Alimentazione e lavoro

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Anxiety, musculoskeletal and visual disorders in video display terminal workers

Aim. The increase in the working population assigned to video display terminals (VDT) has led to ever growing attention to reports on health effects. We studied musculoskeletal and visual disorders and levels of anxiety in 2 groups of VDT operators with different tasks, in order to evaluate if they could be influenced by organizational and intrinsically working factors. Methods. The study included 190 VDT operators, subdivided into 2 groups (A and B) on the basis of tasks performed and average hours/week spent at VDT (25 vs 36), and 190 controls not assigned to VDT. Ocular and musculoskeletal subjective symptoms and objective findings were assessed for all subjects, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) test was administered. Results. For VDT operators of the 2 groups, the relationship between ocular and musculoskeletal symptoms and findings, working life (P=0.0001) and number of hours spent at the VDT (symptoms P=0.001 and P=0.0001; findings P=0.002 and P=0.007), was significant. Group B VDT operators showed significantly higher state anxiety (S-anxiety) levels vs those in Group A and controls (P=0.001); trait anxiety (T-anxiety) was significantly higher in Group B and controls vs Group A (P=0.001 and P=0.03). Conclusions. Our results confirm the literature data about musculoskeletal and visual disorders and, as for anxiety, seem to denote a higher relevance of factors related to labor organization vs VDT use per se

Professional exposure to urban stressors and effects on urinary metanephrines

The aim of the study is to assess whether occupational exposure to urban stressors could cause alterations in urinary metanephrines levels in traffic policemen vs administrative staff of municipal police. A total of 258 subjects were included in the study: 129 traffic policemen exposed to urban stressors (68 males and 61 females) and 129 controls (68 males and 61 females). Urinary metanephrines mean levels were significantly higher in male traffic policemen compared to controls (p<0.01). No significant differences were in female traffic policemen compared to controls. In the control group, urinary metanephrines mean levels were significantly higher in females compared to males (p<0.01). There were no significant differences in urinary metanephrines mean levels in female traffic policemen vs male traffic policemen. The increase in urinary metanephrines mean levels observed in male exposed compared to controls could be related to chronic occupational exposure to low doses of chemical, physical and psychosocial urban stressors

Esposizione della Popolazione Generale ad Inquinamento Urbano

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Exposure to urban stressor and effects on free testosterone in female workers

Background: The aim of the study is to evaluate if occupational exposure to chemical, physical and psycho-social urban stressor could cause alterations in plasma free testosterone (T) levels and related diseases in female traffic police vs. control group. Patients and methods: The research was carried out on initial sample of 468 female Municipal Police employees (209 traffic police and 259 controls). After excluding the principal confounding factors, traffic police were matched with controls by age, working life, menstrual cycle day, BMI, drinking habit, cigarette smoking habit, liquorice and soy intake in diet, habitual consumption of Italian coffee. There were 96 female traffic police and 96 controls included in the study. Results: T mean levels were significantly higher in female traffic police compared to controls (p = 0.000). The distribution of T values in traffic police and in controls was significant (p = 0.000). No significant differences were found comparing the percentage in traffic police and controls concerning dystocial, premature and post-term birth. An increase in mental health disorders was found in traffic police compared to controls but the difference was not significant. Conclusion: The increase in T plasma levels observed in traffic police vs. controls can be due to a chronic working exposure to low doses of environmental chemical urban stressor. According to our previous researches T could be used as an early biological marker even before the onset of the related disorders. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved