Enzo Scursatone

Ambient Air Levels and Occupational Exposure to Benzene, Toluene, and Xylenes in Northwestern Italy

The purpose of this study was to determine benzene, toluene, and xylenes air pollution in two cities in Italy (Biella and Torino) having different traffic intensities and to investigate whether new environmental conditions occurred consequent to the changes of gasoline composition in Europe during the last 20 yr. Furthermore, three types of urban occupational exposure (petrol pump attendants, traffic policemen, and municipal employees) to the same hydrocarbons were compared to verify three different expected levels of exposure. Results in Biella demonstrate a direct relationship between traffic density and level of human exposure to these pollutants. Air concentrations for benzene were 2.3 w g/m 3 in a suburban area having low traffic and 10.3 w g/m 3 in the central area having high traffic. The comparison to trend analysis recently carried out in Torino indicates it is possible to improve the situation in the central area of Biella by adopting the same traffic limitations imposed in Torino. Personal sampling devices demonstrated that only the petrol pump attendants show, by means of a multivariate analysis, statistically significant higher levels of benzene compared to the other two professional categories, in both winter and summer. Values found in the present study for petrol pump attendants were around 1 mg/m 3 . Environmental and occupational exposure to benzene, toluene, and xylenes could be largely lowered by adopting preventive measures including traffic restrictions, the reduction of aromatic chemical content in gasoline, and the recovery of gasoline vapors at petrol pump stations.

Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke in Adolescents: Urinary Cotinine and Environmental Factors

The relationship between environmental tobacco smoke exposure and urinary cotinine was studied in 434 14-y-old schoolchildren. To estimate the independent contribution of physiological and environmental variables to cotinine concentrations, we conducted a multiple regression analysis of log-transformed cotinine (R(2) = .21, p < .0001). Environmental tobacco smoke exposure was associated with sharing a household with members who smoked. The most profound associations were linked to (a) the smoking habits of the mother (beta = 5.135, p = .0397); (b) the combined smoking habits of the mother and other family members (beta = 8.201, p = .0020); and (c) the total number cigarettes smoked each day by family members in the household (beta = 0.217, p = .0008). Passive smoke exposure of adolescents is a preventable risk that could be reduced by improving ventilation and by increasing the living space available to each family member. Parents should avoid smoking at home in the presence of their children.

Volatile halogenated hydrocarbons in urban atmosphere and in human blood

Atmospheric concentrations of volatile, halogenated hydrocarbons (VHH) can be correlated with intensity of industrial or commercial activities and with demographic density. Measurements of VHHs were performed in Turin, Italy. The VHH indoor/outdoor contamination ratio was calculated, and VHH blood concentrations were measured during 1 yr in Turin, Italy. The results showed a typical primary pollutant trend: 18.1 micrograms/m3 during winter and 12.02 micrograms/m3 during summer. During the winter, the VHH indoor/outdoor contamination ratio showed a greater indoor presence (p = .0006) and a higher VHH blood concentration (0.71 vs. 0.22 micrograms/l). The indoor and outdoor atmospheric VHH concentrations provide the major sources of human daily intake, especially during winter.

Cotinine and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)valine as markers of passive exposure to tobacco smoke in children

Large segments of populations, including children, are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), a risk factor for lung cancer and heart, circulatory and respiratory diseases. Recently, ETS was classified as a class A carcinogen by USEPA, as carcinogenic to humans by IARC (group 1) and by the National Toxicology Program of the US National Institutes of Health. Cotinine, a product of the metabolism of nicotine, is measurable in urine and, correlates strictly and directly to ETS exposure, therefore representing a well-known internal dose marker. Another marker of active tobacco smoking is the N-(2-hydroxyethyl) valine (HOEtVal) which results from the reaction between ethylene oxide (EtO) and the N-terminal valine of hemoglobin. The aim of this study was the evaluations of ETS markers, namely urinary cotinine and HOEtVal measured in blood in 100 children with ages ranging between 3 and 13 years. Experimental findings show that cotinine, as a specific internal dose marker, and HOEtVal, as a nonspecific biological effective dose marker, both depend on the passive exposure to ETS as well as on the active habit of smoking.

