[Semi-permanent make up and tattooing equipment: safety and health issues].

The UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE), at Machinery Directive Administrative Cooperation meeting, brought a problem to the attention of semi-permanent make up equipment sold in the European market, that may pose a health risk due to microbiological contamination. Considering that body adornment techniques are becoming increasingly popular, a study was carried out to evaluate the technical characteristics of such equipment and to collect information on the National and European regulatory situation. In most member states of the European Community, tattooing and semi-permanent make up activities are not regulated by specific laws.

[Musculoskeletal conditions of the upper and lower limbs as an occupational disease: what kind and under what conditions. Consensus document of a national working-group. ISPESL].

Background And Objectives: In via of the progressive emergence in Italy of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, the EPM Research Unit decided to set up a national working group with the aim of producing a Consensus Document including methods and criteria as an initial attempt towards managing such diseases as true "listed" work-related diseases as is already done in the other European Union countries. The working group includes experts from INAIL, ISPESL, welfare assistance institutions, local prevention and health protection services: The group's research activity was included in ISPESL's funded research plan.

Contents: The Consensus Document includes a review of epidemiologic issues reported in the international literature, comments on the application of current legislation, observations on the guilt profiles of employers and occupational physicians, as well as medical-legal issues.

Neurotoxic effects of aluminium among foundry workers and Alzheimer's disease.

Background: In a cross-sectional case-control study conducted in northern Italy, 64 former aluminium dust-exposed workers were compared with 32 unexposed controls from other companies matched for age, professional training, economic status, educational and clinical features. The findings lead the authors to suggest a possible role of the inhalation of aluminium dust in pre-clinical mild cognitive disorder which might prelude Alzheimer's disease (AD) or AD-like neurological deterioration.

Methods: The investigation involved a standardised occupational and medical history with particular attention to exposure and symptoms, assessments of neurotoxic metals in serum: aluminium (Al-s), copper (Cu-s) and zinc (Zn-s), and in blood: manganese (Mn-b), lead (Pb-b) and iron (Fe-b).

Evaluation of DNA damage in flight personnel by Comet assay.

There have been some suggestions that air-crew are at a higher-than-normal risk of developing cancer, since they are exposed to potential genotoxic factors. These include cosmic radiations, airborne pollutants such as the combustion products of jet propulsion, ozone, and electromagnetic fields. We used the Comet assay to investigate DNA damage in flight personnel with the aim of assessing potential health hazards in this occupational category.