[Comparison of occupational and home accidents as a cause of severe burns. The experience of a large burn center in an industrial city]. / Confronto fra infortuni sul lavoro e incidenti domestici come causa di ustioni gravi. L'esperienza di un centro grandi ustionati di una città industriale.

Among acute "traumatisms", occupational and domestic accidents chiefly share burn. To compare these two causes of severe burns, we examined clinical records of patients hospitalized from January 1986 to February 1989 in the "Grand Burns Center" at the C.T.O. hospital in Turin. Data exclusively refer to patients over 12 years old. 61 out of 313 cases (19%) were due to occupational burns, 221 (71%) to domestic ones (left cases including burns occurred in different surroundings). Males predominance was very high (95%) in the occupational settings, lower though still relevant (60%) in the domestic ones. The topographic distribution of the burns did not show any relevant difference. Similarly, the two groups did not differ as the affected percent of the body surface area (BSA) is concerned: in both cases burns extended cases. Decreased patients were fairly more numerous among the domestic burns (33%) as compared to the occupational ones (18%). The overwhelming majority (90.5%) of domestic burns were caused by fire; such a predominance, though present, was lower (68.8%) among occupational accidents. More in detail, domestic burns were caused as follows: alcohol spraying to stir a fire (26%), gas burst (25%), flammable substances exposed to heat sources (18%), hot water or different liquid (8%), fall over heating devices (6%), fires from cigarettes in bed (5%), kitchen stoves (with or without clothing fire) (5%), brushwood burning (4%), other (3%). It is worth noting that in as many as 40% of the cases of domestic burns patients were affected by a pre-existing neuro-psychic disorder, namely: personality disorders (15%), psychiatric disorders (%), epilepsy (9%), mental debility (7%).

Skin notation in the context of workplace exposure standards.

In the establishment of workplace exposure standards, the potential for cutaneous absorption is taken into consideration through the addition of "skin notation" to the relevant substance. In the TLVs Documentation (ACGIH, 1986) dermal lethal dose to 50% (LD50) or human data are the bases for the assignment of "skin notation" to 91 of 168 substances. For the other substances, the "skin" attribution seems to be based on undocumented statements in 24 (14.5%), skin effects in 13 (8%), and analogy in 7 (4%), while in the remaining 33 (20%) any reference is lacking as to the basis for notation of the cutaneous route of entry. Furthermore, since the established "cut-off" value of 2 g/kg is sometimes bypassed when a notation is added or omitted, the use of dermal LD50 is perplexing. Given the relevance of the skin notation for the validation of threshold limit values (TLVs) in the workplace, a full examination and citation of all available scientific data are recommended when establishing the TLV of substances absorbable through the skin.

[Industrial accidents and hotel- and home-related pathology]. / Infortunistica e patologia alberghiera e domestica.

The authors examine the various problems regarding work-related accidents and professional illnesses in the domestic-hotel field. Faced with an ever-rising frequency in various nations, in Italy information concerning the causative agents, the modality and the severity of these problems and the preventive measures adopted, appears usually inadequate.

Rare-earth pneumoconiosis: a new case.

A new case of rare-earth (RE) pneumoconiosis is described. The subject had worked as a photoengraver for 13 years and had not been exposed for 17 years. Chest X-ray showed a diffuse nodular pattern (q 2/3-ILO/1980). The patient was asymptomatic despite a restrictive spirometric impairment. The diagnosis derived from the finding, in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, of abnormal levels of La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Tb, Yb, and Lu. The presence of these elements was demonstrated by two methods: the neutron activation analysis and (as regards Ce alone) the X-ray energy spectrometry of mineral particles observed with electron microscope. Abnormal levels of rare earths were demonstrated also in the nails, suggesting an absorption of the RE from the lung.

[The risk of oligomers in the textile industry]. / Il rischio da oligomeri nell'industria tessile.

An experimental research was carried out at the Institute of Occupational Health of Turin University on the risks following exposure to oligomers with particular reference to the textile industry. A group of 36 Sprague-Dawley rats were injected endotracheally with a suspension of dust collected from various sections of twisting and spinning departments while 6 rats used a referent groups, were treated with normal solution in the way. Five rats had pneumonia and 1 rat showed the presence of aspecific granuloma whereas the histological patterns for the other rats were found to be similar to those of the control group. In the Authors' opinion it is impossible at the moment, to give a definite conclusion as to the role of oligomers in lung damage.

Pleural plaques and lung asbestos bodies in the general population: an autoptical and clinical-radiological survey.

Of 218 necropsies of male subjects, pleural hyaline plaques were detected in 67 (30%). The prevalence of pleural plaques was found to be related to age at death and to history of previous occupational contact with asbestos. The presence of asbestos bodies in lungs was also associated with pleural plaques; however, the reliability of the presence of ferruginous bodies as an indicator of exposure to asbestos is questioned. The role of environmental exposure will be better demonstrated at the end of an investigation on place of residence, which is still in progress. Chest X-rays showed little sensitivity for use in epidemiological surveys.

Mortality of chrysotile asbestos workers at the Balangero Mine, Northern Italy.

The mortality from 1946 to 1975 of over 900 North Italian chrysotile asbestos workers first employed between 1930 and 1965 has been studied. Nine deaths were certified as attributable to asbestosis, and eleven to lung cancer. One death was attributed to mesothelioma of pleura but this diagnosis was not supported by histological examination. Comparison with the national figures for all Italy did not reveal an excess of deaths from lung cancer but during the last quinquennium of observation, the SMR for lung cancer rose to 206. Simulation experiments enabled a dust index in fibre/years to be attached to each man in the cohort. All but two of the deaths from lung cancer occurred in the higher exposure group. The relative risk of lung cancer in this group was 2.89. The eleven workers who died from lung cancer were all cigarette smokers. A further period of observation is required to monitor the mortality of the surviving workers.

[Intrapulmonary deposition of submicron-size particles]. / Deposizione intrapolmonare delle particelle submicroniche.

Inhalation studies of ultrafine aerosol particles are described. Chambers with controlled atmospheres have been built, in which known volumes of clear air and aerosol particles are introduced. By means of an electrical mobility analyzer the size distribution of the aerosol in the chamber determined down to a mean diameter of 0,01 micron. Such aerosol is inhaled by the subject and exhaled into an identical chamber, previously filled with clean air. The size distribution of the resulting aerosol is determined with the same measuring system. The particle number distributions of inhaled and exhaled particles are then suitably correlated and compared. In this paper data are reported based on the retention of cigarette smoke referred to male subjects in the age group from 24 to 44 years old. These results are compared with the experimental data which appeared most recently in the medical literature. A standardization is proposed of the experimental conditions for measurements of intrapulmonary deposition of inhaled particles. This is because of the importance that the results of such studies might have in the field of prevention and industrial hygiene, in particular in the nuclear field.