Cadmium, mercury and lead in the blood of urban women in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, China, Ecuador and Morocco.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to make an international comparison of blood levels of cadmium (B-Cd), lead (B-Pb) and mercury (B-Hg) of women in seven European, and three non-European cities, and to identify determinants.

Materials And Methods: About 50 women (age: 46-62) from each city were recruited (totally 480) in 2006-2009. Interview and questionnaire data were obtained.

Effect of occupational lead exposure on α- and γ-tocopherol concentration in plasma.

Objectives: Changes in enzymatic antioxidant activity are frequently observed in workers occupationally exposed to lead. Few studies have investigated the influence of lead on the non-enzymatic antioxidant system. The aim of our study was to assess the influence of occupational exposure to lead on the plasma concentration of two hydrophobic forms of vitamin E: α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol.

Thermal and resonance neutrons generated by various electron and X-ray therapeutic beams from medical linacs installed in polish oncological centers.

Background: High-energy photon and electron therapeutic beams generated in medical linear accelerators can cause the electronuclear and photonuclear reactions in which neutrons with a broad energy spectrum are produced. A low-energy component of this neutron radiation induces simple capture reactions from which various radioisotopes originate and in which the radioactivity of a linac head and various objects in the treatment room appear.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to present the results of the thermal/resonance neutron fluence measurements during therapeutic beam emission and exemplary spectra of gamma radiation emitted by medical linac components activated in neutron reactions for four X-ray beams and for four electron beams generated by various manufacturers' accelerators installed in typical concrete bunkers in Polish oncological centers.

Haemophilus influenzae as an airborne contamination in child day care centers.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the exposure of children to airborne Haemophilus influenzae in day care centers.

Methods: Air samples were taken using an Andersen impactor in 32 rooms designed for children stay. The concentrations of airborne bacteria were calculated as colony forming units (CFU) (growing on trypticase soy agar) per cubic meter of air (CFU/m(3)).

Blood selenium concentration in a selected population of children inhabiting industrial regions in Upper Silesia (Poland).

Purpose: Present study aimed at determining blood selenium concentration (Se-B) in a selected population of children inhabiting industrial regions.

Methods: The studies were conducted on a group of 267 children inhabiting industrial regions in Upper Silesia (Poland). Determination of Se-B was performed using hydride generation atomic absorption technique.

Modification by the genes ALAD and VDR of lead-induced cognitive effects in children.

Lead has negative effect on cognitive functions in children. However, individuals differ in susceptibility. One possible explanation is a genetic predisposition.

Level of DNA damage in lead-exposed workers.

Lead plays a significant role in modern industry. This metal is related to a broad range of physiological, biochemical and behavioural dysfunctions. The genotoxic effects of lead have been studied both in animals and humans in in vitro systems but results were contradictory.

Occupational asthma due to turpentine in art painter--case report.

Turpentine is a fluid obtained by distillation of wood resins containing mixture of terpens. It can act as an irritant and sensitiser. Most common health problem among workers exposed to turpentine is contact dermatitis.

Neuroprotective effect of N-acetylcysteine in neurons exposed to arachidonic acid during simulated ischemia in vitro.

The aim of the study was to assess neuroprotective effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC; 100-200 microM) on cultured cortical neurons exposed to arachidonic acid (AA, 10 microM) during ischemia (oxygen-glucose deprivation). Ischemic conditions decreased neuron viability to 41-47% of normoxic controls; co-exposure with arachidonic acid further attenuated neuron viability to 36.73% after 24 h.

Environmental exposure to airborne asbestos fibres in a highly urbanized city.

Asbestos fibres, when released into the air, can pose serious health hazards to exposed people. The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of respirable asbestos fibres in a highly urbanized and densely populated town, where asbestos-containing materials have been widely used in building constructions. Their presence and degree of corrosion were the main criterion for location of sampling stations.

Methicillin resistance of airborne coagulase-negative staphylococci in homes of persons having contact with a hospital environment.

Background: The persons having contact with a hospital environment (hospital personnel workers and discharged patients) are highly exposed to colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the airborne Staphylococcus genus features in homes in which inhabitants have had contact with the hospital environment.

Methods: Airborne bacteria were collected using a 6-stage Anderson impactor.

Urinary mercury and biomarkers of early renal dysfunction in environmentally and occupationally exposed adults: a three-country study.

We conducted a cross-sectional study in Sweden, Italy and Poland to assess environmental and occupational exposure to mercury from chloralkali (CA) plants and the potential association with biomarkers of early renal dysfunction. Questionnaire data and first-morning urine samples were collected from 757 eligible subjects. Urine samples were analysed for mercury corrected for creatinine (U-HgC), alpha-1-microglobulin (A1M), N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG) and albumin.

Environmental lead exposure in Polish children: blood lead levels, major sources and principles of the lead poisoning prevention.

In Poland, children are exposed to lead from the combustion of leaded gasoline and industrial processes. Since the early 1990s, emission levels have declined, and a ban on leaded petrol is anticipated in 2005. Major industrial sources are located in Silesia Province and the copper mining centre (Legnica region).

Viability of fungal and actinomycetal spores after microwave radiation of building materials.

