Psyllids as a potential source of heavy metals for predators.

Contents of Al, Fe, Zn, Cu, Cd, Mn, Ni, and Hg were determined in 14 species of psyllids and in leaves of their host plants from unpolluted sites (Finland) and industrially polluted sites in Poland. Generally, psyllids accumulated low amounts of metals, but their metal burdens increased with age. Exuvia were important for the elimination of Al, Ni, and Mn, and larval wax for Al, Cu, and Ni.

The prevalence of asthma among inhabitants in the vicinity of a polyurethane factory in Finland.

Because toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is a strong sensitizer for asthma among workers in polyurethane factories, it is mostly extracted from the factory premises. The influence of such emissions on the prevalence of asthma among the people living in the vicinity of a polyurethane factory in Kouvola, Southern Finland, was studied through a questionnaire survey sent to 6807 persons living around the factory and in a control area; of these 4182 (61%) responded. In the study area near the factory there were 68 cases of asthma out of 3153 respondents (2.