Assessment of air and surfaces contamination in a COVID-19 non-Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Coronavirus - 2 (SARS-CoV-2)  is a virus, primarily transmitted through  droplets, able to persist on different surfaces and in the air for several hours. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Care Workers should be considered a high risk profession. Beside social distancing rules and the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment,  sanitization measures and ventilation system disinfection are essential to reduce viral transmission. OBJECTIVES: This is the first Italian study aiming to assess the magnitude of environmental contamination in a COVID-19 non-Intensive Care Unit. METHODS: In addition to ordinary cleaning procedures, surface and air samplings have been performed before and after the application of two different sanitization devices. Samples have been analyzed with Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction in order to find viral RNA. RESULTS: All samples obtained from surfaces and air before and after extra-ordinary sanitization procedures turned out negative for viral detection. DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the efficiency of ordinary cleaning procedures in guaranteeing a safer workplace. The adoption of additional sanitization protocols should be considered in order to further reduce environmental viral contamination.

Plasma levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and the risk of soft tissue sarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) is a heterogeneous group of rare neoplasms whose aetiology is largely unknown. Dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are potential risk factors for STS. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relation of 17 PCBs congeners, assessed in human plasma, with STS risk. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study in Italy, including 52 STS cases and 99 hospital-based controls. Selected PCB were extracted by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and measured with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Odds ratios (OR), and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI), were estimated through multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: The most frequently detected PCB congeners were 138, 170, 180 and 149 (detected in 40-77% of controls). The OR for the sum of all 17 PCB congeners was 1.20 (95% CI 0.50-2.92). In categorical analysis no consistent association was found for individual congeners and for groups based on Wolff's classification or the degree of chlorination. For continuous estimates, borderline positive associations emerged for Wolff's groups 2A (OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.97-1.55), 2B (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.00-1.77, and 3 (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.96-1.49), for moderately (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.96-1.51) and highly (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.99-1.41) chlorinated PCBs, and for congeners 170 (OR 1.26, 95% CI 0.98-1.63), 180 (OR 1.26, 95% CI 0.97-1.64) and 138 (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.02-2.04). DISCUSSION: Most associations between PCBs and STS risk were not significant, but, given the limited sample size, we cannot exclude moderate associations.

Skin contamination as pathway for nicotine intoxication in vapers.

Growing warnings on health effects related to electronic cigarettes have met inconclusive findings at present. This study analyzed the in vitro percutaneous absorption of nicotine resulting by skin contamination with two e-liquids (refill 1 and 2) containing nicotine at 1.8%. Donor chambers of 6 Franz cells for each refill liquid were filled with 1mL of nicotine e-liquid for 24h; at selected intervals, 1.5mL of the receptor solutions were collected for nicotine concentration analysis by mean gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (LOD: 0.01µg/mL). The experiment was repeated removing the nicotine donor solution after 10min from the application and rinsing the skin surface three times with 3.0mL of milliQ water. A total of 12 cells with 24h exposure and 12 cells washed were studied. The mean concentration of nicotine in the receiving phase at the end of the experiment was 54.9±29.5 and 30.2±18.4µg/cm2 for refill 1 and 2 respectively and significantly lower in washed cells (4.7±2.4 and 3.5±1.3µg/cm2). The skin absorption of nicotine can lead to minor health illness in vapers, while caution must be paid to dermal contamination by e liquids in children. The skin cleaning significantly reduced the transdermal absorption kinetic and intradermal deposition of nicotine.

Transdermal nicotine absorption handling e-cigarette refill liquids.

The concentrated nicotine in e-cigarette refill liquids can be toxic if inadvertently ingested or absorbed through the skin. Reports of poisonings due to accidental ingestion of nicotine on refill liquids are rapidly increasing, while the evaluation of nicotine dermally absorbed still lacks. For that reason we studied transdermal nicotine absorption after the skin contamination with e-liquid. Donor chambers of eight Franz diffusion cells were filled with 1 mL of 0.8 mg/mL nicotine e-liquid for 24 h. The concentration of nicotine in the receiving phase was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (LOD:0.1 µg/mL). Nicotine was detectable in receiving solution 2 h after the start of exposure and increased progressively. The medium flux calculated was 4.82 ± 1.05 µg/cm(2)/h with a lag time of 3.9 ± 0.1 h. After 24 h, the nicotine concentration in the receiving compartment was 101.02 ± 22.35 µg/cm(2) corresponding to 3.04 mg of absorbed nicotine after contamination of a skin surface of 100 cm(2). Skin contamination with e-liquid can cause nicotine skin absorption: caution must be paid when handling refill e-liquids.

Risk assessment of occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by means of urinary1-hydroxypyrene.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have mutagenic and carcinogenic properties and some of them are classified as probable or possible human carcinogens. Aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxic risk in workers exposed to diesel exaust. Environmental and biological monitoring exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was carried out on fifty-two workers exposed to diesel exhaust. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene was employed as a biomarker of internal dose. Significant urinary 1-hydroxypyrene differences between smokers and non-smokers were found. Twenty per cent of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene values exceeded benchmark level for genotoxic effect, while the results of environmental monitoring excluded the existence of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In the absence of greater knowledge about the relationship between urinary 1-hydroxypyrene and genotoxic effects under the conditions of very low exposure, extreme caution is recommended when this biomarker of internal dose is employed as an indicator of genotoxic risk.