[Wood dust exposure in handicraft companies in Lazio: preliminary findings]. / Esposizione a polveri di legno in aziende artigiane del Lazio: risultati preliminari.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the wood dust exposures characterizing the working more to risk. Two selectors for inhalable fraction were been used: IOM sampler (Institute Occupational Medicine) and conical sampler. The sampling time is choosen by environmental airborne dust and it has varied around three and four hours. The surveys involved some companies of the Lazio that carried out the second working of wood that predict the transformation in ultimate products. The woodworking processes investigated have been grouped in three different classes: wood dissection; planning and moulding; sanding. The results have shown that the medium concentration of wood dusts, obtained in three processes investigated ranges from 2 mg/m3 to 4 mg/m3. The higher amounts is of 16 mg/m3 and it have been obtained during the sanding. Moreover the dust collected by IOM sampler was always higher than by conical sampler probably it is due to large particulates that were projected into IOM causing an overestimate of the amount of wood dust particulate that was inhalable. This study need to of more personal sampling for being able to carry out an exhaustive statistical analysis.

[Organic artificial fibers: properties and toxicity]. / Fibre artificiali organiche: proprietà e tossicità.

Now among asbestos substitutes, the man-made organic fibers (MMOFs) find interesting applications on the industrial side. This class includes aramidic, polyacrylic, polyamides, polyolefins and polyvinylic fibers and it has been listed in category 3 of IARC classification (not classifiable as to carcinogenicity to humans). The aim of this study is to provide a panoramic regarding the toxicity of MMOFs present on the market according to their chemical-physical properties. Three materials have been taken in to consideration: the polyacrylonitrile (PAN), the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and the Kevlar. Each of them has been observed by the Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy to estimate the morphology and the mean diameter. The obtained mean diameter of fibers is 10.50 microm for the PAN, 16.60 microm for the PVA and 11.61 microm for the Kevlar. The last one presents fibrils having a diameters in the range 0.2-1.6 microm. The ability of the Kevlar to produce fibrils with dimensions less than 1 microm, after abrasion or mechanical stress of other kind, is the cause of numerous studies based on the evaluation of their biosolubility. Finally we show some spectra obtained from the analysis of these fibers through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).