[Guidelines for the use of the International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses of the International Labour Office (ILO): Substantial changes in the currrent edition]. / Wytyczne stosowania Miedzynarodowej Klasyfikacji Radiogramów Pylic Pluc Miedzynarodowego Biura Pracy (ILO) ­ istotne zmiany w obecnie obowiazujacej edycji.

The International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses is the scheme worked out by the International Labour Office in Geneva (ILO), to register radiographic chest abnormalities in a well-ordered, reproducible and comparable way. It is used for diagnosing abnormalities caused by dust exposure. Guidelines for the use of the ILO International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconioses contain detailed information and recommendations on how to use the classification, as well as how the chest X-ray examination should be performed and recorded. To facilitate the diagnosis of observed abnormalities the classification is completed by the set of standard radiograms illustrating typical irregularities referring to lungs and pleura, included in the classification. The article presents the key information on classification and the most important amendments adopted in the 2000 and 2011 ILO guidelines revisions. These changes refer to radiographs quality assessment, the way of presenting abnormalities registered in standard radiographs (QUAD set, digital images) and registration of failures not related to dust exposure. Particularly important complements result from the development of radiological imaging techniques. They are concerned about the classification of radiographic images of the chest recorded digitally. Med Pr 2016;67(6):833-837.

Environmental burden of disease due to lead in urban children from Silesia, Poland.

We performed environmental burden of disease (EBD) assessment of the neurotoxic effects of lead in the Polish urban children, in accordance with the WHO guidelines. The EBD assessment was based on the data on blood lead levels (BLL) of more than 8500 children from the lead biomonitoring programme conducted in the urban centre of the Upper Silesia Province, Poland between 1993 and 2000. In order to make the EBD assessment region specific, in the projections to years 2001 and 2005 we used 4% annual decrease in BLL, derived from the earlier analysis of the Silesian BLL data instead of the WHO proposed 7.8%. Mean BLL in the Silesian children projected for the year 2001 was higher (4.9 microg/dL) than the corresponding value for the WHO EurB region (3.9 microg/dL). The incidence rate of mild mental retardation (MMR) in the Silesian children was twice as high as in the EurB region for the year 2001, meaning more than two additional cases of MMR due to lead exposure per 1000 children aged 0-1 year, compared with 1 in 1000 children in the EurB region.

Urinary mercury in adults in Poland living near a chloralkali plant.

We conducted a study within the framework of the interdisciplinary European Mercury Emission from Chloralkali Plants (EMECAP) project to assess exposure to mercury (Hg) and the contribution of Hg emissions from a mercury cell chloralkali plant to urinary mercury (U-Hg) in adults living near the plant. We collected data from questionnaires and first morning urine samples from 75 subjects living near the Tarnow plant in Poland and 100 subjects living in a reference area. Median U-Hg was 0.32 mug/g creatinine (microg/gC) and 0.20 microg/gC, respectively. The median U-Hg was also higher in the amalgam-free subjects living near the plant (0.26 microg/gC) than in the reference group (0.18 microg/gC), but no such association was found in a multivariate analysis. There was a statistically significant positive association between U-Hg and number of teeth with amalgams, a negative association with age and a tendency towards higher U-Hg in female subjects. In the amalgam-free subjects there were statistically significant effects of female sex and fish consumption, and a negative association with age. The additional long-term average air Hg concentration from the plant, based on EMECAP environmental measurements and modelling, was estimated to be 1-3.5 ng/m(3) for the residential study area and should have a very small effect on U-Hg. The other Hg emission sources such as coal combustion facilities located nearby should be taken into account in assessing the overall impact of air Hg on U-Hg in this area.

Environmental lead exposure in Polish children: blood lead levels, major sources and principles of the lead poisoning prevention.

In Poland, children are exposed to lead from the combustion of leaded gasoline and industrial processes. Since the early 1990s, emission levels have declined, and a ban on leaded petrol is anticipated in 2005. Major industrial sources are located in Silesia Province and the copper mining centre (Legnica region). Concerns about, lead exposure in children date back to the 1980s; mean blood lead levels (BILL)reported in children living near lead smelters in Silesia exceeded 20microg/dl. in the 1990s, mean BLLs were decreasing, both in urban children and those living near lead industry. Lower than the CDC action level of 101microg/dl, they were however higher than mean values in children from the other countries, where leaded gasoline had already been banned. Childhood lead poisoning prevention requires a comprehensive approach, involving different sectors. Medical prevention focuses on the early detection of exposed child by the blood lead testing and individual case management. An increasing body of evidence, indicating adverse effects even below the current "safe" level of 101microg/dl, argues for intensification of the primary prevention, which requires legal, economic and technical measures. Public health efforts should contribute to the reduction and elimination of sources of exposure in child's environment and public education campaigns.