Nickel and blood counts in workers exposed to urban stressors.

Nickel (Ni) and Ni compounds are widely present in the urban air. The purpose of this study is to estimate exposure of individuals to Ni and the correlation between this exposure and the values of blood counts in outdoor workers. This study focused on a sample of 101 outdoor workers (55 male and 46 female; 65 nonsmokers and 36 smokers), all employed in the municipal police in a large Italian city.

Assessment of liver function in two groups of outdoor workers exposed to arsenic.

Purpose: To evaluate whether the exposure to arsenic (As) causes alterations of liver enzymes in two groups of outdoor workers.

Methods: Total urinary As and the levels of AST/GOT, ALT/GPT, and GGT were measured on 80 traffic policemen and 50 police drivers. Personal air samples were obtained for assessing the exposure to As on a subgroup of 20 traffic policemen and 20 police drivers.

Cadmium and hypertension in exposed workers: A meta-analysis.

Objectives: In the general population, cadmium seems to be responsible for hypertension, atherosclerosis and an increase in acute coronary events. Therefore, the purpose of this meta-analysis was to analyze controlled studies conducted on cadmium and arterial pressure in occupationally-exposed workers.

Materials And Methods: After analyzing all the relevant articles found in the literature, 6 publications were selected.

Correlation between total blood lead values and peripheral blood counts in workers occupationally exposed to urban stressors.

The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between occupational exposure to airborne lead (Pb) and alterations in peripheral blood counts in workers of the Municipal Police assigned to different types of outdoor tasks. Then, 337 both male and female subjects were enrolled and divided on the basis of sex, cigarette smoking habit and kind of task. Exposure to airborne Pb, dosage of total blood Pb and peripheral blood count were carried out.

Prevalence of systemic arterial hypertension, electrocardiogram abnormalities, and noise-induced hearing loss in agricultural workers.

ABSTRACT The literature suggests that farmers nowadays are more likely to contract cardiovascular diseases than in the past. This study involved 79 farmers and 64 controls. The workers completed a questionnaire to identify exclusion factors for audiological and cardiovascular risk factors.

Risk of upper extremity biomechanical overload in automotive facility.

Objective: To assess the risk factors for upper extremity-work-related musculoskeletal disorders (UE-WMSD) on 13 production lines in an airbag factory using the threshold limit values-American conference of industrial hygienists- hand activity level (TLV-ACGIH-HAL) method and introduce the ergonomic improvement to reduce the repetitiveness and the peak force (Pf).

Methods: Professional exposure level on 13 production lines in a automobile factory was measured using the TLV-ACGIH-HAL method and a further risk was assessed according to the ergonomic improvement.

Results: The first assessment of 9 production lines showed that the professional exposure level was above the TLV or HAL limit.

Exposure to cadmium in male urban and rural workers and effects on FSH, LH and testosterone.

Objective: This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the relationship between exposure to cadmium and circulating reproductive hormone levels in urban and rural male workers.

Materials And Methods: Urinary cadmium, blood cadmium, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone were obtained from 86 non-smoking traffic policemen and 86 subjects working as roadmen in a rural area. All subjects were monitored to evaluate airborne exposure to cadmium.

Spinal and temporo-mandibular disorders in male workers of the State Police.

Objective: The aims of this study are to evaluate the prevalence of disorders of the lumbar region and the temporo-mandibular district co-morbidity in drivers and workers of the State Police employed for different office activities.

Materials And Methods: The study population included 103 drivers as cases and 100 police officers as controls. The study was carried out through questionnaire and clinical evaluation of the spine and temporo-mandibular region.

Urban pollution.

Air pollution represents a health risk for people living in urban environment. Urban air consists in a complex mixture of chemicals and carcinogens and its effects on health can be summarized in acute respiratory effects, neoplastic nonneoplastic (e.g.

Exposure to arsenic in urban and rural areas and effects on thyroid hormones.

Context: Arsenic is a ubiquitous element present in urban air as a pollutant, and it may interfere with thyroid hormones.

Objective: To evaluate the association between the personal exposure to arsenic and levels of TSH, fT4, fT3, and Tg in urban and rural workers.

Materials And Methods: Total urinary arsenic and thyroid markers were obtained from 108 non-smoking traffic policemen and 77 subjects working as roadmen in a rural area.

[Shift and night work and mental health].

Aim of our study was to evaluate the influence that shift work and night work could have on mental health. A review of literary articles from 1990 to 2011 on shift work and night work was carried out. The results of this review confirmed that the shift work and night work affect mental health with the onset of neuropsychological disorders such as mood disorders, anxiety, nervousness, depressive anxiety syndromes, chronic fatigue and chronic insomnia irritability, sleep disturbances, reduction in levels of attention, cognitive impairments, alteration of circadian rhythm.

Cardiovascular risk in rotogravure industry.

