[The Chernobyl incident: emergency management in Italy and other European countries]. / Incidente di Chernobyl: gestione dell'emergenza in Italia e in altri paesi europei.

Several measures were adopted by European countries in the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident. In this paper these measures are reviewed and the European Communities initiatives for food marketing and exports are analyzed, together with the reference levels for radioactive concentration in the main food matrices chosen in different European countries in the very few days after the accident. A particular attention has been devoted to the emergency management in Italy, outlining exhaustively the laws enforced at the time of the accident and explaining how the reference levels for food contamination were chosen. Finally, a tentative balance about emergency management in Italy is struck and some questions are raised about the commitments undertaken or to be undertaken by international institutions.

Results of the representative Italian national survey on radon indoors.

A representative national survey on population exposure to radon in Italian dwellings was carried out from 1989 to 1994, with the co-operation of the National Health Service. The measurements were performed by 19 Regional Laboratories, all using the same techniques and protocols. A stratified, two-stage sampling procedure was used to sample families. The sampled families were approached door-to-door to maximize response. To optimize the quality of the measurements, two dosimeters, each containing two alpha track detectors, were placed together in one room (typically the bedroom) for two consecutive 6-mo periods. The distribution of annual radon concentration was derived from measurements in 4,866 dwellings. The average value is 75 Bq m(-3) and the fractions of dwellings above the reference levels of 150, 200, 400, and 600 Bq m-3 are 8.7%, 4.7%, 1.0%, and 0.2%, respectively. The geometric mean is 57 Bq m-3 while the geometric standard deviation is 2.0. The average values in the Italian Regions fall within the 20-120 Bq m-3 range. When the average radon concentration is examined vs. story, building materials seem to play a significant role. The average lifetime risk of lung cancer for chronic radon exposure of Italian population at home would be about 5 x 10(-3), using the risk factor proposed by the ICRP in 1993.

Caesium contamination in human milk and transfer factor from diet.

A study on caesium contamination in human milk, as a consequence of the Chernobyl fallout, was conducted in 1989 on a group of women from one of the areas of northern Italy most heavily affected by the radioactive fallout. Their diet was studied, and the caesium intake was calculated by using the mean food activity concentration in that area. The caesium transfer factor was evaluated both as the ratio of caesium concentration in mother's milk to the daily intake, and by using a simplified milk compartment model.

Radioactivity in human milk.

A brief introduction outlines the sources of radionuclides in the environment, their diffusion and transfer to different environmental compartments and their pathways to individuals; definitions of the main quantities and measurement units used in the study are included. A review is given on published data concerning the radioactive contamination of human milk after the Chernobyl accident. The authors' investigation on breast milk contamination in Italy in the same period is discussed together with an examination of the natural radioactive content. Finally, possible future developments and prospects of the research on this issue are explored.

Radon and radon daughter evaluation in a natural radioactivity survey indoors.

An indoor survey in order to estimate the population exposure in five towns of an Italian Region is presented. A particular methodology for the campaign was planned and is being applied. Gamma spectrometry of building materials, exposure rate measurements indoors and outdoors and radon concentration measurements indoors were taken with different techniques. A correlation was found between mean gamma exposure rate and mean radon concentration in the houses investigated. An evaluation of mean effective dose equivalents for the inhabitants of the five towns is reported.

Radioactivity connected with coal burning.

The enhanced environmental radioactivity resulting from the operation of a 72 MWe brown coal-fired power plant in central Italy is considered. A source-related control procedure is suggested. The calculated values for the atmospheric dispersion of radioactive effluents and the results of some measurements on brown coals, ash, environmental samples and gamma-exposure levels performed at representative points are reported.

Feasibility study of radiation protection guidelines in the use of building materials in the Italian dwellings.

The Italian situation concerning the indoor radiation exposure is examined. A tentative comparison of the risk connected with radon and radon daughter indoor exposures and other every day life risks is made. The social economic impact of imposing possible constraints on home building industry is also discussed.

[Effects of surgery and anesthesia on serum immunoglobulins]. / Effetti della chirurgia e dell'anestesia sulle immunoglobuline seriche.

Serum immunoglobulins levels after surgery with and without anaesthesia are reported. No significant change was found after surgery without anaesthesia; significant changes of serum Ig (A,G,M) were observed in surgery with anaesthesia (60-180 m') group on day 1 following operation. This Ig decrease is probably due to a reduced immunologic response by long anaesthesia.