Functional selectivity for face processing in the temporal voice area of early deaf individuals.

Brain systems supporting face and voice processing both contribute to the extraction of important information for social interaction (e.g., person identity).

[Assessment of exposure to fluorine and health effects in the production of aluminum].

To check the current levels of exposure to fluorine and possible implications for health, 429 workers of a plant for aluminum production were involved in this study. The protocol included a medical examination with standardized questionnaire and dosage of urinary fluorine at the beginning and end of the shift. Workers with an urinary value greater than 5 mg F/L (66% of the limit SCOEL) were examined also by X-ray of the pelvis (AP); they were classified for the presence of fluorosis by a semiquantitative scale.

[Shoe factory workers, solvents and health].

Exposure to organic solvents in footwear manufacturing industry came from the glues used adhering the shoe parts to each other. Benzene was the first solvent used in shoe factories until the evidence of its capacity to cause leukaemia. Then, the demonstration that exposure to n-hexane was related to distal polyneuropathy limited the use of this substance.

[Occupational exposure to chemical carcinogens between estimates and reality: an Italian multicentric study in Lombardy].

Exposure to carcinogenic chemicals at work is again debated owing to continuous technological developments. The observed decrease in cancer mortality in North America and in Western Europe after the 1980s can be attributed to several factors including a reduction of exposure to carcinogens at work. A multicentric study was conducted in Lombardy (PPTP-Study) in order to assess the actual presence and possible exposure to chemical carcinogens, with the aim of mapping the work areas at greatest risk at present.