Occupational exposure to fluorescent light in a pathologist with myopic complications and asthenopia onset. / Esposizione professionale alla luce fluorescente in una patologa con complicanze miopiche ed insorgenza di sintomi astenopici.

BACKGROUND: Pathologic myopia is often associated with many complications, e.g. retinopathy, vitreous detachment and glaucoma. To date, occupational exposure of workers suffering from myopic co-morbidities to fluorescence light is not clearly linked to a worsening of retinal damage and eye symptoms. CASE REPORT: A 56-year-old pathologist, suffering from myopic retinopathy and other ocular comorbidities, asked for medical examination due to worsening vision and burning eyes, after occupational exposure to fluorescence microscope. Eye examination performed by an ophthalmologist detected a severe chorio-retinal atrophy in peri-papillar region and scotopic-photopic reduced voltages at electroretinogram. Moreover, a workplace inspection noted high light intensity from power source (9600 lux). Considering severity of the retinopathy, frequency of the ocular symptoms and steady occupational exposure both to low-intensity fluorescent light and high intensity light, we decided to declare the worker only fit for specific tasks which do not include the use of a fluorescence microscope. Almost six months later, the worker was recalled for a new examination and she reported the absence of the ocular discomfort that had led her to request the previous examination. CONCLUSION: In this unconventional case, we considered appropriated to use great caution, to avoid ocular fatigue and prevent possible retinal damage in the worker.

A case report of idiopathic environmental intolerance: A controversial and current issue.

In this case of idiopathic environmental intolerance, a little known disease characterized by many symptoms of irritation due to exposure to several toxic compounds, genetic analysis could be helpful in case of differential diagnosis issue.

Respiratory Health in Waste Collection and Disposal Workers.

Waste management, namely, collection, transport, sorting and processing, and disposal, is an issue of social concern owing to its environmental impact and effects on public health. In fact, waste management activities are carried out according to procedures that can have various negative effects on the environment and, potentially, on human health. The aim of our study was to assess the potential effects on respiratory health of this exposure in workers in the waste management and disposal field, as compared with a group of workers with no occupational exposure to outdoor pollutants. The sample consisted of a total of 124 subjects, 63 waste collectors, and 61 office clerks. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects before inclusion in the study. The entire study population underwent pulmonary function assessments with spirometry and completed two validated questionnaires for the diagnosis of rhinitis and chronic bronchitis. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA 13. Spirometry showed a statistically significant reduction in the mean Tiffenau Index values in the exposed workers, as compared with the controls, after adjusting for the confounding factors of age, BMI, and smoking habit. Similarly, the mean FEV1 values were lower in the exposed workers than in the controls, this difference being again statistically significant. The FVC differences measured in the two groups were not found to be statistically significant. We ran a cross-sectional study to investigate the respiratory health of a group of workers in the solid waste collection and disposal field as compared with a group of office workers. In agreement with most of the data in the literature, our findings support the existence of a prevalence of respiratory deficits in waste disposal workers. Our data suggest the importance of adopting preventive measures, such as wearing specific individual protection devices, to protect this particular category of workers from adverse effects on respiratory health.

Occupational Exposure to Urban Air Pollution and Allergic Diseases.

Exposure to air pollution is associated with increased morbidity from cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer, respiratory and allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate allergic diseases in 111 traffic wardens compared to a control group of 101 administrative employees. All participating subjects underwent a physical examination, in which a complete medical history was taken and a dedicated allergological questionnaire administered. Spirometry, Specific IgE dosage (RAST) and skin prick tests (SPT) were done. Diagnostic investigations such as the nasal cytology, a specific nasal provocation test and rhinomanometry were also performed. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 11. The percentage of subjects with a diagnosis of allergy was higher in the exposed workers than in the controls. As regards the clinical tests, the positivity was higher for the group of exposed subjects. Among the exposed workers, those who worked on foot or motorcycle had a higher positivity in clinical trials compared to the traffic wardens who used the car. Our study showed a higher percentage of allergic subjects in the group of workers exposed to outdoor pollutants than in the controls. These results suggest that allergological tests should be included in the health surveillance protocols for workers exposed to outdoor pollutants.