Health risk assessment for dietary exposure to 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol, 2-monochloropropane-1,2-diol, and glycidol for Italian consumers.

3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD), 2-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (2-MCPD) and 2,3-epoxy-1-propanol (glycidol), in their free form or esterified to fatty acids, are food contaminants formed during the refinement of oils and fats. We conducted a survey to quantify the levels of these compounds in 130 food items, in order to assess the exposure to them in food and the consequent health risk for consumers. Food samples, including infant formula, were analysed by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry with the indirect method, and we used the latest open access food consumption database for the Italian population for a probabilistic assessment of exposure.

Toxicology of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol and its esters: a narrative review.

3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) is a chiral molecule naturally existing as a racemic mixture of (R)- and (S)-enantiomers. It was thoroughly investigated during the 1970s as a male antifertility drug until research was abandoned because of the side effects observed in toxicity studies. More than 20 years later, 3-MCPD, both in the free form and esterified to the fatty acids, was detected in vegetable oil and discovered to be a widespread contaminant in different processed foods.

Canned Fish Consumption and Upper Digestive Tract Cancers.

Canned fish is a widely consumed and affordable food whose effect on cancer risk has been little investigated. We studied its effect on risk of upper digestive tract cancers using data from a network of hospital-based case-control studies from Northern Italy providing information about canned fish consumption as a separate item and including a total of 946 patients with oral cavity and pharynx cancer, 304 patients with esophageal cancer, 230 patients with gastric cancer and 3273 controls. Twenty-three percent of patients with cancer of the oral cavity or pharynx and 26% of those with cancer of the stomach consumed ≥1 serving per week of canned fish, compared to 40% and 49% of the respective control group.

Inverse Association between Canned Fish Consumption and Colorectal Cancer Risk: Analysis of Two Large Case-Control Studies.

Fish is among the foods exerting favourable effects on colorectal cancer (CRC), but the possible role of canned fish has been insufficiently investigated. We aimed to investigate the relationship between canned fish consumption and CRC risk. We analysed data from two case−control studies conducted between 1992 and 2010 in several Italian areas, comprising a total of 2419 incident cases and 4723 hospital controls.

Estimating temporal and spatial levels of PAHs in air using rain samples and SPME analysis: Feasibility evaluation in an urban scenario.

There is a growing interest in evaluating the role of concentration changes of contaminants in temporal and spatial gradients. This is often relevant for fast moving environmental phases such as air and water. In this paper, small volumes of rainwater were sampled as proxy for air concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): rain was collected in three sampling sites (high traffic, restricted traffic and a low traffic zone) in Como.

Effect of fructose instead of glucose or sucrose on cardiometabolic markers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of isoenergetic intervention trials.

Context: Free, or added, sugars are considered important determinants in the pandemics of obesity and associated chronic diseases, and fructose has emerged as the sugar of main concern.

Objective: The aim of this review was to assess the evidence of the effects of isoenergetic replacement of fructose or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for glucose or sucrose on cardiometabolic markers in controlled dietary intervention trials.

Data Sources: The electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and Embase were searched from 1980 to May 5, 2020.

Micropollutants in Lake Como water in the context of circular economy: A snapshot of water cycle contamination in a changing pollution scenario.

In this work we evaluated the contamination of the water cycle in Como Bay by measuring 38 selected pharmaceuticals in two main wastewater treatment plant in Switzerland and in Italy, two influents (River Breggia and Cosia), lake water (epilimnion and hypolimnion), as well as potable water. The collection of comparative information on the presence and environmental fate of these substances contributes to set specific environmental quality standard (EQS). The results presented show that the contamination of the lake reflects national health policies, which deeply influence the usage of chemicals.

Identification of Sulfonated and Hydroxy-Sulfonated Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Metabolites in Soil: New Classes of Intermediate Products of PCB Degradation?

In this paper we describe the identification of two classes of contaminants: sulfonated-PCBs and hydroxy-sulfonated-PCBs. This is the first published report of the detection of these chemicals in soil. They were found, along with hydroxy-PCBs, in soil samples coming from a site historically contaminated by the industrial production of PCBs and in background soils.

Risk assessment of a mixture of emerging contaminants in surface water in a highly urbanized area in Italy.

A complex mixture of emerging contaminants (ECs) occurs in the environment, with potential effects for aquatic organisms and human health. This study assessed the environmental risk of a mixture of ECs detected in the most urbanized and industrialized area of Italy. Water samples were collected in the Lambro river basin to the north and south of Milan, and were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Perfuorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Brominated Dioxins (PBDDs) and Furans (PBDFs) in Wild and Farmed Organisms at Different Trophic Levels in the Mediterranean Sea.

The present study shows the results of perfuorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), brominated dioxins (PBDDs) and furans (PBDFs) measured in several marine fish and seafood of commercial interest at different trophic levels of the food chain. The aims were to investigate the level of the contamination in Mediterranean aquatic wildlife, and in farmed fish, to assess human exposure associated to fishery products consumption. Samples of wild fish were collected during three different sampling campaigns in different Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 37 areas of the Mediterranean Sea.

Dietary fats and cardiovascular health: a summary of the scientific evidence and current debate.

This narrative review summarises the main studies of the role of the different fatty acids in coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and the current scientific debate on dietary recommendations. Reduction and substitution of the saturated fatty acids (SFAs) with the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are still the main dietary recommendation to prevent CHD and CVD. In the last few years, however, the strength of the scientific evidence underlying this dietary advice has been questioned.

Monitoring emerging contaminants in the drinking water of Milan and assessment of the human risk.

