Abstract
During the years 2014–2016 the University of Salento performed the “Impact of Air Quality on Health of Residents in the Municipalities of Cutrofiano, Galatina, Sogliano Cavour, Soleto and Sternatia” (IMP.AIR) study, an epidemiological-molecular research project aiming to evaluate early DNA damage in children living in an area of Salento with high incidence of lung cancer among the male population. One hundred and twenty-two children aged 6–8 years attending primary school were enrolled and the frequency of micronucleated cells (MNC) in oral mucosa was evaluated. In addition, a questionnaire was administered to parents to obtain information about personal data, anthropometric characteristics and lifestyles (physical activity, food habits, family context) of the children and perform a multivariate analysis to detect any factors associated with MNC occurrence. Data on airborne pollutants detected in the study area were acquired by the Regional Agency for the Environmental Protection. The presence of MNC was highlighted in about 42% of children with a mean MNC frequency of 0.49‰. The frequency of MNC was associated to obesity, consumption of red or processed meat and having a mother who smokes. Moreover, the prevalence of biomarkers was higher than in another area of Salento not included in the cluster area.
Highlights
Cancer constitutes an enormous burden on society in more and less economically developed countries alike
This paper reports the results of the “Impact of Air Quality on Health of Residents in the Municipalities of Cutrofiano, Galatina, Sogliano Cavour, Soleto and Sternatia” (IMP.AIR) study an epidemiological molecular research performed in the years 2014–2016 by the University of Salento and aimed to: (i) evaluate the frequency of Micronucleated cells (MNC) in oral mucosa of 6–8-year-old children living in the five Municipalities included in the cluster area and (ii) assess lifestyles of the children that could have effects on the measured biological responses
The recruited children had an average weight of 28.3 ± 7.6 kg, an average height of 127.2 ± 8.7 cm and an average body mass index (BMI) of 17.247 ± 2.892 kg/m2 . 63.1% of them were normal weight, 32.0% were in excess weight, included obese (14.8%), while 4.9% were underweight
Summary
Cancer constitutes an enormous burden on society in more and less economically developed countries alike. The occurrence of cancer is increasing because of the growth and aging of the population, as well as an increasing prevalence of epigenetic factors including those associated with urbanization and economic development [1]. Several decades ago lung cancer emerged as the most common cancer worldwide. In 2012 it was the most common cancer both in term of new cases (1.8 million cases, 12.9% of total) and deaths. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 1659; doi:10.3390/ijerph15081659 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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