[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.

Dermal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in asphalt workers.

Objectives: To assess dermal exposure to 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in asphalt workers by applying polypropylene pads to six body sites (neck, shoulder, upper arm, wrist, groin, ankle), to identify the compounds and exposure sites most representative, and to integrate dermal exposure results with environmental and biological data.

Methods: Twenty-four asphalt workers were recruited. Dermal exposure was assessed during a single work shift.

Influence of some detoxification enzyme polymorphisms on cytogenetic biomarkers between individuals exposed to very low doses of 1,3-butadiene.

Objective: To evaluate the variation of some biomarkers related to the level of enzymatic activity dependent on the different polymorphisms.

Methods: We studied 27 butadiene-exposed workers and 37 controls using different biomarkers of the genotoxic effect. The genotypes were determined using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction techniques; the subjects were assigned to a specific group based on the microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) activity predicted by their genotype (low, intermediate, high).

Application of ultraviolet spectrophotometry to estimate occupational exposure to airborne polyaromatic compounds in asphalt pavers.

An ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometric procedure was devised for the determination of polycyclic aromatic compound-oriented organic soluble matter in vapors and particulate collected from emissions of hot asphalt mix. Ultrasonic extraction was carried out with acetonitrile, followed by UV measurements at 254 nm. Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) in volatile and particulate fraction were quantified as phenanthrene or benzo[k]fluoranthene equivalents.

Determination of low level methyl tert-butyl ether, ethyl tert-butyl ether and methyl tert-amyl ether in human urine by HS-SPME gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) and tert-amyl methyl ether (TAME) are oxygenated compounds added to gasoline to enhance octane rating and to improve combustion. They may be found as pollutants of living and working environments. In this work a robotized method for the quantification of low level MTBE, ETBE and TAME in human urine was developed and validated.

Comparison between urinary o-cresol and toluene as biomarkers of toluene exposure.

The characteristics of urinary o-cresol (o-C) and urinary toluene (TOL-U) as biomarkers of occupational exposure to toluene were comparatively evaluated. One hundred healthy male rotogravure printing workers and 161 male and female control subjects were studied. Personal exposure to airborne toluene (TOL-A) during the shift was determined as a time-weighted average.

Evaluation of exposure to PAHs in asphalt workers by environmental and biological monitoring.

In the present article we assessed exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Italian asphalt workers (AW, n = 100), exposed to bitumen fumes and diesel exhausts, and in roadside construction workers (CW, n = 47), exposed to diesel exhausts, by means of environmental and biological monitoring. 1-hydroxypyrene (OH-Py) was determined in urine spot samples collected, respectively, after 2 days of vacation (baseline), before, and at the end of the monitored work shift, in the second part of the workweek. Median airborne levels during the work shift of 15 PAHs (both vapor and particulate phases), from naphthalene (NAP) to indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, ranged from below 0.

Toxicological comments to the discussion about REACH.

It is the ultimate goal of the intended REACH process (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) of the European Union to identify substances of hazardous properties and to evaluate the risks of human and environmental exposure. During the last few months there has been a controversial discussion as to what extent in vitro studies and consideration of structure activity relationship provide sufficient information to waive repeated exposure studies. Industry as well as certain regulatory agencies or NGOs support this approach and propose that repeated dose studies may only be required beyond 100 t/a.

Lack of genotoxic effect in workers exposed to very low doses of 1,3-butadiene.

1,3-Butadiene (BD), a probable carcinogen to humans, has been shown to have an ill-defined genotoxicity in occupationally exposed workers. In the present study, the influence of exposure to very low doses of BD and to cigarette smoking was investigated on some cytogenetic endpoints, namely, sister chromatid exchanges (SCE), chromosomal aberrations (CA) and cells with a high frequency of SCE (HFC), in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Twenty-seven male workers employed in a petrochemical plant and 26 matched controls were included in the study.

Biological monitoring of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by determination of unmetabolized compounds in urine.

In this paper we evaluated the possibility to assess occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) measuring unmetabolized PAHs in urine. With this aim, 24 road paving (RP) workers, exposed to bitumen fumes, and 6 road construction workers (CW), exposed to diesel exhausts, were investigated. Median personal exposure to low boiling PAHs (from naphthalene to pyrene) during the work shift ranged from 0.

Monitoring low benzene exposure: comparative evaluation of urinary biomarkers, influence of cigarette smoking, and genetic polymorphisms.

Benzene is a human carcinogen and an ubiquitous environmental pollutant. Identification of specific and sensitive biological markers is critical for the definition of exposure to low benzene level and the evaluation of the health risk posed by this exposure. This investigation compared urinary trans,trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA), S-phenylmercapturic acid, and benzene (U-benzene) as biomarkers to assess benzene exposure and evaluated the influence of smoking and the genetic polymorphisms CYP2E1 (RsaI and DraI) and NADPH quinone oxidoreductase-1 on these indices.

The first century of the "clinica del lavoro" in Milan.

The Clinica del Lavoro was created in Milan at the beginning of the 20th century by Luigi Devotto, who deemed it essential for physicians and health researchers to get involved in the life and health problems of working populations. The main roles of the Clinica del Lavoro were to educate medical students and train physicians; study actual workplaces, examine health and safety hazards and their noxious effects; and create initiatives and services to protect and promote workers' health. Important scientific contributions were made in several fields, including chemical carcinogenesis, effects of mineral and biologicalfibers, mechanism of action of silica dust, methods for the detection and measurements of toxic substances in both the work environment and workers' biological media.

Determination of urinary ortho- and meta-cresol in humans by headspace SPME gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

ortho-Cresol (o-C) and meta-cresol (m-C) are minor urinary metabolites of toluene, a widely used chemical with neurotoxicological properties. A new assay for their determination in human urine is here proposed. Urinary cresol sulphates and glucuronates are submitted to acid hydrolysis, urine is neutralized, added with o-cresols-d8, and analytes are sampled in the headspace of urine by SPME using a polydimethylsiloxane fiber.

Application of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of urinary ethylenethiourea in humans.

Ethylenethiourea (ETU) is a major metabolite of ethylenebisdithiocarbamate pesticides: a sensitive and specific assay for its determination in human urine is proposed below. ETU is extracted on a diatomaceous earth column using dichloromethane and derivatized with the mixture of N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide and tert-butyldimethyilsilyl chloride. The derivative is analyzed using GC/MS in the EI/SIM mode.