The effects of microwave radiation on viability of fungal and actinomycetal spores growing on agar (medium optimal for growth) as well as on wooden panel and drywall (common building construction/finishing materials) were studied. All materials were incubated at high (97-99%) and low (32-33%) relative humidity to mimic "wet" and "dry" environmental conditions. Two microwave power densities (10 and 60 mW/cm2) and three times of exposure (5, 30, and 60 min) were tested to find the most effective parameters of radiation which could be applied to non-invasive reduction or cleaning of building materials from microbial contaminants.

Children's allergic diseases and microbial contamination of indoor air--a case report.

The assessment of exposure to bioaerosols in damp houses of two children who suffered from perennial rhinitis and asthma was performed. The paper presents an approach to the complex (i.e.

Extracirculatory effects of noise of various frequency spectra in humans--effect of pink and blue noise on gastric myoelectrical activity and gastrointestinal passage of nutrients.

Recent investigations in humans point out to a disturbing effect of auditory stimuli on the functional integrity of the brain-gut axis. The study was devoted to a systematic comparative evaluation of the effect of noises of different frequency spectra on the postprandial electrical and transport functions of the digestive tract in humans. Twenty six healthy subjects attended a cross-over study, which aimed at comparison of the effect of pink contrasted to blue noise within a given category (band or tonal) and a meal stimulus type (semi-liquid or solid test meal).

Environmental lead exposure increases micronuclei in children.

The objective of this pilot study was to investigate the contribution of environmental exposures to lead in the development of cytogenetic damage detected as the frequency of micronuclei (MN) in children. The other aim was to apply the MN assay in combination with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using a pan-centromeric chromosome probe to elucidate the formation mechanism of induced MN. The examined population was composed of 9-year-old children (n = 92), living in the region where non-ferrous ores are extracted and processed.

The influence of environmental exposure to complex mixtures including PAHs and lead on genotoxic effects in children living in Upper Silesia, Poland.

Environmental exposure is a complex mixture of hazardous compounds with different mechanisms of toxicity. In case of concomitant exposure to carcinogenic substances--such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)--and to heavy metals--such as lead (Pb)--the level of DNA damage may be enhanced. Children are considered more vulnerable than adults to chemical toxicants because they take in more toxicants as a proportion of body mass and because of inherent biological growth and developmental factors.

Environmental burden of disease due to lead in urban children from Silesia, Poland.

We performed environmental burden of disease (EBD) assessment of the neurotoxic effects of lead in the Polish urban children, in accordance with the WHO guidelines. The EBD assessment was based on the data on blood lead levels (BLL) of more than 8500 children from the lead biomonitoring programme conducted in the urban centre of the Upper Silesia Province, Poland between 1993 and 2000. In order to make the EBD assessment region specific, in the projections to years 2001 and 2005 we used 4% annual decrease in BLL, derived from the earlier analysis of the Silesian BLL data instead of the WHO proposed 7.

Urinary mercury in adults in Poland living near a chloralkali plant.

We conducted a study within the framework of the interdisciplinary European Mercury Emission from Chloralkali Plants (EMECAP) project to assess exposure to mercury (Hg) and the contribution of Hg emissions from a mercury cell chloralkali plant to urinary mercury (U-Hg) in adults living near the plant. We collected data from questionnaires and first morning urine samples from 75 subjects living near the Tarnow plant in Poland and 100 subjects living in a reference area. Median U-Hg was 0.

Fetal and postnatal exposure to tobacco smoke and respiratory health in children.

The aim of this paper was to find out whether fetal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), as compared to postnatal ETS exposure, is an independent risk factor for respiratory symptoms and diseases in younger schoolchildren. The cross-sectional epidemiological study comprised population of 1,561 Polish schoolchildren, aged 9-11 years. Information on the exposure to tobacco smoke and other sources of indoor air pollution at home, respiratory and allergic health status, and socio-economic status of the family was obtained by questionnaire survey.

Mercury vapor determination in hospitals.

The measurements of metallic mercury vapor were carried out in seven local hospitals, where mercury-containing products are widely used, as well as in one residence to check effectiveness of decontamination after mercury spillage. Hopcalite as a solid sorbent was used in active and passive sampling methods, and mercury was analyzed by CV-AAS technique. Good agreement was found between results of mercury measurements using active samplers (pumped hopcalite adsorption tubes) and passive (diffusion) monitors applied in indoor atmosphere.

Filamentous microorganisms and their fragments in indoor air--a review.

The paper summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the role of filamentous microorganisms (i.e., fungi and actinomycetes) and their submicrometer propagules (fragments) in formation of indoor bioaerosol.

Metalworking fluid bioaerosols at selected workplaces in a steelworks.

Background: Exposure to metalworking fluid (MWF) aerosols has been shown to be associated with a variety of respiratory and skin diseases of workers.

Methods: Measurements of particulate aerosols, bacterial bioaerosol, and endotoxins and 3-hydroxy fatty acids (3-OH FAs) content in water-based and straight oil MWFs were done during an 8 hr work shift in the grindery and oil basement sections of a steelworks located in Upper Silesia, Poland.

Results: Particulate aerosol concentrations were below NIOSH recommended occupational exposure level.

Microbial air quality in offices at municipal landfills.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of two municipal landfills on the microbiological air quality in offices on landfill sites. The evaluation was based on the concentration levels of airborne bacteria and fungi and the identification of isolated strains. Air samples were collected with a six-stage Andersen impactor.