Biomedical subjects
A Colombi
Publications and source records attributed to A Colombi.
[Enteric viruses in sludge at the domestic waste treatment plants].
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[Biological monitoring of environmental benzene exposure in traffic wardens].
Vehicle exhausts are a well known source of aromatic hydrocarbon pollution in urban environments. The paper reports the results of environmental and biological monitoring of benzene exposure in traffic wardens carried out over a 5-hour workshift. Subjects (n = 131) were grouped according to smoking habits and job task as follows: group (A) 52 nonsmoking office workers, (B) 43 nonsmoking outdoor workers, subdivided into (B1) 36 working on foot and (B2) 7 cyclists; (C) 20 smokers office workers, (D) 16 smokers outdoor workers, subdivided into (D1) 11 working on foot and (D1) 5 cyclists. The median indoor environmental benzene concentration (26 micrograms/m3, n = 50) was significantly lower than the outdoor concentration (45 micrograms/m3, n = 43) (p < 0.01); median exposure value of cyclists was 78 micrograms/m3 (n = 12). For biological monitoring, urinary excretion of trans,transmuconic acid was determined in spot samples collected at 7:30 h (MAit) and 12:30 h (MAft). The MAftA median value (63 micrograms/l, range 2-242 micrograms/l) was not statistically different from MAftB (74 micrograms/l, range 15-216 micrograms/l), while the MAftB2 value of 96 micrograms/l was higher than both MAftB1 (71 micrograms/l) and MAftA. In group (B) there was a relationship between airborne benzene levels and MAftB excretion (y = 17.2 + 1.1x, r = 0.62, n = 35, p < 0.01). The influence of smoking on urinary MA excretion was studied by comparing the results obtained in all nonsmokers (AB) with smokers (CD). MAftCD (192 micrograms/l) was significantly higher than MAftAB (69 micrograms/l) (p < 0.01). In smokers, statistically significant relationships were observed between urinary excretion of MAft (y, microgram/l) and cotinine (x, microgram/l) (y = 83 + 0.08x, r = 0.73, n = 23, p < 0.01), and smoking (x, number cigarettes/day) (y = 87.4 + 4.4x, r = 0.53, n = 29, p < 0.01). Comparison between MAft and MAit median excretion values, calculated for each of the 6 exposure groups, showed that MAft was always higher than the corresponding MAit value. A rough estimate of the total dose of benzene ("index of exposure", EI) inhaled by each subject during the 5-hour working shift as a consequence of air pollution and smoking was also made. Considering the entire group of subjects, a significant association was observed between EI and MAft values (y = 43.4 + 0.39x, r = 0.65, n = 104, p < 0.01). Individual values of MA it were correlated with MAft according to the equation y = 43.6 + 0.82x (r = 0.62, n = 105; p < 0.01) and were also positively associated with EI values (y = 42.3 + 0.20x; r = 0.55; n = 74; p < 0.01). In conclusion, the results suggest that the measurement of urinary MA excretion is a poor indicator for assessing environmental benzene exposure at levels below 100 micrograms/m3, such as those seen in this study; MA can however be reliably used as a biomarker for higher exposures such as those, for example, due to smoking.
[Review of risks of biological agents and preventive measures to safeguard the health of compost production workers].
A review of studies made in the compost production industry showed the biological agents posing a risk for workers were fungi and thermophile bacteria, gram-negative bacteria and endotoxins, with a prevalent inhalation exposure to airborne contaminated dusts. Medical examinations revealed cases of extrinsic allergic alveolitis due to A. fumigatus, and more frequently irritative and infectious disorders occurring especially in conditions of poor environmental hygiene and macroscopic dust pollution. For the evaluation of the air dispersion of microorganisms, which is high in compost transport and turning operations, at present no exposure limit values are available for biological agents; nevertheless, the concentrations measured were often higher than the limit values proposed for other manufacturing sectors by individual authors and by regulatory agencies in Europe, and were comparable to values observed in other industrial settings for which adverse health effects have been shown. Although the number of studies available are few in number, the results suggest that the hazards posed by microorganisms and the poor environmental hygiene conditions often encountered can undoubtedly be a source of risk for workers, which at present is difficult to establish but significant considering the high airborne concentrations of contaminated dust. Besides technical measures to avoid environmental macroscopic dispersion of dusts, measurement of airborne microbiological contaminants is also recommended. Health surveillance needs to be aimed at identifying subjects with hypersusceptibility to the infectious action of the pathogenetic and/or allergenic agents or with hypersensitivity to the same, and also to periodic control of respiratory organs.