Benzene, toluene and xylenes in air, geographical distribution in the Piedmont region (Italy) and personal exposure

The objectives of this study were the determination of: (a) benzene (B), toluene (T) and xylene (X) air pollution in three sites of the Piedmont region (north-western Italy), (b) the relationship between BTX pollution in indoor, outdoor and personal air measured for a group of non-smoking university students, (c) the influence of environmental tobacco smoke on the level of BTX exposure for indoor air environments. Results indicate (i) a direct relationship between human density and level of contamination and higher toluene pollution, (ii) an indoor/outdoor ratio of > 1 for all the three aromatics, (iii) a similar level of personal and indoor air contamination. Human exposure to BTX air pollution has been found to depend principally on indoor air contamination, not only on home pollution, but also, probably on many other confined environments.

Environmental tobacco smoke and urinary cotinine in a group of adolescents

Abstract Cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine, can be measured in urine in a non‐invasive way. This procedure permits its use in large‐scale epidemiolog‐ical studies. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the relationship between environmental tobacco smoke exposure and urinary cotinine in 148 school children (14 years old). The subjects were randomly chosen from a larger study group of 460 school children. The data on exposure were based on a questionnaire. Cotinine levels for the two extremes of passive exposure (no exposure vs. living with a smoking mother and other smokers) demonstrated a statistically significant difference (P = 0.0069) as did exposure for smokers vs. nonsmokers (P = 0.0001). This validation will allow us to consider the answers to the questionnaire relative to tobacco smoke exposure as an independent variable in the near‐complete analysis of the larger study of the 460 students for all the parameters considered.

Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde air contamination. A two years study before the introduction of new gasoline in Italy

Probably, the future change of gasoline quality will induce a new formaldehyde (FA) and acetaldehyde (AA) atmospheric scenario. For this reason an evaluation of FA and AA air pollution has been carried out during 24 consecutive months in the Piedmont region (Italy). Results underline the direct relationship between the intensity of this pollution and geography (industrial activities and demographic density). Furthermore, FA and AA are found in higher quantity during summer but, only in this season, during workdays. Day and night results, as well as the relationship with some meteochemical parameters, show a complex aldehydes chemism characterized by many factors involved.

VHH Atmospheric concentration in urban/rural areas and biological monitoring

Volatile halogenated hydrocarbon (VHH) represent an important human risk factor consequently to their mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. The present study has considered the following items: i) evaluation of VHH air contamination in an urban and in a rural site, during winter and summer, ii) measurement of VHH in blood of donors living in the same sites during the same periods. Results show a VHH air contaminations higher in urban site than in rural site, higher in winter in both sites. The indoor air pollution shows concentrations of VHH higher than outdoor air. Biological monitoring show a good seasonal accordance between VHH air and VHH blood, while the comparison between the two sites in the same season does not offer statistically significant differences.

Indoor/Outdoor Pollution Ratio in Urban and Rural Areas (Related to Some Chemicals)

The study of the relationship between indoor and outdoor air Pollution started in the early seventies. The purpose of these specific studies has been to evaluate the responsibility of indoor air sources (previously often neglected) in the global human exposure to several chemicals (Shair 1974. Wade 1975, Yocum 1982). The aim of this study has been to evaluate, during January 1989, this relationship in 5 urban (Turin city — North Western Italy) and in 5 rural (Caraglio, 90 km from Turin) private apartments, in relationship to some volatile halogenated hydrocarbons (VHH) and to haliphatic and aromatic carbonyls. In fact, consumer products as well as the building materials can be significant sources of most of them (Wallace 1987. Girman 1987, Samet 1987).