Evaluation of workplace exposure to respirable crystalline silica in Italy.

BACKGROUND: Crystalline silica is a human carcinogen and its use is widespread among construction, mining, foundries, and other manufacturing industries. PURPOSE: To evaluate occupational exposure to crystalline silica in Italy. METHODS: Data were collected from exposure registries and descriptive statistics were calculated for exposure-related variables. The number of potentially exposed workers was estimated in a subset of industrial sectors. Linear mixed model analysis was performed to determine factors affecting the exposure level. RESULTS: We found 1387 cases of crystalline silica exposure between 1996 and 2012. Exposure was most common in construction work (AM = 0·057 mg/m(3), N = 505), and among miners and quarry workers (AM = 0·048 mg/m(3), N = 238). We estimated that 41 643 workers were at risk of exposure in the selected industrial sectors during the same period. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified high-risk sectors for occupational exposure to crystalline silica, which can help guide targeted dust control interventions and health promotion campaigns in the workplace.

Hexavalent chromium compounds in the workplace: assessing the extent and magnitude of occupational exposure in Italy.

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) compounds have been classified as carcinogenic to humans. This study evaluates the extent and magnitude of occupational exposures to Cr(VI) in Italy. Data were collected from exposure registries of companies compulsorily notified by the National Workers' Compensation Authority. Each measurement was characterized by economic activity sector, work force size, worker personal data, job description, year of measurement, and level of exposure. Descriptive statistical analysis was carried out on the retrieved information. The number of workers potentially exposed was estimated for some industrial sectors. A mixed-effects model was adopted to evaluate the association between exposure variables and exposure concentrations. Over 8400 measurements of Cr(VI) exposures were selected from the database of registries for 1996-2009. Most exposures occurred in the manufacture of fabricated metal products (>50%), and the occupational group most frequently measured was metal finishing-, plating- and coating-machine operators (>52%). Measurements were associated with various Cr(VI) compounds, including chromium trioxide, potassium dichromate, sodium dichromate, strontium chromate, and zinc chromate. Cr(VI) exposure has decreased in more recent years, and the fixed-effects (Cr(VI) compound, activity sector, size and location of the facility, job category, and year of measurement of the final statistical model explained more than 70% of the variance in the observed exposure data. This study summarized data recorded in the Italian occupational exposure database and identified specific exposure patterns to Cr(VI). The mean level of exposure to Cr(VI) was 30.41 µg/m³, and 50,118 workers were estimated at exposure risk in the selected industrial sectors. Systematic recording of occupational exposures is a source of data that allows recognition of high risk situations and improvements in exposure assessment for epidemiologic studies.

Pleural malignant mesothelioma epidemic: incidence, modalities of asbestos exposure and occupations involved from the Italian National Register.

Due to the large scale use of asbestos (more than 3.5 million tons produced or imported until its definitive banning in 1992), a specific national surveillance system of mesothelioma incident cases is active in Italy, with direct and individual anamnestic etiological investigation. In the period between 1993 and 2004, a case-list of 8,868 pleural MM was recorded by the Italian National Register (ReNaM) and the modalities of exposure to asbestos fibres have been investigated for 6,603 of them. Standardized incidence rates are 3.49 (per 100,000 inhabitants) for men and 1.25 for women, with a wide regional variability. Occupational asbestos exposure was in 69.3% of interviewed subjects (N = 4,577 cases), while 4.4% was due to cohabitation with someone (generally, the husband) occupationally exposed, 4.7% by environmental exposure from living near a contamination source and 1.6% during a leisure activity. In the male group, 81.5% of interviewed subjects exhibit an occupational exposure. In the exposed workers, the median year of first exposure was 1957, and mean latency was 43.7 years. The analysis of exposures by industrial sector focuses on a decreasing trend for those traditionally signaled as "at risk" (asbestos-cement industry, shipbuilding and repair and railway carriages maintenance) and an increasing trend for the building construction sector. The systematic mesothelioma surveillance system is relevant for the prevention of the disease and for supporting an efficient compensation system. The existing experience on all-too-predictable asbestos effects should be transferred to developing countries where asbestos use is spreading.