of the exposure, way of emission, presence of impulsive components, masking effects), spectral characteristics (infrasounds, ultrasounds, time of recovery) genetic factors (susceptibility) and acquired factors of the human organism (acoustic isolation of the living houses and the social necessity for the industrial activities that generate noise). Other factors that influence the damage are the surprise effect, the semantic content and the identification of the noise source. It can be hypothesized that the extra-auditory effects of noise show themselves through a series of nervous circuits that use the autonomic nervous system and interfere on neuro-immune-endocrine parameters. The organs which are more studied are: cardiovascular, gastro-enteric and endocrine systems, nervous system and psychological effects, respiratory system, fetus and effects on reproductive system, immune system and genetic material.

[Meta-analysis of respiratory function of workers exposed to asbestos]

The monitoring of health conditions in workers exposed to asbestos for prolonged periods is a problematic issue. The Occupational Health physician being required to carry out his activity of prevention of the medical consequences and protection of the workers can use various instruments among which there is the evaluation of lung function. We have performed a meta-analysis on the scientific evidence on this matter in order to identify significant alterations of the lung function parameters in subjects professionally exposed to asbestos compared with controls. By the means of a bibliographic search and the application of selected inclusion and exclusion criteria, we identified 21 articles presenting data from controlled studies. Our results show that the number of controlled trials is very small compared to the totality of studies performed on this matter (1 to 70 ratio) and that the number of the subjects included in the majority of the analyzed studies is oddly divided in the experimental and control group. For this and other reasons the analyzed studies are very heterogeneous. Despite these difficulties, the meta-analysis evidences that some parameters of respiratory functioning are more likely to be influenced by asbestos exposure taking into account the smoking habit and that other parameters are sinergically influenced by both asbestos exposure and smoking. Our meta-analysis points out the necessity to define a common methodology about the technical and operatives procedures in the evaluation of the effects on lung function measures determined by an occupational exposure to asbestos and a thorough examination of the intensity of abnormality levels that could allow using the values obtained from the above mentioned measures in a discriminating diagnostic way.

[Assessment of the cancerogenic risk in schools]

The aim of the study is to verify the presence of the carcinogenic risk for teachers, technical assistants and students in 96 secondary schools, providing suggestions for its assessment. Since the analysis of the national and international scientific literature does not reveal data on the evaluation of the carcinogenic risk nor in schools nor in similar environments, the authors gave importance to the preliminary phase of the risk assessment that is to say the inspections aimed to detect the possible presence of risk agents and to identify the possible exposed subjects. The evaluation of the exposition through the execution of environmental and biological monitoring has to be performed, according to the authors opinion, only after this indispensable preliminary phase. The carcinogenic risk has been ascertained in relation to the presence of substances used for didactical means (fuels, mineral oils, reagents, enamels and pitch, ceramic mixtures and metallic alloys) or produced during practical activities (hard wood dusts, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) deriving from high temperatures cooking), analyzing the tasks implying their use and identifying the exposed subjects. The presence of carcinogenic agents has been found out in 54 on 96 schools. In order to preserve the health status of the exposed workers in schools, it is necessary the adoption of the suitable measures of prevention and protection similarly to what is established for all the work places, even before the eventual environmental monitoring.

[Food service workers and cooks: occupational risk assessment]

The aim of the study is to evaluate the occupational risks among food service workers and cooks. During the occupational risks assessment the following risk factors must be evaluated: musculoskeletal disorders, chemical risk (cleaning kitchen work surface, dishes, utensils ecc.) biological risk (contact with foods or biological agents) cancerogenic risk (by baking smoke inhalation), and psycho-social stress. In this study the preventive measures and protective equipment to prevent health hazards for these workers have been evaluated (i.e. aspiration hood, adapted ventilation, chosen of less harmful methods of baking, ecc.). In particular the performance of rigid behavioural norms and hygienic procedures is very important for cooks and food service workers to reduce the risk of occupational infections.