Storage mites and their role in the onset of asthma and oculorhinitis among cattle farmers in north-east Italy.

The results are reported of an epidemiological study carried out in the province of Treviso in north-east Italy. The research was designed to ascertain the sensitization, through an IgE mechanism, to the main allergens present on cattle farms. Also reported are the results of a mite survey undertaken in ten barns in the same region. Investigations revealed a significantly larger degree of sensitization to storage mites among cattle farmers than in the control subjects. This sensitization was well correlated with mite species to be found in cattle barns. However, the frequent co-sensitization to Dermatophagoides offers a topic for further study.

[Anti-rubella vaccine coverage in women 11-28 years of age: data on 5 local socio-health units of Veneto]. / Copertura vaccinale anti-rosolia nelle donne di 11-28 anni: dati relativi a 5 unità locali socio-sanitarie del Veneto.

Selective rubella vaccination in the 11 years old girls, has been carried out in the Regione Veneto (Venetian Land) since 1974. The rubella immunization rate in teh women born between 1962 and 1978, in five sanitary districts, is 68.25%; the trend of increasing vaccination is continuing. Important differences in the organization of vaccination campaign were found among the five districts.

[Evaluation of the compliance to the proposal of anti-rubella vaccination]. / Valutazione dell'adesione alla proposta di vaccinazione anti-rosolia.

The incidence of acquired rubella in the females who have been interested by the proposal of vaccination, according to the selective strategy adopted in Italy, allows to appraise the national adhesion to this proposal lower than 50%. The values registered in Venetia suggest an adhesion rate near 80%, which is confirmed by datas about the regional use of vaccine. The punctual verify of vaccinal covering rate in a little Sanitary District in the Province of Treviso points out values higher than 90%.

[A survey on the use of pesticides in the province of Treviso]. / Indagine conoscitiva sull'utilizzo di presidi sanitari nella provincia di Treviso.

The results of a study on a sample of 301 farms of the province of Treviso are here presented. The aim of our study was the evaluation of the quantity of pesticides, considered as active principle, spread over this territory in 1987. Our data stress that arboreal cultivations need the major quantity of fungicides, insecticides and acaricides while the use of herbicides and soil insecticides is almost exclusive to grassy cultures. The fungicides result the most widely used pesticides followed by herbicides and, to a less degree, the other products. In our case they are used nearly exclusively in vine growing. We underline that, although the consumption of pesticides fell within correct agronomic standards, this quantity could be considerably reduced by modern technology.

Mutagenicity test of extracts of airborne dust from the municipal incinerator of Trieste.

The composition of the effluents from incineration plants has been studied by several authors, and some chemical compounds have been identified as hazardous to the health of the people living in the environs of such plants. On the other hand, very little is known about the chemical risks for the people working inside the incineration plants. In the present paper, an evaluation of these risks has been attempted by testing for the mutagenic activity of the extracts of airborne particulates collected inside the working area of the Municipal Incinerator of Trieste. Most samples of dust were proved to be mutagenic by the Ames test, indicating that the environment is heavily polluted with incompletely burnt materials. In fact, when a sample of settled dust was heated at high temperatures, its mutagenic activity disappeared. In addition, samples of solid residues collected at the end of the combustion process showed only weak, if any, mutagenic response.