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Background: The need for health surveillance of former workers exposed to asbestos was provided by law in Italy after the asbestos ban in 1992., Objectives: We describe the results of the health surveillance of former workers exposed to asbestos, conducted over 27 years, from 1994 to 2020, at the Operative Unit of Occupational Medicine of the University Hospital of Bari., Materials and Methods: We adopted the health surveillance protocol, which was validated at the national level in 2018., Results: A total of 1,405 former workers exposed to asbestos were examined. We proceeded with diagnosing pathologies in 339 cases (24% of the cohort subjected to surveillance), with diagnoses of some cases involving multiple pathologies. Specifically, pleural plaques were diagnosed in 49.2% of the 339 cases, asbestosis in 35.9%, malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in 20.3%, mesothelioma of the vaginal tunic of the testis (MTVT) in 9.1%, lung cancer in 5.8%, and laryngeal cancer in 0.8%., Conclusion: Despite the 1992 asbestos ban, asbestos-related diseases remain a serious public health issue. It is important to establish criteria that ensure the health surveillance of formerly exposed workers minimizes costs, reduces the number of invasive examinations, and optimizes achievable results., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 De Maria, Pentimone, Cavone, Caputi, Sponselli, Fragassi, Dicataldo, Luisi, Delvecchio, Giannelli, Cafaro, Sole, Ronghi, Zagaria, Loiacono, Sifanno, Ferri and Vimercati.)

Port workers are exposed to a wide range of occupational hazards that can cause injuries and occupational diseases. Among these, exposure to benzene is one of the most important but least studied. The highest occupational exposures for port workers occur during the filling and loading of gasoline, and cleaning of tanks and receptacles. The aim of the study was to evaluate occupational exposure to low levels of benzene by measuring trans,trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA) in urine samples from workers operating at fuelling stations in a tourist port of Southern Italy. The overall sample was composed of 43 port workers of a tourist port in Southern Italy. In 2018, each participant provided two (morning and evening) urine samples for the determination of urinary t,t-MA. Urinary excretion of t,t-MA was always higher at the end of the work shift than at the beginning with significant difference ( p = 0.002). In smokers, median t,t-MA urinary excretion is higher than non-smokers both at the beginning (90.5 μg/g creatinine vs. 61.45 μg/g creatinine) and at the end of the work shift (128.2 μg/g creatinine vs. 89.5 μg/g creatinine). Urinary excretion of t,t-MA is higher at the end of the work shift than at the beginning in both smokers and non-smokers, but the difference is significantly higher in non-smokers ( p = 0.003) than in smokers ( p = 0.05). In conclusion, our results showed that the role of inhaled benzene at fuelling stations in a tourist port can be relevant. On the basis of these results and the known adverse effects of benzene on human health, we encourage the use of personal protective equipment in the fuelling area of ports in order to minimize exposure to benzene to workers., (Copyright © 2020 De Maria, Ledda, Caputi, Mansi, Cannone, Sponselli, Cavone, Birtolo, Cannizzaro, Ferri, Rapisarda and Vimercati.)

The study describes a cluster of 71 malignant mesothelioma cases among Bari residents without asbestos exposure other than residential exposure. This small cohort, as expected, was composed of a majority of females (56.34%) with a M/F ratio of 0.8, ages ≤ 65 years old (52.11%) and the epithelioid morphological type (78.87%). Sixty-four subjects (90.14%) lived between 10 m and 1000 m from the asbestos cement factory (Fibronit), and the latency length was longer than 55 years for 25 subjects (35.21%). The adjusted risk (adjusted OR) of observing the epithelial form of mesothelioma among subjects living at small distances from Fibronit was high (OR = 1.870 (0.353-9.905)) for people living 550-1000 m from the site and for those living less than 550 m from the site (OR = 1.470 (0.262-8.248)). Additionally, the subjects with a high length of exposure showed a relevant risk of epithelioid mesothelioma both for 21-40 years of exposure (OR = 2.027 (0.521-7.890)) and more than 40 years of exposure (OR = 2.879 (0.651-12.736)). All of the estimates were high but not significant because this transitional study has a typically low power. The adjustment for latency showed the same trend. Using detailed information collected by the regional mesothelioma registry, this study provided evidence of a continuing health impact of the Fibronit asbestos cement factory in Bari on the resident population.

