[Occupational exposure to ionizing radiation in hospital. Analysis of individual risk by area and occupational category].

An analysis of occupational radiation exposure from 1988-2008 of 43 medical, 41 nurses and 4 nuclear medicine technicians of interventional cardiology, nuclear medicine, radiology-neuroradiology, urology and orthopedics has been performed. The mean annual effective dose to the whole body of all monitored workers are decreasing; one vascular surgeon, has exceeded 20 mSv/year. The doses received by physicians in the hands were up in radiology, urology and cardiology.

Occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields in physiotherapy departments.

To assess occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields, 11 microwave (MW), 4 short-wave diathermy and 15 magneto therapy devices were analysed in eight physiotherapy departments. Measurements taken at consoles and environmental mapping showed values above European Directive 2004/40/EC and ACGIH exposure limits at approximately 50 cm from MW applicators (2.45 GHz) and above the Directive magnetic field limit near the diathermy unit (27.

Mutagenic activity of overnight urine from healthy non-smoking subjects.

Urinary mutagenicity was evaluated in relation to environmental mutagen exposure (i.e., diet, indoor/outdoor activities, residential area etc.

Protection of third parties in current legislation and preventive practice.

The problem of safety and the management of risks to third parties, which may be caused by a change in the mental or physical health of an employee, is one which affects a number of different areas (infectious diseases, psychiatric illnesses, conditions of drug and alcohol abuse, etc.). Italian legislation deals with the issue of fitness for work through a variety of laws, decrees and regulations which, because many of them were issued in different historical circumstances, are not always mutually harmonized.

Determinants of anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide-DNA adduct formation in lymphomonocytes of the general population.

We evaluated determinants of anti-benzo[a]pyrenediolepoxide-(B[a]PDE)-DNA adduct formation (adduct induced by the ultimate carcinogenic metabolite of B[a]P) in lymphomonocytes of subjects environmentally exposed to low doses of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (B[a]P). Our study population consisted of 585 Caucasian subjects, all municipal workers living in North-East Italy and recruited during their periodic check-ups after informed consent. PAH (B[a]P) exposure was assessed by questionnaire.

[Interactions between solvents and noise: state of the art].

There are several environmental and occupational scenes where a co-exposure of noise and solvents occurs, therefore between a neurotoxic and a ototoxic agent. Epidemiological and experimental studies with simultaneous exposure to noise and solvents like toluene, styrene and carbon disulfide have been analysed. These studies investigate possible ototoxic effects through audiometry, auditory brainstem response, potential recall and reflex decay test.

Increased cancer risk among surgeons in an orthopaedic hospital.

Background: Five cancer cases over 7 years were reported in a small orthopaedic hospital where radiation protection practice was poor.

Aim: To investigate whether workers subject to routine radiation dosimetric assessment in that hospital had an increased cancer risk.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-eight workers subject to routine dose assessment and 158 age-sex-matched unexposed workers were questioned about cancer occurrence.

[Occupational chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Italian law (decree no. 336/1994) and epidemiological evidence].

Background: In Italy, occupational diseases are required by law to be listed (however, any occupational diseases not included in the list may be compensated if workers demonstrate causation in court). The list is periodically updated in order to incorporate new findings from medical research. Decree no.

[Musculoskeletal diseases among a group of geriatric residence workers].

A total of 274 workers of a geriatric residence underwent physical and anamnestic examination in order to ascertain the existence of diseases associated with occupational risks of manual handling of patients. Data on musculo-skeletal disorder of the spine and of the upper limbs were collected. The correlation between manual handling of patients and musculo-skeletal disorder in this worker population is consistent with those already reported in the literature.

Ascertaining the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in relation to occupation using a case-control design.

Background: Recent community surveys have reported a risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in occupations involving exposure to organic dust and gas/vapour. Aims Our aim was to confirm these results using a case-control design on 131 COPD cases (FEV(1) < 80% of predicted value, minimally reversible with bronchodilators) and 298 controls, selected from registers for patients admitted to our Institute of Occupational Medicine.

Methods: Surrogates of past exposure were occupation, exposure assigned by a job-exposure matrix, and years spent in a given occupation.

[Occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields in physiotherapy departments].

An assessment of the electromagnetic fields emitted from short and ultrashort wave diathermy sources and from magneto therapy operating at a frequency of 50 Hz was made to evaluate the occupational exposure to the operators. Operators were exposed to electromagnetic fields which rarely exceed the recommended limits of International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Only a measurement of electromagnetic fields near short wave diathermy equipment operating at a frequency of 27.

[Diseases in hospital workers].

Occupational diseases and labour accidents in health care workers (Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova) were evaluated from 1990 to 2000; the information collected is compared with the same data of Regione Veneto and INAIL. 262 occupational diseases were found; nurses are more affected than other health care workers. In both reports (Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova and Osservatorio epidemiologico della Regione Veneto) half of the occupational diseases and injuries are represented by allergic disease.

