80 research outputs found
Seroprevalence and risk factors of infections with Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in hunting dogs from Campania region, southern Italy
Hunting dogs have probably a higher level of exposure to Neospora caninum Dubey, Carpenter, Speer, Topper et Uggla, 1988 and Toxoplasma gondii Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908 than other canine populations for their different lifestyle. The aim of our survey was to determine the seroprevalence of N. caninum and T. gondii in hunting dogs from southern Italy and assess risk factors related to these protozoan infections. Blood samples were collected from 398 hunting dogs (19 different breeds, aged from 5 month to 14 years). The sera were screened by indirect fluorescence antibody test; a titre ≥ 50 was considered positive. Antibodies to N. caninum and T. gondii were detected in 59 (15%) dogs with titres from 50 to 3 200 and in 94 (24%) dogs with titres from 50 to 1 600, respectively, with co-infection in 25 (6%) dogs. Statistical difference (p ≤ 0.05) was found only for infection with T. gondii between two age groups: ≥ 2-4 years (16%) and ≥ 4-7 years (33%); other observed characteristics were without statistical significance. Our results suggest that the hunting dogs could play an important role in the transmission cycle of N. caninum between wild animals and livestock. This is the first detection of antibodies to T. gondii in hunting dogs in Italy
Occupational exposure of firefighters to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in non-fire work environments
This work aims to characterize personal exposure of firefighters to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in non-fire work environments (fire stations), and assesses the respective risks. Eighteen PAHs (16 considered by USEPA as priority pollutants, dibenzo[a,l] pyrene and benzo[j] fluoranthene) were monitored in breathing zones of workers at five Portuguese fire stations during a normal shift. The obtained levels of PAHs fulfilled all existent occupational exposure limits as well as air quality guidelines with total concentrations (Sigma PAHs) in range of 46.8-155 ng m(-3). Light compounds (2-3 rings) were the most predominant congeners (74-96% of Sigma PAHs) whereas PAHs with 5-6 rings accounted 3-9% of Sigma PAHs. Fuel and biomass combustions, vehicular traffic emissions, and use of lubricant oils were identified as the main sources of PAHs exposure at the studied fire corporations. Incremental lifetime cancer risks were below the recommend USEPA guideline of 10(-6) and thus negligible for all the studied subjects, but WHO health-based guideline level of 10(-5) was exceeded (9-44 times) at all fire corporations. These results thus show that even during non-fire situations firefighters are exposed to PAHs at levels that may promote some adverse health outcomes; therefore the respective occupational exposures to these compounds should be carefully controlled. (C) 2017This work was supported by European Union (FEDER funds through
COMPETE) and National Funds (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia)
through projects UID/QUI/50006/2013, POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265
and UID/EQU/00511/2013-LEPABE, by the FCT/MECwith national funds
and co-funded by FEDER in the scope of the P2020 Partnership Agreement.
Additional financial support was provided by Fundação para
Ciência e Tecnologia through fellowships SFRH/BD/80113/2011 and
SFRH/BPD/105100/2014.
The authors are thankful to all firefighters involved in the study and
to collaborators from Escola Superior de Saúde from Instituto
Politécnico de Bragança.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Background concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons metabolites in Portuguese firemen
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants
produced by the incomplete combustion of organic materials. PAHs may pose risks
to human health as many of the individual compounds are cytotoxic and mutagenic
to both lower and higher organisms, being some of them regarded as carcinogenic.
Pyrene is by far the most characterized PAH in all sample matrices, and is classified
as PAH marker of exposure while benzo(a)pyrene is considered the biomarker of
carcinogenic exposure to PAHs. Among the 16 PAHs established by US EPA as priority
pollutants, naphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene, and phenanthrene are also found
in almost all the matrices.
Workers from industrial settings where airborne PAH levels are high such as coke
works and the primary aluminium industry, show excess rates of cancers. Firemen
are also exposed to high concentrations of PAHs during firefighting; however their
biomonitoring is difficult and epidemiological studies are scarce. During the last
decade, the urinary 1-hydroxypyrene has been used as a biomarker of environmental
and occupational exposure to PAHs. Still no standard reference or occupational
guidelines are available for any urinary PAH metabolite.
Within the present work, sixty healthy and no smoking Portuguese firemen
from ten Portuguese corporations from the district of Bragança (North of Portugal)
were evaluated regarding their levels of the most important urinary hydroxyl-
PAHs
Biomonitoring of firefighters occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during the 2014 hot season
Human biomonitoring is an important tool in environmental
medicine that is used to assess the level of internal exposure to
environmental pollutants. Firefighters are one of the most exposed
and least studied occupations. During fire suppression, firefighters
are heavily exposed to a wide range of chemicals. Polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants
that are considered as the largest known group of carcinogens
due to their cytotoxic and mutagenic properties. Smoke and ashes
released during a fire are important sources of PAH. Firefighters
can be also exposed to PAH through smoking, via polluted ambient
air, water, soil, and through consumption of food. Metabolites
of PAH (OH-PAHs), such as 1-hydroxynaphthalene (1OHNapt),
1-hydroxyacenaphthene(1OHAce), 1-hydroxypyrene (1OHPy) and
3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (3OHB[a]P) have been used as biological
markers for measurements of human internal exposure to PAH.