Objective: To verify whether the occupational hazards in the rotogravure industry can be associated with cardiovascular effects.

Methods: We evaluated cardiovascular parameters and audiometric tests and analyzed noise, solvents, and shift work in 44 exposed and 44 unexposed workers.

Results: Unlike unexposed workers, the rotogravure workers showed significant increase of mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) values (P = 0.

Environmental and biological monitoring of benzene in traffic policemen, police drivers and rural outdoor male workers.

To evaluate exposure to benzene in urban and rural areas, an investigation into personal exposure to benzene in traffic policemen, police drivers and rural (roadmen) male outdoor workers was carried out. Personal samples and data acquired using fixed monitoring stations located in different areas of the city were used to measure personal exposure to benzene in 62 non-smoker traffic policemen, 22 police drivers and 57 roadmen. Blood benzene, urinary trans-trans muconic acid (t,t-MA) and S-phenyl-mercapturic acid (S-PMA) were measured at the end of work shift in 62 non-smoker traffic policemen, 22 police drivers and 57 roadmen and 34 smoker traffic policemen, 21 police drivers and 53 roadmen.

Assessment of occupational exposure to benzene, toluene and xylenes in urban and rural female workers.

Objectives: This is the first research study to compare among female, non-smoker workers: (a) the exposure to benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTXs) in urban air during work in the street (traffic policewomen, TP) vs. work in vehicles (police drivers, PD); (b) the exposure to BTXs in urban environments (in street and in car) vs. rural environments (roadwomen, RW); (c) the values of blood benzene, urinary trans, trans muconic acid (t,t-MA) and urinary S-phenylmercapturic acid (S-PMA) in urban areas (in street and in car) vs.

Environmental and biological monitoring of arsenic in outdoor workers exposed to urban air pollutants.

The aim of this study is to evaluate personal exposure to As in urban air in two groups of outdoor workers (traffic policemen and police drivers) of a big Italian city through: (a) environmental monitoring of As obtained by personal samples and (b) biological monitoring of total urinary As. The possible influence of smoking habit on urinary As was evaluated. We studied 122 male subjects, all Municipal Police employees: 84 traffic policemen and 38 police drivers exposed to urban pollutants.

[Stress and new technologies].

The relation between stress and new technologies has always been a vexed question. Experts say technology is a sort of double-edged weapon; it increases the potential of human senses but on the other hand it also involves an adjustment to artificial, unnatural rhythms which have consequences on mental and physical health. Through tests with patients not too prone to socializing Cognitive Ergonomics shows that using web in a correct guided interactive way, instead of the passive way of using media, helps developing concentration and reactivity and improves the way we come into contact with the world around us.

Follicle-stimulating hormone levels in female workers exposed to urban pollutants.

The aim of this study was to evaluate if there were alterations in FSH plasma levels in female outdoor workers (traffic policewomen and drivers) exposed to chemical urban stressors vs. control group. After excluding subjects with main confounding factors, traffic policewomen, drivers and indoor workers were matched by age, working life, socioeconomic status, marital status, menstrual cycle day, age of menarche, habitual consumption of Italian coffee and soy.

Exposure to urban stressors and free testosterone plasma values.

Objectives: The chemical agents present in the environment, such as traffic pollutants, may affect male fertility. Traffic policemen are daily exposed to traffic pollutants. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether occupational exposure to urban stressors could cause alterations in free testosterone plasma values in male traffic policemen versus administrative staff of Municipal Police of a big Italian city.

Hemopoietic system in traffic police exposed to urban stressors.

The aim of the study is to evaluate if occupational exposure to urban stressors could cause alterations in red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentrations (MCHC) in traffic police compared to a control group. 694 subjects were included in the study: 347 traffic police and 347 controls matched by sex, age and length of service after excluding the subjects with the principal confounding factors. The levels of RBC, HGB, HCT were significantly higher in male (respectively p<0.

Plasma dopamine in workers exposed to urban stressor.

The aim of this study is to evaluate if the occupational exposure to urban stressor could cause alterations in dopamine (DA) plasma levels and related diseases in traffic police officers compared to a control group. After excluding subjects with principal confounding factors, 306 traffic police officers (139 female and 167 male) and 301 controls (134 female and 167 male) were included in the study. In traffic police officers, mean DA values were significantly higher compared with controls (P = 0.

Plasma 17-alpha-OH-progesterone in male workers exposed to traffic pollutants.

The aim of the study is to evaluate if the occupational exposure to urban pollutants could cause alterations on 17-alfa-hydroxy-progesterone plasma levels and related diseases in male traffic policemen. 17-alpha-OH-P is synthesized in Leydig cells and in adrenals; it influences spermiogenesis, acrosoma reaction, testosterone biosynthesis, blocking of gonadotropin secretion; it regulates learning, memory and sleep. After excluding principal confounding factors, i.