Emerging Contaminants (ECs) are ubiquitous in waters, arousing concern because of their potential risks for human health and the environment. This study investigated the presence of multiple classes of ECs in 21 wells over the drinking water network of Milan, in the most inhabited and industrialized area of Italy, and assessed the risks for consumers. Samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

Differentiating current and past PCB and PCDD/F sources: The role of a large contaminated soil site in an industrialized city area.

Cities and contaminated areas can be primary or secondary sources of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and other chemicals, into air and soil and can influence the regional level of some of these pollutants. In a contaminated site, the evaluation of such emissions can be crucial in the choice of the remediation technology to be adopted. In the city of Brescia (Northern Italy), more than 100 ha of agricultural areas were contaminated with PCBs, PCDD/Fs and heavy metals, originating from the activities of a former PCB factory.

Effects of free sugars on blood pressure and lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis of nutritional isoenergetic intervention trials.

Background: Sugar has been suggested as a central risk factor in the development of noncommunicable diseases.

Objective: We assessed the evidence of the effects of free sugars compared with complex carbohydrates on selected cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Design: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention trials to compare diets that provide a given amount of energy from free sugars with a control diet that provides the same amount of energy from complex carbohydrates.

Wastewater-based epidemiological evaluation of the effect of air pollution on short-acting beta-agonist consumption for acute asthma treatment.

Asthma, one of the most common chronic diseases in the world and a leading cause of hospitalization among children, has been associated with outdoor air pollution. We applied the wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach to study the association between the use of salbutamol, a short-acting beta-agonist used to treat acute bronchospasm, and air pollution in the population of Milan, Italy. Composite 24-h samples of untreated wastewater were collected daily and analyzed for human metabolic residues of salbutamol by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Source discrimination of drug residues in wastewater: The case of salbutamol.

Analytical methods used for pharmaceuticals and drugs of abuse in sewage play a fundamental role in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) studies. Here quantitative analysis of drug metabolites in raw wastewaters is used to determine consumption from general population. Its great advantage in public health studies is that it gives objective, real-time data about community use of chemicals, highlighting the relationship between environmental and human health.

Metals in Mediterranean aquatic species.

Metals such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), vanadium (V), have been determined in species of Mediterranean marine organisms collected from areas supposed to be at background contamination levels. The Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) approach was adopted for the determination of all the metals. Arsenic, Cd and Pb determined in the 42 samples, do not exceed the pertinent maximum level except a sample of hake.

Critical review of economic evaluation studies of interventions promoting low-fat diets.

Various national and local policies encouraging healthy eating have recently been proposed. The present review aims to summarize and critically assess nutrition-economic evaluation studies of direct (e.g.

Persistent toxic substances in Mediterranean aquatic species.

Fish and fishery products may represent one of the main sources of dietary exposure to persistent toxic substances (PTSs) such as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls; polybromodiphenyl ethers; organochlorine pesticides; perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate; and inorganic mercury and methyl mercury. In this study, PTS contamination of Mediterranean fish and crustaceans caught in Italian coastal waters was investigated in order to increase the representativeness of the occurrence database for wild species. The objectives were to verify the suitability of regulatory limits for PTSs, identify background concentrations values, if any, and examine the possible sources of variability when assessing the chemical body burdens of aquatic species.

Palm oil and blood lipid-related markers of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of dietary intervention trials.

Background: Palm oil (PO) may be an unhealthy fat because of its high saturated fatty acid content.

Objective: The objective was to assess the effect of substituting PO for other primary dietary fats on blood lipid-related markers of coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Design: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of dietary intervention trials.

Influence of a municipal solid waste landfill in the surrounding environment: toxicological risk and odor nuisance effects.

The large amounts of treated waste materials and the complex biological and physicochemical processes make the areas in the proximity of landfills vulnerable not only to emissions of potential toxic compounds but also to nuisance such as odor pollution. All these factors have a dramatic impact in the local environment producing environmental quality degradation. Most of the human health problems come from the landfill gas, from its non-methanic volatile organic compounds and from hazardous air pollutants.

Risk assessment for the Italian population of acetaldehyde in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Acetaldehyde is a naturally-occurring carcinogenic compound, present in different food items, especially in alcoholic beverages. The aims of this study were to measure acetaldehyde concentration in different beverages consumed in Italy and to estimate the potential cancer risk. The analytical procedure was based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), using the isotopic dilution method.

Calcium signaling-related proteins are associated with broncho-pulmonary dysplasia progression.

Unlabelled: Broncho-pulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic pulmonary disorder that follows premature birth. It is preceded by respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), characterized by acute respiratory failure due to deficiency of surfactant at birth. Clinical characteristics of infants affected by BPD have widely changed in the last decades: they are extraordinarly immature, with impaired alveolar and vascular lung development.

Persistent organic pollutants in sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) in two fish farms in the Mediterranean Sea.

We analyzed polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in the edible part of farmed sea bass reared in two fish farms in Liguria (Northern Italy). The aim was to determine the contamination levels and human exposure to these chemicals through fish consumption. Concentrations of "dioxin-like" PCBs (DL-PCBs) ranged from 0.

Palm oil and palmitic acid: a review on cardiovascular effects and carcinogenicity.

We reviewed the scientific literature on the evidence of the relationship between palm oil and adverse effects on human health. Few studies have investigated the effects of palm oil per se, and the main reason why it has been associated with negative health effects is the relatively high content of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), particularly palmitic acid, which in turn have been associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease and some tumours. However, more recent investigations on the topic seem to have reconsidered the negative role of the dietary SFAs as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and show that not only the type of fat, but also that the triglyceride structure plays a role in cholesterolaemia.