[Smoking habit among workers in Campania region]. / L'abitudine al fumo nei lavoratori Campani.

Smoking is still now the main avoidable cause of disease, disability and mortality in industrialized countries. This habit is still very common in workplaces, where anti-smoke efforts seem to be less incisive than among general populations. The study analyzed the diffusion of smoke habit in 8111 male workers in Campania region, employed in different work activities (white collars, blue collars, drivers, cleaning civil servants, porters), so as to evaluate work related features, affecting its assumption and maintenance. Among all workers, smokers prevalence (42.7%) was higher than national male population. Percentages of smokers were highest among drivers (60.7%) and civil servants (52.5%), slightly lower among industry workers (47.3%) and lower among white collars (36.4%). The highest prevalence were found in 41-50 years age group (46.8%), but only among white collars aging was associated with higher smokers prevalence. Lower education degrees and two working variables, shifts and handwork, have been related with significantly smoking habit assumption. Results emphasized that health promotional programs are necessary to reduce smoke habit among workers, particularly among professionally and culturally unqualified subgroups.

[Risk evaluation of contact with pesticides in Naples municipality gardeners]. / Programma di valutazione del rischio da contatto con antiparassitari nei giardinieri del comune di Napoli.

Pesticide use still now is a remarkable risk for all cultivation operators, including farmers and flower-growing workers. Recently, pesticides use on ornamental plant has been demonstrated to be able to determine a risk extension to general population. Aim of the project was to elaborate and to apply a method for pesticides risk evaluation in ornamental plant cultivations, as to define workers exposure and its possible diffusion to not occupationally exposed populations. Main features of method will be sampling and analysis approach. The first will estimate air dispersion of pesticides in garden centre, skin and garment smarminess in nurserymen and leaf adhered amounts, in concomitance with treatment and periodically to estimate natural decay. The latter will characterize pesticides by means of different methods (liquid and gaseous chromatography, spectrophotometry and spectrometry). Final aim will also be to identify the most reliable analytic method, as concerns accuracy, sensitivity and specificity.

[Burden of COPD on health profiles in different work activities]. / La broncopatia cronico-ostruttiva nella popolazione generale e in popolazioni lavorative.

According to WHO, COPD will be the 5th cause of disability and the 3rd cause of mortality by 2020. Even cigarette smoking represents the main cause of COPD recent studies demonstrated positive association with occupational exposure. In Europe costs of COPD were estimated at about 38,8 billion Euros in 2000; its burden is also expected to increase. Aim of the study is to evaluate the burden of COPD on health profiles in a sample of workers of Campania region. Prevalences were calculated in a sample of 908 male workers, employed in industrial (479) and tertiary (429) sectors. Results were compared with population data of ISTAT database. Higher prevalence of COPD was found in industrial workers (23.4%) than general population (3.5%) and tertiary workers (2.1%). Analysing smoking habits, higher prevalence of smokers in the industrial sector (75.9%) than tertiary (66.4%) was found, but this difference cannot explain the big difference of COPD prevalence between the two groups and suggest a positive interaction between smoking and occupational exposure. In conclusion, the results analysis underlines the burden of COPD on workers' health status, particularly in some work activities. Specific health promotion programs are necessary in these activities.