[20 years of biological monitoring (1976-1995) of occupational lead exposure in various Tuscan provinces]. / Venti anni di sorveglianza biologica (1976-1995) dell'esposizione professionale a piombo in alcune provincie toscane.

We report the results of 24,475 blood lead determinations (PbB) performed by the Occupational Toxicology Laboratory of Florence between 1976 and 1995. Biological monitoring was carried out in 383 factories localized in the districts of Florence, Prato, Pistoia, Lucca and Pisa. The most represented production fields were colouring ceramic factories, artistic ceramics, transfer-pictures for ceramics, glass factories, typographies, glass decoration factories, chemical factories. In twenty years, the median values of PbB decreased from 48 to 17 micrograms/100 ml in males and from 40 to 8 micrograms/100 ml in females. The 95 degrees centile ranged from 84 to 46 micrograms/100 ml for males and from 63 to 42 micrograms/100 ml for females. In the 1988-95 period, we observed an increase of both the 95 degrees centile and the maximal values because of the inclusion of data from workers employed in factories where the "decorazione a scavo" technique, which is characterized by elevated environmental lead concentrations, was used. In the period 1991-93, the ranges of PbB observed in glass decoration factories were 13-160 micrograms/100 ml for males and 4-80 micrograms/100 ml for females, respectively.

[Acute dimethylformamide (DMF) poisoning: a case report]. / Intossicazione acuta da dimetilformamide (DMF): descrizione di un caso.

This paper describes a case of acute occupational intoxication by dimethylformamide in a worker assigned to polyurethanic resin preparation in a simulated leather factory. The peculiarity of this case is constituted by the association of a dimethylformamide classic clinical syndrome, frequently described in the scientific literature (alcohol intolerance, gastroenteric manifestations with liver injury), with coagulation alterations and thrombocytopenia. Measurement of environmental concentrations of the solvents and biological monitoring revealed high levels of exposure to dimethylformamide at the workplace. Our observations confirm the effects of dimethylformamide on hemostasis reported by other authors in previous studies. It is possible to speculate that the effects of dimethylformamide on coagulation and platelets strictly depend on the amount of solvent accumulated in the body.

[Tumors of the excretory urinary tract in workers of the textile industry in the Prato area]. / Tumori delle vie urinarie escretrici negli addetti all'industria tessile nell'area pratese.

A hospital-based case-control study on bladder and lower urinary tract cancers was conducted in the Prato area, where the textile industry is the main manufacturing sector (about 50,000 employees). "Cases" were male subjects, aged over 15 years in whom urothelial cancer had been diagnosed in the period 1980-1985; controls (two for each case) were subjects of the same sex and age with other urological diseases or cancer of the prostate or testis. Cases and controls were interviewed via a questionnaire on occupational history and personal habits. A positive association was found for subjects who had worked in the textile industry (O.R. = 1.42; C.I. = 1.0-2.0). Analysis by job titles showed positive association for "rag selectors" (O.R. = 4.09; C.I. = 1.39-11.96), whereas no association was found for dyers (O.R. = 0.74; C.I. = 0.29-1.87).