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Biomedical subjects

L Perbellini

Publications and source records attributed to L Perbellini.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Biological monitoring of fluctuating occupational exposures to styrene.

Nine workers occupationally exposed to styrene producing refrigerator lorries were analyzed. The styrene exposure was monitored 8 hours a day, for 5 days a week, for 1 week. We collected from workers a urine sample before and after each work shift. Moreover, alveolar air samples were obtained at the end of all work shifts. On Thursday afternoon and on Friday morning blood samples were taken from workers. The relationship between styrene exposure and biological data is reported and discussed. Alveolar, urinary and blood concentrations of styrene were comparable, suggesting similar kinetics. Biological styrene concentrations were significantly correlated with the mean daily environmental concentrations, but higher correlation coefficients were found with afternoon exposures. A narrow linear relationship between alveolar (Y) and urinary (X) styrene concentrations was found (Y = 0.359; r = 0.8579; n = 45; p less than 0.001). Urinary concentrations of mandelic acid (Y) confirmed a good relationship with the mean styrene exposure (X) (Y = 2.7 x +169; r = 0.4677 n = 45; p less than 0.01).

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Effects of cigarette smoking on blood and alveolar air levels of benzene].

Benzene was measured in blood and alveolar air of a group of 168 subjects, consisting of 34 chemical industry workers exposed to benzene and 134 definitely not occupationally exposed to benzene. A gas chromatographic method was used with mass spectrometry and cryogenic trap. The results of the biological measurements were compared with the environmental levels of benzene in the room where samples were taken and at the worksite during the previous day's shift. All environmental air samples showed measurable levels of benzene, which agrees with the observations of many authors, according to which benzene is a common pollutant also of the living and external environments. Benzene in blood measured on morning samples was correlated with the previous day's exposure. In the group of non-exposed, both blood and alveolar concentrations of benzene were significantly higher in the 68 smokers than in the 66 non-smokers and the biological levels of benzene were inversely correlated with the time that had elapsed since the last cigarette smoked. In the chemical workers, the high biological levels of benzene due to occupational exposure largely exceeded the variations in concentration due to cigarette smoking and cancelled out the differences between smokers and non-smokers. It can therefore be assumed that smoking was not influential and did not interfere with the interpretation of the results in the occupationally exposed workers. Lastly, cigarette smoking, as a cyclical and additional factors of exposure, seems to be responsible for the disturbance in the relationships between biological benzene levels and ubiquitous environmental pollution, a relationship that was only observable in non-smoking subjects not occupationally exposed, but not in the group of smokers.

Benzene↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Peripheral neuropathy caused by incongruous posture in shoe manufacture workers].

Nine cases of local neuropathy are described in shoe-manufacture workers. Clinical and electrophysiological examination excluded diseases such as toxic polyneuropathies due to n-hexane. Specific lesions of the ulnar nerve were located near the elbow where the forced and uncomfortable posture facilitated the compression of the nerve in the cubital tunnel. The severity of the neuropathies ranged from relatively slight, with paresthesia of some of the fingers, to evident hypotrophy of the inter-osseous muscles of the hand. All the 9 cases sewed shoe uppers using sewing machines operating 25 cm above the arm support, thus obliging the operator to work with one or both elbows resting on the support, with the arms and shoe-upper held up. Five cases presented a neuropathy of the right arm, 3 of the left arm, and in one case the lesions were bilateral. The features of the work station are described and the possible promoting factors and the ergonomic pathogenesis of these neuropathies are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Occupational arsine poisoning: description of a case].

A case of occupational arsine poisoning is described that occurred in a small family workshop during blackening operations on zinc/aluminium alloy manufactured parts with acid solutions. This report shows that occupational poisonings wrongly believed to have disappeared can still occur, especially in small and often unsafe working environments.

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Monitoring of industrial exposure to dimethylformamide by analysis of alveolar air.

The occupational exposure to Dimethylformamide was studied by testing the environmental and alveolar air of 8 workers, at hourly intervals, during the workshift. The correlations between alveolar and environmental concentrations of Dimethylformamide turned out to be statistically significant at all the intervals studied, except at the 4th hour when the correlation was not significant. In six out of the eight workers studied, the correlation between alveolar and environmental concentrations was statistically significant. Only in two workers was the correlation not significant. On the basis of the slope of the regression line between all the data, the alveolar concentration of Dimethylformamide turned out to correspond to 27,8% of the environmental concentration.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Blood and urine concentrations of chemical pollutants in the general population.

The concentration of 9 environmental chemical pollutants in the general population was measured in blood and urine. For the 9 different pollutants, the blood samples tested varied from 88 for acetone to 431 for benzene. Urine samples varied from 48 for styrene to 213 for n-hexane. Six of these agents (benzene, toluene, styrene, n-hexane, acetone and carbon disulphide) were present in all or almost all (100-94%) blood samples. The three chlorides (chloroform, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene) were present only in 60-85% of samples. After acetone, with blood concentrations in microgram/1 (mean 840 microgram/l), the highest mean blood levels were those of toluene (1097 ng/l), chloroform (955 ng/l) and n-hexane (642 ng/l). Trichloroethylene and free carbon disulphide showed similar values (458 and 438 ng/l, respectively). Finally, benzene, styrene and tetrachloroethylene showed the lowest values (262, 217 and 149 ng/l, respectively). There was generally a significant difference between rural and urban workers in terms of blood benzene (200 ng/l vs 264 ng/l), trichloroethylene (180 ng/l vs 763 ng/l) and tetrachloroethylene (62 ng/l vs 263 ng/l). In a group of subjects potentially exposed to industrial solvents, classed as chemical workers, blood benzene, toluene, chloroform and n-hexane were significantly higher than in rural and urban workers. Smokers showed a significantly higher blood concentration than non-smokers for benzene (381 ng/l vs 205 ng/1), toluene (1431 ng/l vs 977 ng/l), and n-hexane (838 ng/l vs 532 ng/l). All or almost all urine samples (100-92%) contained all the compounds except trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene, present in 79% and 76% of samples, respectively (table 2). Urinary concentrations of all compounds did not differ significantly between rural and urban workers. Benzene and toluene were significantly higher in in urine of smokers than of non-smokers. Chloroform and n-hexane showed significantly higher urinary than blood values. Excluding acetone, with urinary and blood concentrations in pg/l, chloroform, toluene and n-hexane showed the highest mean concentrations both in blood and in urine.

Acetone↗