18 Effects of Rome Lockdown During COVID-19 Pandemic on Urinary Exposure Biomarkers of Urban Pollutants
In: Annals of work exposures and health: addressing the cause and control of work-related illness and injury, Band 67, Heft Supplement_1, S. i4-i5
ISSN: 2398-7316
Abstract
The 2020 lockdown represented a natural experiment to measure the effects of traffic pollution on human health, due to the restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic. In Rome a reduction of 36% of road traffic and of 40% of airborne benzene were observed. A biological monitoring campaign was carried out on Rome residents, aimed at identifying the biomarkers of exposure for the main urban pollutants, such as benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and biomarkers of oxidative stress to nucleic acids. A targeted analysis by liquid HPLC-MS/MS and an untargeted metabolomic analysis, with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were carried out on urine samples of 47 volunteers collected in 2020 and in 2021. The results show that urinary concentrations of the benzene metabolite (SPMA) and some PAHs are lower on average in 2020 than in 2021. Three oxidative stress analysed, 8- Hydroxyguanine, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-guanosine and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine are affected by the traffic reduction more than the dose biomarkers of the pollutants considered, suggesting an influence of the different lifestyle. The untargeted metabolomic analysis confirms the results of the targeted analysis, also highlighting an increase in succinic acid excretion in 2020 compared to 2021. The increase in urinary succinic acid concentration in 2020 is probably attributable to a different diet and a greater sedentary lifestyle during the lockdown period.