A follow-up study of a cohort of workers from a coke plant compared with a control group from the same industrial area was conducted in 2019. The recruitment and environmental and biomarker measurements were performed during 1993/1994. The environmental concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), B(a)P, pyrene and nitro-PAH were measured. Personal data were collected via an individual semi-structured questionnaire by a trained physician. All biomarkers were measured after a specific blood drawing for every test. Significant risks (ORs) were observed for nitro-PAH ( ≥ 0.12 µ g/ m 3 ) [OR = 7.96 (1.01-62.82)], urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHpy) (≥0.99 µmoles/moles of creatinine) [OR = 11.71 (1.47-92.90)], PAH DNA adducts (P 32 ) (≥2.69 adducts/10 8 nucleotides) [OR = 5.46 (1.17-25.58)], total nitro-PAH hemoglobin adducts (≥161.68 fg/µg of Hb) [OR = 5.92 (1.26-27.86)], sister chromatid exchange (SCE) with TCR (≥377.84 SCE/cell chromosomes) [OR = 13.06 (3.95-93.10)], sister chromatid exchange with T (≥394.72 total SCE) [OR = 13.06 (3.95-93.10)], and sister chromatid exchange with X (≥8.19 mean SCE) [OR = 13.06 (3.95-93.10)]. Significant risk of death for all causes and chromosomal aberrations (48 h) (OR = 7.19 [1.19-43.44]) or micronuclei in culture at 48 h (OR = 3.86 [1.04-14.38]) were also found.

Background: Malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis (MMTVT) is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. The diagnosis and management of these lesions are often difficult for pathologists, surgeons, oncologists and occupational physicians. A preoperative diagnosis of malignancy is rarely made, and there is no established effective therapy except orchidectomy., Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted among the articles published in the English literature on primary MMTVT. Moreover four cases from the Apulia mesothelioma register are reported here., Results: Two hundred eighty-nine cases of MMTVT have been reported from 1943 to 2018. Overall asbestos exposure has been investigated only for 58% of all cases reported in this review, while in 41.8% this data are not available. Noteworthy is the fact that in many reports there is not an anamnestic reconstruction of any asbestos exposure. A history of direct occupational, environmental or familial asbestos exposure is found in 27.6% of the cases. The four cases from the Apulia mesothelioma register are all with ascertained occupational exposure to asbestos., Conclusions: The true incidence of asbestos exposure in MMTVT is underestimated because of insufficient information reported in older literature. To establish a broad consensus on the causal relationship between asbestos and MMTVT in the scientific community its necessary to analyze the same variables in the epidemiological studies. In general it should be recommended that a positive history of exposure to asbestos or to asbestos-containing materials are at risk for the development of a MMTVT and should be monitored.

