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S Iavicoli

Publications and source records attributed to S Iavicoli.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Evaluation of the role of occupational and environmental exposure to inorganic arsenic in the urinary excretion of the metal: preliminary data].

INTRODUCTION: Urinary inorganic arsenic is an expression of occupational exposure to the metal, provided that there is no history of ingestion of foods containing high concentrations of inorganic and/or organic arsenic. The present study was conducted to assess the contribution of professional and environmental exposure to inorganic arsenic on urinary excretion of the metal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined 195 workers at a steelfoundry in Taranto, exposed to very low concentrations of inorganic arsenic and two control groups consisting of 105 subjects resident near the factory and 144 subjects resident approximately 20 Km away. All participants were administered a questionnaire enquiring about general characteristics, lifestyle, occupational and extra occupational exposure to arsenic. Urinary arsenic was determined by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry. RESULTS: Exposed and non exposed subjects were similar as regards general characteristics and lifestyle. The environmental concentration of arsenic for the foundryworkers was invariably lower than 0.1 microg/m3. Urinary excretion of arsenic was higher in the subjects in all three groups, examined singly and together, if they had eaten crustaceans and/or shellfish in the three days before urine collection. There was a significant positive correlation with the consumption of shellfish and a significant negative correlation with the number of days since the last crustacean/shellfish meal. Multiple regression analysis showed a dependence of urinary elimination of arsenic on the days since the last crustacean/shellfish meal. DISCUSSION: The absence of occupational exposure to arsenic allowed us to attribute the higher urinary elimination of arsenic to ingestion of crustaceans and/or shellfish in the three days before collection of the urine, both in subjects exposed to inorganic arsenic and in the two groups belonging to the general population. Our results support the hypothesis that inorganic arsenic, determined by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry, may derive from the catabolism of organic arsenic compounds contained in crustaceans and/or shellfish included in the diet.

Arsenic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Health risks associated with child labor: activities and proposals of WHO collaboration centers].

Child labour should be analyzed with regard to the main frameworks where it arises: particularly, the small family based enterprises in agricultural, hospitality and restaurateurs' sectors play a leading role. In these contexts the child can underestimate the risks related to the carried out work activity and assimilate the work background to the family background. In spite of the national thorough regulations on child labour, the network of WHO Collaborating Centres is working to develop a common awareness in order to evaluate, communicate and prevent the occupational health and safety risks for children, at national and international level.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The antimony conflict].

Antimony, which was already well known to the ancients, in the Middle Ages was known as Lupus metallorurn--the grey wolf--a key material in alchemists' attempts at purifying gold. Over subsequent centuries antimony returned within the bounds of conventional scientific and experimental knowledge, but inspired numerous studies, works of literature and investigations in important fields of medicine. Antimony has always aroused more interest than one might expect from a simple metal. The fact that it has been used since ancient times in cosmetics and then in alchemy gave it both positive and negative connotations, reflecting its possible uses and the benefits for health but also the potential harm. For a certain period antimony was virtually the symbol for a range of uses in alchemy or empirical medicine, in the face of modern scientific knowledge, and aroused debate that went well beyond its actual physical and chemical properties. Bernardino Ramazzini's work in the 17th-18th centuries signalled the recognition that the use of antimony was linked to health risks. Today it is put to many uses in many fields of industry and medicine, so our interest in this metal is no longer exclusively a question of history, but is highly topical.

Antimony↗