Publications by authors named "A Bloise"
Health risks are often overlooked when the short-term consequences are not immediately apparent. During restoration work, cleaning actions can generate particles that pose health risks to workers through inhalation. This is particularly true in the case of asbestos fibres that might be spread out from the laser cleaning of buildings or heritage artifacts made of stone, such as serpentinite and other ultramafic rocks, that have a high probability of containing asbestos (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article provides a review of published literature on the concentration levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in asbestos minerals like chrysotile, actinolite, amosite (asbestiform grunerite), anthophyllite, crocidolite (asbestiform riebeckite) and tremolite and their potential to release PTEs into groundwaters worldwide. A large number of PTEs, such as Fe, Cr, Ni, Mn, Co and Zn, may be hosted by asbestos minerals, and their release in the lung environment can cause different health problems as well as their intake via drinking water. The review highlights that amosite is the phase with the highest PTEs content, followed by crocidolite, actinolite, anthophyllite, tremolite and chrysotile.
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- Olivines are silicate minerals characterized by a specific structure where isolated silicon tetrahedra are linked through octahedra of different types.
- This study examines synthetic olivine crystals with up to 25% lithium-iron, revealing a clear ordering of lithium and iron in the crystal structure and suggesting that Li can effectively substitute for magnesium in olivine.
- Findings indicate that while certain structural distortions occur due to the weaker lithium-oxygen bonds, there is still a balance in the charge, pointing to the need for further research on lithium insertion for potential use in lithium-ion batteries.
Article Synopsis
- Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) is linked to higher rates of malignant mesothelioma in populations near NOA sites, particularly in specific villages in the Basilicata region of South Italy, which are at high risk of asbestos exposure due to their geological context.
- A detailed study of an asbestos tremolite sample from the Iacolinei quarry revealed that it contains long fibers, with a significant portion being highly reactive and biologically active, raising concerns about its potential health hazards.
- The presence of iron in the asbestos structure is noted to enhance toxicity, categorizing the tremolite as a potent carcinogen and prompting ongoing investigations into its environmental impact for public health safety.
In vitro cellular models provide valuable insights into the adaptive biochemical mechanisms triggered by cells to cope with the stress situation induced by hypoxia and reoxygenation cycles. The first biological data generated in studies based on this micrometric life-scale has the potential to provide us a global overview about the main biochemical phenomena presented in some reported preconditioning therapies in life-scale of higher dimensions. Thus, in this study, a cell incubator was designed and manufactured to produce a cellular model of heart hypoxia followed by reoxygenation (HfR) through consecutive repetitions of hypoxia-normoxia gas exchange.
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