Health tourism: an opportunity for sustainable development.

In February 2017, the "Programma Mattone Internazionale Salute" (ProMis), that is the Italian Program for Internationalization of Regional Health Systems of the Ministry of Health (MoH), presented the first version of its Position Paper on Health Tourism, which embeds a first shared approach to the recommendations expressed by the European Committee of Regions (CoR) on "Age-Friendly" tourism. The CoR stresses the importance of local and regional authorities in the coordination of multi-sectoral policies such as healthcare, social assistance, transport, urban planning and rural development in relation to the promotion of mobility, security, accessibility of services, including health care and social services. "Age-friendly" tourism is an example of an innovative tourist offer that strives to meet the health needs of the entire "traveling" population, with an integrated and cross-sector approach that involves various organizations operating in sectors such as healthcare, accessibility and transport. The aim of the workshop was to explore the interest of the stakeholders to participate in a systemic action in the field of "health" tourism, and to identify priority implementation areas that offer opportunities to take advantage of validated, innovative experiences that strengthen the accessibility to health and social services in regional, national and international contexts. This effort provides the opportunity to take advantage of aligning the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) to the development of tourism, coherently with the needs and resources of local and regional health authorities.

[Epidemiology of tumors in the construction industry]. / Epidemiologia dei tumori in edilizia.

Many epidemiological studies, mostly with a case-control design, show an increased risk of cancer, in particular lung cancer, in construction workers. Asbestos is the occupational carcinogen considered for a long time the most important in this sector, but now it covers a residual role, at least in Italy. In this review the most recent studies are considered and the presence of other carcinogens, as crystalline silica, man-made mineral fibers, diesel exhausts, metals, solvents, UV rays, must be considered in risk evaluation also, possibly, for health and epidemiologic surveillance.