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 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.

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.

Plasma cortisol concentrations and lifestyle in a population of outdoor workers.

The aim of this study was to assess whether exposure to urban pollution in outdoor workers, may alter plasma cortisol concentrations also in relation to the effect of smoking and drinking habits. The research was carried out on 498 outdoor police workers, divided into three groups; Group A: traffic policemen (TP), Group B: drivers (D), Group C: Other duties (OD). To evaluate separately the effect of using alcohol and smoking, each group was divided into three subgroups: (1) non-smokers and non-drinkers, (2) smokers and non-drinkers, (3) non-smokers and drinkers.