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The effects of noise on various cardiovascular parameters are conflicting and uncertain. In the current study, the authors studied 52 workers who were employed in a bedframe factory who were chronically exposed to noise and who had poor hearing. An additional group of 65 workers who had jobs in the light-metal sector and another group of 64 office workers served as two control groups; none of the controls were exposed to noise, and none had hearing defects. Blood pressure was measured for each person in the supine and standing positions, and an electrocardiogram was also performed. Sound-level measurements were taken in the workplaces. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures and diastolic blood pressure distributions were significantly higher in the noise-exposed group than in both control groups. Among the three groups, there were significantly different frequencies of hypertension, drops in blood pressure, and electrocardiogram anomalies. Within the group of bedframe workers, those exposed to a personal daily level of exposure (i.e., equivalent continuous noise level for exposure to noise for each individual workers in an 8-hr shift) that exceeded 90 dBA had a higher mean diastolic blood pressure and a higher frequency of diastolic hypertension than workers exposed to a personal daily level of exposure of < 90 dBA. The findings suggested that (a) work performed by the bedframe group had some effects on the cardiovascular system, (b) noise is a cardiovascular risk factor, and (c) cardiovascular effects are relative to intensity and type of exposure. Vascular damage often accompanies auditory damage, but--depending on individual susceptibility--the cardiovascular system can respond in various ways.

The aim of the study was to perform a dimensional assessment of subjective stress in the Municipal Police of the City of Rome. We assessed two random samples of 590 traffic police and 590 clerical police officers of both sexes for subjective stress through the administration of the ‘Rapid Stress‐Assessment Scale’ (RSA), a self‐rated tool; subjects completed the questionnaire during a non‐working day. Subsequently, from each sample we randomly included two subsamples of 115 subjects each, to whom we administered the RSA at the beginning and at the end of their shift. Significant differences between traffic and clerical police officers were found in the RSA total score, which was higher among traffic agents. Traffic police officers were found significantly more often in the ‘high stress class’. Gender differences analysis showed higher scores among women. The analysis of the subsample of 230 persons showed a significantly greater degree of the RSA ‘depression’ cluster at the end of the shift only in traffic police officers. The assessment of over‐the‐counter drug use (NSAID, analgesics, etc.) showed that, among police officers habitually using such drugs, only the traffic police subgroup scored higher on the RSA. Our results could be taken to mean that the stress response of Municipal Police officers who work outdoors is more maladaptive than that of officers working in the office; this could be compatible with the existence of different occupational stressors between the two groups. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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The findings suggest that chronic occupational exposure to urban pollutants reduces resistance to physical effort and increases the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory changes including slight hypoxemia.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness and specificity of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHPu) as a biomarker of the exposure from urban pollution to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) among outdoor workers in a meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis was performed according to standard methods, and the results show that the concentrations of 1-OHPu tend to be higher in exposed workers than in unexposed workers (if we exclude two highly heterogeneous articles), in exposed non-smokers than in unexposed non-smokers and in exposed than in unexposed workers who were carriers of the CYP1A1 genotype and in those with the glutathione-S-transferase M1 (-)genotype. These genotypes enhance the effect of exposure, particularly in non-smokers. Smoking reduces the differences between exposed and unexposed subjects. In conclusion, our results suggest that the use of the 1-OHPu biomarker appears to be reliable for studying occupational exposure to PAHs from urban pollution, as long as environmental and behavioural factors are considered.