Suchergebnisse

Abstract

Objectives
There is growing interest in the role of airborne mycotoxins in occupational environments, however, their impact on human health still remains poorly investigated. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature on the occurrence of inhalable mycotoxins in working environments to investigate which sectors and tasks are at greater risk of exposure.


Methods
We have performed a systematic search in the PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases from 2010 to date, without limitation of geographic location.


Results
Database searches yielded 350 articles. After the removal of duplicates and applying our inclusion and exclusion criteria, 31 papers remained. Results show that the most exposed workers are those engaged in activities related to animal care and management and, in particular, in feeding tasks, while harvester cleaning seems to be the activity with the highest levels of exposure in agriculture. In healthcare settings mycotoxin concentrations are low but HVAC systems can be a source of contamination and this reinforces the relevance of further studies in this sector. The most common scenario is the exposure to multiple mycotoxins with variable concentrations depending on the working environment, the products handled or the tasks performed by workers. Some authors emphasize the importance of multi-approach sampling and analysis protocols to achieve an accurate and more realistic risk characterization.


Conclusions
Results brought forward by this review can be utilized by health and safety professionals to recognize activities in which workers may be potentially exposed to airborne mycotoxins and thus undertake suitable preventive and protective measures.

Abstract

Background
Painters are exposed to different substances, among which volatile organic compounds. Similar Exposure Groups (SEG) should be identified according to the European Standard EN:689/2019 to perform representative measurements of exposure. This approach was applied to 15 ship painters.


Methods
Two SEGs were identified considering environment and application technique: 6 spray painters (group A) working inside a hangar and 9 roller painters (group B) working on the ship. Gaseous toluene, xylenes, acetone, ethylacetate, n-butyl acetate, ethylbenzene and benzene were collected using Radiello samplers and determined by GC/MS.


Results
The ratios between each exposure value and the corresponding occupational exposure limit (Italian for toluene, xylenes, acetone, ethylbenzene, and benzene; German for ethylacetate and n-butyl acetate) were below 0.5 for Group A and well below 0.1 for Group B. Considering the common neurotoxic effect, workers' exposure was also evaluated for the additive contribution of each component to the mixture. The mixture exposure index resulted 1.01 for spray painters and 0.09 for roller painters.


Short Discussion/Conclusions
Considering single substances, exposure levels were below the limits for both groups; when the mixture exposure is assessed, it reaches the mixture occupational limit for group A (spray) while it remains well below for group B (rollers). Results confirm that environment features and application techniques significantly affect the exposure levels, that are to be monitored on a SEG basis, and that considering the exposure to the mixture is crucial in order to orient the medical surveillance to prevent the neurotoxic effect in spray painters.

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.