Domenico Maria Cavallo

Allergens in indoor air: environmental assessment and health effects.

It has been suggested that the increase in morbidity and mortality for asthma and allergies, may also be due to an increase in exposure to allergens in the modern indoor environment. Indoor allergen exposure is recognised as the most important risk factor for asthma in children. House dust mites, pets, insects, plants, moulds and chemical agents in the indoor environment are important causes of allergic diseases. House dust mites and their debris and excrements that contain the allergens are normally found in the home in beds, mattresses, pillows, carpets and furniture stuffing, but they have also been found in office environments. Domestic animals such as cats, dogs, birds and rodents may cause allergic asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis. The exposure usually occurs in homes, but also in schools and kindergartens where domestic animals are kept as pets or for education; moreover, cat and dog owners can bring allergens to public areas in their clothes. Allergy to natural rubber latex has become an important occupational health concern in recent years, particularly among healthcare workers; when powdered gloves are worn or changed, latex particles get into the air and workers are exposed to latex aerosolised antigens. To assess the environmental risk to allergen exposure or to verify if there is a causal relationship between the immunologic findings in a patient and his/her environmental exposure, sampling from the suspected environment may be necessary.

Toxicological and immune findings in workers exposed to Pentachlorophenol (PCP)

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a pesticide used worldwide in industrial and domestic applications. Data available on the effects of technical-grade PCP on the immune system are insufficient and equivocal; some data indicate inhibitory effects, whereas others suggest stimulating effects. This study was performed to evaluate toxicological and immune findings in 32 subjects who had prolonged exposure to PCP in a wood factory and in 37 controls. PCP concentrations were determined in plasma and urine of all subjects. Lymphocyte subsets of CD3-, CD4-, and CD8-positive cells were evaluated, and the proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) to mitogens was assessed. The results suggested the absence of major laboratory and clinical signs of PCP-dependent immune deficiency. A weak effect of long-term exposure to PCP on the functional immune response could not be ruled out because of the finding of a decreased response to 5% PHA in the high-exposure group. A weak effect against hepatocyte membrane was evidenced by the finding of raised serum concentration of glycocholic, taurodeoxycholic, and glycochenodeoxycholic acids in subjects directly exposed to PCP for more than 10 y.

Immunomodulatory effects of occupational exposure to mancozeb.

The effects of occupational exposure to ethylene-bis-dithiocarbamate of manganese and zinc on the immune system were evaluated in a group of mancozeb-exposed manufacturers and controls. The immune system tests revealed the following: (a) lymphocyte proliferative responses triggered by different activators and mitogen-induced IL-2 production were higher in exposed subjects than in controls; (b) production of monocyte/macrophage-derived IL-1 and polyclonal IgG and IgM, by beta-lymphocytes, did not differ between exposed subjects and controls; (c) percentages and absolute numbers of total T-cells, T-helper cells, T-suppressor/cytotoxic cells, activated T-cells, total beta-cells, and natural killer cells were similar in exposed subjects and controls; (d) serum immunoglobulin classes and complement fractions were within the range of normality; and (e) rheumatoid factor and non-organ-specific serum autoantibodies were absent in exposed and control subjects. An increase in T-cell functional response was found in the exposed group, suggesting a slight immunomodulator effect of mancozeb in conditions of low-level, prolonged occupational exposure.

Increased lung cancer risk among bricklayers in an Italian population-based case–control study†

BACKGROUNDnBricklayers may be at increased risk of lung cancer, although a firm association has not been established. We examined this association within the EAGLE (Environment And Genetics in Lung cancer Etiology) study, a population-based case-control study conducted in Italy between 2002 and 2005.nnnMETHODSnFor men in selected occupations in the construction sector we calculated smoking-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). For bricklayers we estimated the population attributable fraction (PAF) and the attributable community risk (ACR).nnnRESULTSnWe found increased lung cancer risk for bricklayers (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.12-2.21; 147 cases, 81 controls). The PAF was 3.5% (95% CI 0.6-6.3), corresponding to an ACR of 3.6 cases annually per 100,000 men (95% CI 0.6-6.6) [corrected] in the whole community. Among bricklayers, there were increased risks for squamous cell (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.32-3.13, 56 exposed cases) and small cell carcinomas (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.29-4.07, 21 exposed cases), while no excess (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.68-1.65, 41 exposed cases) was found for adenocarcinoma.nnnCONCLUSIONSnOur findings provide additional evidence of increased lung cancer risk in Italian bricklayers. The association is plausible because they are exposed to several carcinogens, notably crystalline silica.