Urban air quality and carboxyhemoglobin levels in a group of traffic policemen.

Toxicological potential of carbon monoxide (CO) on humans is well known. Nevertheless, CO is still considered as a useful marker to detect some environmental and occupational human risk factors typical of cities. The role played by traffic pollution, indoor air quality in offices and tobacco smoke on the expression of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb%) levels was investigated in a large group of traffic policemen in Torino city (North-Western Italy). At the end of the working shift, 228 policemen responded to a questionnaire, weight and height recorded, urine spot samples collected to measure cotinine as biomarker of tobacco smoke exposure, and an arterial blood sample was taken to measure COHb levels. Data of outdoor urban air-CO were collected and to each subject a "CO outdoor air measurement" was related to his/her COHb level. Considering the annual trend of air-CO pollution from 2002 to 2004, one can assume that a general improvement of air quality in Torino was evident. Taking into account the environments where policemen work (urban outdoor and indoor), and analyzing their COHb% content, the traffic-congested areas, and, in general, the outdoor urban environment were equally risky as offices. Furthermore, if compared to CO arising from traffic-congested areas or other outdoor environments, the traffic policemen in Torino city demonstrate COHb% levels largely due to smoking habits.

An overview of atmospheric pollution in Italy before the use of new gasoline.

In 1991 an Italian law will impose a lead reduction in gasoline from 0.4 to 0 g/l. In the present paper we show the actual level (1988) of contamination in Turin city air, in relationship to: lead, some Volatile Halogenated Hydrocarbon and carbonyls that are also bound (directly or indirectly) to emissions from automobiles filled with leaded gasoline. The results confirm the presence in atmosphere of some important "risk factors" for public health that could be substituted with some other ones.

[Various air pollutants in Torino]. / Studio su alcuni inquinanti nell'aria di Torino.

The trend of concentrations of some pollutants (total particulate, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), chromium, nickel, lead, vanadium) in the urban air of Turin for the years 1986-87-88 was studied. The air was sampled daily by glass fiber's filters; a ponderal determination of total particulate was made; PAH was dosed by gas-chromatography and by mass spectrometry, metals was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. These are the values of the three years mean concentration: total particulate 156.3 micrograms/mc, PAH 27.2 ng/mc, B(a)P 2.16 ng/mc, Cr 28.6 ng/mc, Ni 40.5 ng/mc, Pb 1.37 micrograms/mc, V 55.2 ng/mc. Finally, we try to calculate the conjectural carcinogenic effect of the B(a)P for the residents of Turin.

[Cefoperazone: microbiological, kinetic and clinical studies]. / Cefoperazone: ricerca microbiologica, cinetica e clinica.

In vitro cefoperazone proved more active against the tested gram-negative bacteria than either piperacillin or mezlocillin. When administered in 1 g venous bolus the antibiotic achieved high plasmatic concentrations that were still adequate after 8 hours. 33.2% was excreted by the kidneys and a considerable amount by the biliary way. Cefoperazone produced a clinical cure in 35/36 patients (97.22%). A disulfiram-like effect was noted in 18.18%.