Susceptibility of healthcare workers to measles, mumps rubella and varicella.

Susceptible healthcare workers are at risk of acquiring and transmitting measles, mumps, rubella and varicella to or from patients. We tested 333 employees at Padova University Hospital, for specific IgG. Of the workers tested, 98.

[Organization of health and safety activities in health care centers].

The paper proposes a model for health and safety organization in health care units and hospitals which takes account of the risk assessment procedures required by law and the quality assessment of the measures thus taken. A redefinition is given of the role of Medical Director and of the functions, aims and standards on which health and safety service and the services of an authorized occupational health physicians must be based.

[Risk during manual movement of loads].

The estimation of risk from manual movement of loads in health care workers was carried out in 8 hospitals of Veneto Region, North-eastern Italy. 49 medical wards, 53 surgical wards, 23 surgery departments and 21 emergency and diagnostic services were examined. Operationally, a check-list was used to analyze the organization of the work (staff, duties, typology of patients to mobilize) and the work environment.

[Analysis of a preventive health service].

This paper reports the experience and organization of an Occupational Health Service for health-care workers, in order to improve the effectiveness of the unit. The Authors describe the activities of the unit, its organization, and evaluate the amount of working time spent in the different activities.

[Health surveillance: scope, tools, efficacy, prospects].

According to experts of the European Commission, NIOSH and OSHA, health surveillance's goal is the both health protection and occupational diseases prevention (including injury and uneasiness). This goal is pursued by assigning workers according to his or her working capacity without any health prejudice. Currently available instruments to protect workers' health include: (i) medical surveillance before employment, (ii) medical surveillance before placement in a job involving exposure to toxics, (iii) medical surveillance at periodic intervals during employment, (iv) medical surveillance at termination of employment.

[Reduction of the lung cancer risk among dairy ranchers: dose response relationship with the traditional indicators of professional exposure].

An epidemiological study of mortality was carried out in the Province of Padua in a cohort of family farmers. The subjects, identified from the SCAU files, were enrolled in the cohort if informations were available on complete registry data, date of beginning and of termination of farm work, size of farm, and number of dairy cattle. The 2,415 farmers selected were followed-up for mortality through the registry offices of their Communes of residence.

Repeated case-control studies as a method of surveillance for asthma in occupations.

Our aim was to establish whether the case-control design may be applied in surveillance for occupational asthma. In a region with intensive manufacturing industries, we carried out one case-control study from 1974 to 1978 and another from 1989 to 1993; 325 and 387 pairs of cases of asthma and of age- and sex-matched control subjects, respectively, were selected. Current risks were found to be higher than past estimates for painters, farmers, millers/bakers, textile, wood/ furniture, and chemical workers.

[Mortality by tumors and other causes in dairy cattle and other agricultural workers in Veneto].

The study was conducted to verify a reduction in mortality from tumors in dairy farm workers, exposed to endotoxins, which increase in the host a cytotoxic antitumoral. From the SCAU files of the Province of Padova, we selected 2.415 subjects with informations on: date of hire, date of work termination, number of dairy cattle, area of the farm.

[Carcinogenic risk of extremely-low-frequency electromagnetic fields: state of the art].

This paper summarizes the published literature and current problems relating to possible cancerogenic effects of occupational and residential exposure to ELF electromagnetic fields at levels slightly above ambient background. There are several suggestions that such an exposure may increase the risk of cancer, but these studies failed to provide conclusive indications. The present state of uncertainty led to a variety of recommendations and statements being made concerning restrictions to the exposure of people to ELF electromagnetic fields.

[Biotransformation in occupational medicine: the role of hepatic cytochrome P-450 in the mechanism of action and the biological monitoring of occupational toxic compounds].

Biotransformation is an important step in the investigation of occupational toxic chemicals. This is because the knowledge of the metabolic pathways and the enzymes involved in the activation and/or detoxication of xenobiotics may help in understanding the mechanism of toxicity and to rationalize the biological monitoring of exposed subjects. The largest enzymatic system involved in the biotransformation of industrial chemicals is cytochrome P-450, a family of haemoproteins capable of metabolizing a vast number of lipophilic, structurally different compounds.

[The occupational risks in a company producing aluminum alloy wheels].

An environmental hygiene study was carried out in a factory making aluminium alloy wheels via pressure moulding. Physical risk factors (noise and microclimate) and chemical risk factors (respirable dust, mineral oils, solvents, fluorides, formaldehyde, CO) were assessed. Analysis of the data showed that physical risk factors were prevalent, whereas chemical pollution was insignificant due to technical improvements made by the management in the course of several redesigns of the plants.