Group Of Exposed Workers Research Articles

Biological monitoring of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and to metallic elements in Italian Navy workers operating near the industrial area in Taranto (South Italy).

Objectives:To assess, by means of biological monitoring, exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and to metallic elements in Italian Navy workers operating near the industrial area in Taranto, and thereby estimate the health risk.Methods:A total of 450 workers in the Italian Navy were examined; they had office type jobs, and 150 of them worked near the industrial area in Taranto (exposed group), 150 in Taranto but far from this area (internal control group) and 150 in Brindisi (external control group). The recruited workers were administered a questionnaire inquiring about current and previous working activities, personal medical history, lifestyle and dietary habits, and their residence location. Then they collected a urine sample for the determination of 1-hydroxypyrene, 2-naphthol, cotinine and the metallic elements As, Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, Cu, Zn and Hg. The latter were measured in 110 workers in each group. In addition, in some of the work sites of the three groups, environmental samplings were carried out to determine PAHs and the 10 metallic elements, also taking into account the wind direction.Results:Airborne benzo(a)pyrene concentrations at the different sampling sites ranged from 0.02 to 0.06 ng/m3 and naphthalene between <25 and 65.3 ng/m3, regardless of the wind direction. Among the metallic elements, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Hg, Pb, Cu and Zn were present at concentrations below or just above the limit of detection (LOD). Mn and Ni were slightly higher in the work sites of the exposed group. The urinary concentrations of 1-hydroxypyrene, 2-naphthol and the single metallic elements were not higher in the exposed workers group than in the other 2 groups. Smokers had significantly higher urinary 1-hydroxypyrene and 2-naphthol concentrations, whereas cigarette smoking did not condition a higher urinary elimination of metallic elements in the three groups with the exception of Cd and Pb. Moreover, residence location conditioned Mn, Hg and As urinary excretion, consumption of shellfish and/or crustaceans in the 72 hours before urine collection conditioned As elimination, and consumption of legumes in the 72 hours before urine collection conditioned Ni elimination.Conclusions:This research did not find a higher urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene, 2-naphthol and As, Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, Cu, Zn and Hg in the exposed workers group as compared to the internal control group working far from the industrial area of Taranto, nor in the group working in another city far away from Taranto, Brindisi. Therefore, it indicated that workers in the Italian Navy operating near the industrial area in Taranto were not exposed to a greater risk attributable to exposure to PAHs and metallic elements than the two control groups.

Psychophysical Evaluation of Achromatic and Chromatic Vision of Workers Chronically Exposed to Organic Solvents

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate achromatic and chromatic vision of workers chronically exposed to organic solvents through psychophysical methods. Thirty-one gas station workers (31.5 ± 8.4 years old) were evaluated. Psychophysical tests were achromatic tests (Snellen chart, spatial and temporal contrast sensitivity, and visual perimetry) and chromatic tests (Ishihara's test, color discrimination ellipses, and Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test—FM100). Spatial contrast sensitivities of exposed workers were lower than the control at spatial frequencies of 20 and 30 cpd whilst the temporal contrast sensitivity was preserved. Visual field losses were found in 10–30 degrees of eccentricity in the solvent exposed workers. The exposed workers group had higher error values of FM100 and wider color discrimination ellipses area compared to the controls. Workers occupationally exposed to organic solvents had abnormal visual functions, mainly color vision losses and visual field constriction.

A study on oxidative stress biomarkers and immunomodulatory effects of pesticides in pesticide-sprayers

This work was conducted on 95 adult males from Al-Salheya Algadeeda-Sharkeya governorate. They were classified according to pesticides residues into control group (30 unexposed healthy adult males living in the same area), insecticides exposed workers group (55 adult males exposed to organophosphate and carbamates) and fungicides exposed workers group (10 adult males exposed to fungicides). The study was designed to investigate and compare the oxidative stress and immunomodulatory effects of pesticides exposure among agricultural workers according the level of pesticide residues in their blood which was measured by HPLC. The oxidative stress status has been evaluated by assessment of (SH-protein), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR), total antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde (MDA). In addition, the acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity was measured as a biomarker of toxicity. We used IgG, IgM, as immunological biomarkers to test the humoral immune function as well as TNFα as a biomarker of cellular immune function. Our result revealed statistically significant reduction of the activity of (AchE), antioxidant defense enzymes, total antioxidant capacity, IgM and IgG while, MDA and TNF levels showed significant elevations in insecticides-exposed workers versus control. Results of fungicides exposed workers revealed non-significant reduction of the activity of (AchE), antioxidant defense enzymes, IgM, IgG and TNFα levels while there was significant elevation of MDA level and significant reduction of total antioxidant capacity level.

