[The Integrated Environmental Health Impact of emissions from a steel plant in Taranto and from a power plant in Brindisi, (Apulia Region, Southern Italy)]. / L'impatto ambientale e sanitario delle emissioni dell'impianto siderurgico di Taranto e della centrale termoelettrica di Brindisi.

OBJECTIVES: to estimate the environmental and health impact attributable to PM2.5 emissions from the ex-ILVA steel plant in Taranto and the ENEL power plant in Brindisi (Apulia Region, Southern Italy). DESIGN: a SPRAY Lagrangian dispersion model was used to estimate PM2.5 concentrations and population weighted exposures following the requirements of the Integrated Environmental Authorization (IEA) of the two plants under study. Available concentration-response functions (OMS/HRAPIE and updates) were used to estimate the number of attributable premature deaths. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: residents in the 40 municipalities of the domains of the VDS (assessment of health damage, according to the Regional Law n. 21/2012) of Brindisi (source: Italian National Institute of Statistics 2011 Census) and residents in Taranto, Statte, and Massafra (source: cohort study). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: mortality from natural causes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and lung cancer attributable to PM2.5. Incremental lifetime cumulative risks (ILCRs) for lung cancer associated to PM2.5 exposure. RESULTS: there was a reduction of the estimated impacts from the pre to the post IEA-scenarios in both Taranto and Brindisi. In Taranto, ILCRs greater than 1x10-4; were estimated in 2010 and 2012; the ILCR was greater than 1x10-4; in the district of Tamburi (near the plant) also for the 2015 scenario. ILCRs estimated for Brindisi were between 1x10-6; and 4x10-5;. CONCLUSIONS: the Integrated Environmental Health Impact Assessment confirmed the results of the VDS conducted according to the toxicological risk assessment approach. An unacceptable risk was estimated for Tamburi also for the 2015 scenario, characterized by a production of 4.7 million tons of steel, about half compared to one foreseen by the IEA (8 mt.).

Non-occupational exposure to heavy metals of the residents of an industrial area and biomonitoring.

In areas at high environmental risk, a major issue is the assessment of the exposure of the general population to industrial pollutants. To date, few studies have investigated exposure to heavy metals in a population residing in a high risk environmental area. The aim of this study is to evaluate the exposure to heavy metals in the industrial area of Taranto, Southern Italy, through biological monitoring techniques. We measured the levels of inorganic arsenic and methylated metabolites, lead, cadmium, chromium, and manganese in the urine samples of 279 subjects residing in Taranto and neighboring areas. After obtaining informed consent from each participant, qualified health staff administered a standardized structured questionnaire investigating lifestyle habits and assessing any confounding factors. The biological monitoring data showed high urinary concentrations of nearly all of the heavy metals investigated. These findings could be related to the presence of industrial plants and is sufficient to warrant the expectation that local and national institutions should be required to adopt preventive measures to reduce the environmental exposure of the general population to heavy metals.

[Mortality in the municipalities of Brindisi Province, 1981-2001]. / Mortalità nei comuni della Provincia di Brindisi, 1981-2001.

INTRODUCTION: Brindisi is a town on the South coast of the Adriatic sea, where many sources of airpollutants are located nearby the urban area. A part from the airport and the harbour, mainly for passenger traffic to Greece, a wide industrial area is present (petrochemical, power plants, chemical pharmaceutical, metallurgical, manufacturing). In seven municipalities, illegal dumps have been found. South west of Brindisi is the province of Taranto, whose industrial area includes steels factory a refinery and a cement factory. In both provinces, an area at "high risk of environmental crisis, has been identified by the Italian Ministry of Environment. In the Brindisi area, mortality from all causes, cancers and respiratory diseases. in 1990-1994 was found to be in excess. OBJECTIVES: to estimate mortality among residents in the twenty municipalities of the province aggregated in four geographic areas: the one at "high risk" including the main town, and the areas located North. West and South of the Brindisi "high risk" area. DESIGN: descriptive geographical study. SETTING: mortality analysis by gender, specific causes of death and two ten-year periods between 1981 and 2001. Standardised mortality ratios (Puglia region as referent population) and directly as well as age-standardized rates (ref. European population) have been computed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: mortality from all causes and from forty selected causes. RESULTS: about 3,200 annual deaths have occurred in the province. Results for the high risk area confirm previous analyses while excesses in the other areas have appeared. A few municipalities, requiring a deeper investigation have been identified. Such excesses refer to mortality due to all causes, all cancers, stomach and lung cancers, respiratory and ischemic diseases. CONCLUSIONS: this study confirms excesses in the high risk areas and found mortality excesses in other municipality both among males and females. The results suggest to further investigate mortality both in the main town and in the small municipalities where illegal dump have been found and also in those located on the border with Taranto province.