No abstract

Sea fishing is one of the sectors with the highest risk of illness and work-related accidents. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the exposure of fishing workers to three major risks: biomechanical overload, noise, and whole-body vibrations. We used common methods and measurement tools in the field: observational video analysis, questionnaires, and direct measurement. Noise and vibrations levels were measured aboard five boats belonging to the main fishing communities of Southern Italy. The random sample consisted of 310 workers, of whom 108 agreed to complete a questionnaire to collect data on the perception of occupational risk and self-perception of health conditions. We found that fishermen had a high prevalence of osteoarticular pathologies (42%) and that the biomechanical overload risk is mainly related to handling manual loads. Furthermore, the results indicate that the levels of weekly noise exposure exceed the exposure limit value of 87 decibel A (dBA) for fishing workers, and that the most noisiest area is the engine room. Exposure levels to whole-body vibrations were below <0.5 m/s2. Knowledge on occupational hazards and health effects in the fisheries sector should be used to develop ship technology, raise awareness of the correct use of personal protective equipment, and improve health surveillance of these workers.

Since 1973 the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified asbestos as a certain carcinogen, but today it is still used in several countries. To date, mesothelioma risk is certainly linked not only to occupational exposures but also to environmental exposures. The incidence and mortality are increasing worldwide, especially in developing countries where asbestos is still often used without adequate measures for worker safety. The epidemiological surveillance systems of related asbestos diseases are instruments of public health adopted internationally. The experience and the operating methodology of the Italian mesothelioma registry and the data produced from 1996 to 2015 highlight how in countries where the asbestos ban has been active for over 20 years the risk of asbestos remains present, especially in the construction sector as well as for the environmental exposures of the resident population near companies that used asbestos in their production cycle. Worldwide, it is necessary to introduce the ban on the extraction, processing, and marketing of asbestos as claimed by the international scientific community.

Lockdown measures were initiated in Italy on March 9th after the start of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic to flatten the epidemic curve. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of restrictive measures in the Apulia Region, southern Italy, on air quality from March to April 2020. We applied a dual-track approach. We assessed citizen mobility and vehicle traffic with mobility network data and information obtained from satellite tracking, and we evaluated and compared pollutant concentration data as measured by monitoring stations maintained by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection and Prevention of Apulia (ARPA). The results showed a decrease in the weekly mean NO2 concentration recorded by urban traffic stations during the lockdown period. In particular, in the city of Bari, the average NO2 concentration decreased from 62.2 μg/m3 in March 2019 to 48.2 μg/m3 in March 2020. Regarding PM10 levels, the average concentrations at the individual traffic stations showed no particular variation compared to those in the same months of the previous year, except for Bari-Caldarola Station in March 2019/2020 (p-value &lt; 0.001) and in April 2019/2020 (p-value = 0.04). In particular the average in March 2019 was ~26.9 μg/m3, while that in March 2020 was ~22.9 μg/m3. For April, the average concentration of PM10 in 2019 was 27.9 μg/m3, while in 2020, the average was ~22.4 μg/m3. This can be explained by the fact that PM10 levels are influenced by multiple variables such as weather and climate conditions and desert dust advections.

Occupational exposure to ultraviolet radiation is one of the main risk factors for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) development. The most common variants of NMSC are basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and actinic keratosis (AK). The latter is nowadays considered by most authors as an early squamous cell carcinoma rather than a precancerous lesion. Outdoor workers have a higher risk of developing NMSC because they spend most of the working day outside. The aim of this descriptive study was to assess the prevalence of skin lesions, especially AK, in a professional category of individuals exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation: the Italian Navy. From January to June 2016, a questionnaire and a total skin examination of 921 military personnel were administered by medical specialists (dermatologists) in seven different Italian Navy centres. AK was detected in 217 of 921 (23.5%) workers. Older age, outdoor occupation, longer working life, and fair skin seem to promote the development of AK. Of the 217 workers with AK, 187 (86.2%) had lesions in chronically sun-exposed skin areas. Italian Navy personnel have a high AK prevalence. Further studies are needed to investigate occupational hazards and their health effects among outdoor workers to promote protective behaviour and raise awareness of skin cancer.

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.

Background: Age-Related Hearing Loss (ARHL) is a gradual and irreversible age-dependent decline in auditory function. There is still no consensus on the long-term functional effects of noise exposure on ARHL. Objective: This study aimed to compare the prevalence of ARHL in an elderly population occupationally exposed to noise in a non-exposed population. Methods: The population was divided into two groups: a group of 482 subjects professionally exposed to noise for over 10 years and a group of 1129 non-exposed subjects. Among the exposed subjects, a subgroup of 298 who worked for over 10 years in the glassware industry was selected. All the participants underwent a thorough otorhinolaryngological examination. Results: The presence of ARHL was found in 81% of exposed subjects and in 4% of non-exposed subjects. In the sub-group of glassware workers, the prevalence was 88%. The statistical analysis showed a significant association between previous occupational exposure to noise and ARHL (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.067-1.124; p = 0.0012) and between exposure to the glassware industry and ARHL (OR = 1.89; 95% CI = 1.78-1.96; p = 0.006). Conclusion: Consistent with recent studies, we found a significantly higher prevalence of ARHL among workers exposed to noise; however, further studies are needed to support these findings.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. AbstractIn this case of idiopathic environmental intolerance, a little known disease characterized by many symptoms of irritation due to exposure to several toxic compounds, genetic analysis could be helpful in case of differential diagnosis issue.