Detecting DNA damage of human lymphocytes exposed to 1,2-DCE with γH2AX identified antibody using flow cytometer assay

To study DNA damage of human peripheral blood lymphocytes exposed to 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCE) with flow cytometry (FCM) assay. The lymphocytes were obtained from 21 workers who are occupationally exposed to 1,2-DCE (exposed group) and 27 workers who were not exposed to 1,2-DCE in the same factory (inner control) and 28 island residents who had never been occupationally exposed to adverse factors (external control). FCM assay was adopted to detect DNA damage of the lymphocytes of each group. Lymphocytes of the health people were incubated with 1,2-DCE at different doses, and FCM assay was used to detect DNA damage. DNA damage rate (%) of the exposed group of exposed workers (4.05% ± 2.55%) was significantly higher than the inner control group of workers (1.97% ± 1.40%) and external control groups of island residents (0.23% ± 0.13%), and the DNA damage of inner control was higher than the external control, all the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). The geometric mean fluorescence intensity of the workers in the exposed group (3.33 ± 3.01) was significantly higher than the (2.07 ± 0.58) only (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the DNA damage rate as well as the geometric mean fluorescence intensity among the exposed group of workers with different years of working period (P > 0.05). In vitro, the fluorescence intensity at the dose of 20, 30 µmol/L for 0.5 h exposure showed statistical significance compared with the negative control group (P < 0.01). The DNA damage rate at the dose of 20, 30 µmol/L for 1.0 h exposure was statistically significant compared with the negative control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); The fluorescence intensity at the dose of 10, 20, 30 µmol/L for 1.0 h exposure was statistically significant compared with the negative control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). 1,2-DEC can cause DNA damage. And γH2AX FCM assay can be a sensitive, objective and effective method of detecting DNA damage of peripheral blood lymphocytes.

G2 repair and chromosomal damage in lymphocytes from workers occupationally exposed to low-level ionizing radiation.

The effect of the G2 repair of chromosomal damage in lymphocytes from workers exposed to low levels of X- or gamma-rays was evaluated. Samples of peripheral blood were collected from 15 radiation workers, 20 subjects working in radiodiagnostics, and 30 healthy control donors. Chromosomal aberrations (CA) were evaluated by scoring the presence of chromatid and isochromatid breaks, dicentric and ring chromosomes in lymphocytes with/without 5 mM caffeine plus 3 mM-aminobenzamide (3-AB) treatment during G2. Our results showed that the mean value of basal aberrations in lymphocytes from exposed workers was higher than in control cells (p < 0.001). The chromosomal damage in G2, detected with caffeine plus 3-AB treatment was higher than the basal damage (untreated conditions), both in control and exposed populations (p < 0.05). In the exposed workers group, the mean value of chromosomal abnormalities in G2 was higher than in the control (p < 0.0001). No correlation was found between the frequency of chromosome type of aberrations (basal or in G2), and the absorbed dose. Nevertheless, significant correlation coefficients (p < 0.05) between absorbed dose and basal aberrations yield (r = 0.430) or in G2 (r = 0.448) were detected when chromatid breaks were included in the total aberrations yield. Under this latter condition no significant effect of age, years of employment or smoking habit on the chromosomal aberrations yield was detected. However, analysis of the relationship between basal aberrations yield and the efficiency of G2 repair mechanisms, defined as the percentage of chromosomal lesions repaired in G2, showed a significant correlation coefficient (r = -0.802; p < 0.001). These results suggest that in addition to the absorbed dose, the individual G2 repair efficiency may be another important factor affecting the chromosomal aberrations yield detected in workers exposed to low-level ionizing radiation.

Biomonitoring of workers exposed to lead. Genotoxic effects, its modulation by polyvitamin treatment and evaluation of the induced radioresistance

A population monitoring study was performed, by using the micronucleus (MN) assay in human peripheral lymphocytes, to investigate whether occupational exposure to lead is genotoxic to workers. In addition to the exposed workers group, two more groups were studied, an external group from a factory without exposure to lead and an internal control group, from the same factory as the exposed workers, but that were not directly exposed to lead. Measures of lead levels at working place and in blood were calculated, and blood samples were collected to carry out a MN study. The results from these studies indicate that the blood from workers directly exposed contained high levels of lead, compared with the other groups, and a significant increase in the frequency of both the total number of MN and the number of binucleated cells carrying MN appeared. In addition, a study on the antimutagenic effects of a polyvitamin rich diet was conducted by measuring the frequency of MN after the workers had a four month daily intake of a polyvitamin–polymineral complex. These results clearly show a significant reduction of the MN frequency evaluated after this treatment, obtaining values that were even lower than those obtained in the internal control group. Finally, a challenge assay was carried out to determine response to γ-radiation as indication of any kind of radiosensitivity or radioresistance. The results of this experiment did not show any significant variation in the increase of the frequency of MN after challenge irradiation in the lead exposed workers; nevertheless this increase was significantly reduced in the sample obtained after the polyvitamin treatment indicating a radioresistance response.