Background: Thyroid diseases occur more frequently in people exposed to ionizing radiation, but the relationship between occupational exposure to ionizing radiation and thyroid pathologies still remains unclear., Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of thyroid diseases in healthcare workers exposed to low-level ionizing radiation compared with a control group working at the University Hospital of Bari, Southern Italy, and living in the same geographical area, characterized by mild iodine deficiency., Methods: We ran a cross-sectional study to investigate whether healthcare workers exposed to ionizing radiation had a higher prevalence of thyroid diseases. Four hundred and forty-four exposed healthcare workers (241 more exposed, or "A Category", and 203 less exposed, or "B Category") and 614 nonexposed healthcare workers were enrolled during a routine examination at the Occupational Health Unit. They were asked to fill in an anamnestic questionnaire and undergo a physical examination, serum determination of fT3, fT4 and TSH, anti-TPO ab and anti-TG ab and ultrasound neck scan. Thyroid nodules were submitted to fine needle aspiration biopsy when indicated., Results: The prevalence of thyroid diseases was statistically higher in the exposed workers compared to controls (40% vs 29%, adPR 1.65; IC95% 1.34-2.07). In particular, the thyroid nodularity prevalence in the exposed group was approximately twice as high as that in the controls (29% vs 13%; adPR 2.83; IC95% 2.12-3.8). No statistically significant association was found between exposure to ionizing radiation and other thyroid diseases., Conclusion: In our study, mild ionizing radiation-exposed healthcare workers had a statistically higher prevalence of thyroid diseases than the control group. The results are likely due to a closer and more meticulous health surveillance programme carried out in the ionising radiation-exposed workers, allowing them to identify thyroid alterations earlier than non-exposed health staff., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: Pathologic myopia is often associated with many complications, e.g. retinopathy, vitreous detachment and glaucoma. To date, occupational exposure of workers suffering from myopic co-morbidities to fluorescence light is not clearly linked to a worsening of retinal damage and eye symptoms., Case Report: A 56-year-old pathologist, suffering from myopic retinopathy and other ocular comorbidities, asked for medical examination due to worsening vision and burning eyes, after occupational exposure to fluorescence microscope. Eye examination performed by an ophthalmologist detected a severe chorio-retinal atrophy in peri-papillar region and scotopic-photopic reduced voltages at electroretinogram. Moreover, a workplace inspection noted high light intensity from power source (9600 lux). Considering severity of the retinopathy, frequency of the ocular symptoms and steady occupational exposure both to low-intensity fluorescent light and high intensity light, we decided to declare the worker only fit for specific tasks which do not include the use of a fluorescence microscope. Almost six months later, the worker was recalled for a new examination and she reported the absence of the ocular discomfort that had led her to request the previous examination., Conclusion: In this unconventional case, we considered appropriated to use great caution, to avoid ocular fatigue and prevent possible retinal damage in the worker.

Waste management, namely, collection, transport, sorting and processing, and disposal, is an issue of social concern owing to its environmental impact and effects on public health. In fact, waste management activities are carried out according to procedures that can have various negative effects on the environment and, potentially, on human health. The aim of our study was to assess the potential effects on respiratory health of this exposure in workers in the waste management and disposal field, as compared with a group of workers with no occupational exposure to outdoor pollutants. The sample consisted of a total of 124 subjects, 63 waste collectors, and 61 office clerks. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects before inclusion in the study. The entire study population underwent pulmonary function assessments with spirometry and completed two validated questionnaires for the diagnosis of rhinitis and chronic bronchitis. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA 13. Spirometry showed a statistically significant reduction in the mean Tiffenau Index values in the exposed workers, as compared with the controls, after adjusting for the confounding factors of age, BMI, and smoking habit. Similarly, the mean FEV1 values were lower in the exposed workers than in the controls, this difference being again statistically significant. The FVC differences measured in the two groups were not found to be statistically significant. We ran a cross-sectional study to investigate the respiratory health of a group of workers in the solid waste collection and disposal field as compared with a group of office workers. In agreement with most of the data in the literature, our findings support the existence of a prevalence of respiratory deficits in waste disposal workers. Our data suggest the importance of adopting preventive measures, such as wearing specific individual protection devices, to protect this particular category of workers from adverse effects on respiratory health.

Copyright of La Medicina del Lavoro is the property of Mattioli 1885 SpA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

(1) Background: Particulate matter increases the risk of respiratory, allergic and oncological diseases in both exposed workers and the general population due to its toxic compounds (e.g., PAHs, gases, heavy metals, microorganisms). The aim of this review is to show the results obtained by our department regarding air pollution's contributions to health damage in both occupationally and non-occupationally exposed people. (2) Methods: This review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, searching articles on PubMed, using eligibility criteria, extracting data independently from reports to reduce bias and considering the accuracy of the statistical analyses. (3) Results: Of fifteen papers, only three respected the abovementioned criteria. A total of 453 cases (174 occupationally exposed and 279 non-occupationally exposed individuals) were included in the review. Qualitative analysis showed that among workers, occupational exposure to air pollution increased the risk of allergic and pulmonary diseases, whereas environmental exposure to PM increased heavy metal intake, the last of which was characterized by well-known carcinogenic effects. 4) Conclusion: The use of personal protective equipment, a meticulous health surveillance program and specific environmental protection policies are needed to protect public health from damages due to air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of La Medicina del Lavoro is the property of Mattioli 1885 SpA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)