The present work aims to quantify the urinary metabolites of
PAH, namely 1OHNapt, 1OHAce, 1OHPy and 3OHB[a]P in study
population of firefighters. Firemen exposed to fires that occurred
during 2014 season were asked to fill a post-fire questionnaire
and to collect urinary samples. A control study population group
was selected to collect samples of urines during the pre-fires
season (winter). Among all participating firemen only healthy
no-smoking subjects were considered. OH-PAHs were analysed
by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence
detection. Overall, 1OHNapt and 1OHAce were the most abundant
OH-PAHs in firemen urine samples, accounting for approximately
90% of the total OH-PAHs. The urinary OH-PAHs in exposed firefighters
were higher than those of control group. Data collected
with the individual questionnaire were further used to analyse
the concentrations of OH-PAH between (and within) control and
exposed groups of firemen. Additionally, 1OHPy concentrations
in the exposed firefighters will be compared with the available
proposed guidelines
Firefighters's occupational exposure to PM2.5 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
This study collected the personal PM2.5 air fraction in fifteen healthy and no-smoking firefighters during their normal shift inside four Portuguese fire stations. Indoor PM2.5 levels varied between 0.05 to 1.04 µg/m3. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known for their ubiquity and toxicity, being some of them classified as carcinogenic and possible carcinogens to humans. Firefighters’ personal PM2.5-bound total PAH concentrations ranged between 35.8 to 294 ng/m3 with total carcinogenic PAHs accounting with 12% to the total PAHs. Benzo[a]pyrene, the PAH biomarker of carcinogenicity, was detected in levels ranging from 6.74 × 10-2 to 1.00 ng/m3info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Urinary levels of monohydroxyl PAH metabolites in portuguese firefighters: background levels and impact of tobacco smoke
Firefighting occupational exposure is classified as possible
carcinogen to humans by the International Agency for Research
on Cancer and the US National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health [1,2].
Tobacco smoke is a very important factor in the assessment of
occupational exposure of workers, since the prolonged exposure
to tobacco smoke is by itself the major cause of lung cancer [3].
The consumption of tobacco is responsible for the exposure to
many smoke components including more than sixty known
carcinogens, including some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) [4].
PAHs are ubiquitous compounds formed during pyrolysis or
incomplete combustion of organic matter, being well-known for
their toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic properties to humans
[5,6]. So far, the impact of tobacco smoke on firefighters’ total
exposure to PAHs is very limited.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Firefighters exposure to fire emissions: Impact on levels of biomarkers of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and genotoxic/oxidative-effects
Firefighters represent one of the riskiest occupations, yet due to the logistic reasons, the respective exposure
assessment is one of the most challenging. Thus, this work assessed the impact of firefighting activities on levels
of urinary monohydroxyl-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OHPAHs; 1-hydroxynaphthalene, 1-hydroxyacenaphthene,
2-hydroxyfluorene, 1-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1-hydroxypyrene, 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene) and
genotoxic/oxidative-effect biomarkers (basal DNA and oxidative DNA damage) of firefighters from eight firehouses.
Cardiac frequency, blood pressure and arterial oxygen saturation were also monitored. OHPAHs were
determined by liquid-chromatography with fluorescence detection, while genotoxic/oxidative-effect biomarkers
were assessed by the comet assay. Concentrations of total OHPAHs were up to 340% higher (p≤0.05) in (nonsmoking
and smoking) exposed workers than in control subjects (non-smoking and non-exposed to combat
activities); the highest increments were observed for 1-hydroxynaphthalene and 1-hydroxyacenaphthene
(82–88% of ΣOHPAHs), and for 2-hydroxyfluorene (5–15%). Levels of biomarker for oxidative stress were increased
in non-smoking exposed workers than in control group (316%; p≤0.001); inconclusive results were
found for DNA damage. Positive correlations were found between the cardiac frequency, ΣOHPAHs and the
oxidative DNA damage of non-smoking (non-exposed and exposed) firefighters. Evidences were raised regarding
the simultaneous use of these biomarkers for the surveillance of firefighters’ health and to better estimate the
potential short-term health risks.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: levels and phase distributions in preschool microenvironment
This work aims to characterize levels and phase distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor air of preschool environment and to assess the impact of outdoor PAH emissions to indoor environment. Gaseous and particulate (PM1 and PM2.5) PAHs (16 USEPA priority pollutants, plus dibenzo[a,l]pyrene, and benzo[j]fluoranthene) were concurrently sampled indoors and outdoors in one urban preschool located in north of Portugal for 35 days. The total concentration of 18 PAHs (ΣPAHs) in indoor air ranged from 19.5 to 82.0 ng/m3; gaseous compounds (range of 14.1–66.1 ng/m3) accounted for 85% ΣPAHs. Particulate PAHs (range 0.7–15.9 ng/m3) were predominantly associated with PM1 (76% particulate ΣPAHs) with 5-ring PAHs being the most abundant. Mean indoor/outdoor ratios (I/O) of individual PAHs indicated that outdoor emissions significantly contributed to PAH indoors; emissions from motor vehicles and fuel burning were the major sources
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