Urinary levels of metal elements in the non-smoking general population in Italy: SIVR study 2012-2015.

The purpose of this study of the Italian Society of Reference Values (SIVR) was to provide the reference values for metals in the urine of the Italian general population. Thirteen sampling centres situated in the north, centre and south of Italy took part in this project. Each sampling centre selected 20 adult subjects. The sample was made up of 120 male and 140 female non-smokers or smokers who had abandoned the habit at least 5 years previously, aged between 18 and 60 years. Urine samples were obtained from the same subjects in June and again in November of the same year. During collection of these two samples, we administered an ad hoc questionnaire designed to assess factors that might influence exposure and the results of the study such as personal characteristics, occupational or extra-occupational activities, dietary habits, the presence of dental fillings containing amalgam, the frequency and mode of exposure to passive smoking and exhaust gases of motor vehicles (traffic). Therefore, the urinary levels of thirteen trace elements (Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, In, Mn, Ni, Pb, Pt, Sb, Tl and V) were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. The concentrations obtained (95th percentile) are in µg/L: 0.034, 0.900, 2.24, 0.600, 24.0, 0.013, 1.53, 4.44, 2.64, 0.022, 0.095, 0.759 and 0.855 for Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, In, Mn, Ni, Pb, Pt, Sb, Tl and V, respectively. Further studies with a larger number of subjects are needed in order to continue the biomonitoring of the Italian general population and to monitor the modified levels over time.

Methodology to define biological reference values in the environmental and occupational fields: the contribution of the Italian Society for Reference Values (SIVR).

BACKGROUND: Biological reference values (RVs) explore the relationships between humans and their environment and habits. RVs are fundamental in the environmental field for assessing illnesses possibly associated with environmental pollution, and also in the occupational field, especially in the absence of established biological or environmental limits. OBJECTIVES: The Italian Society for Reference Values (SIVR) determined to test criteria and procedures for the definition of RVs to be used in the environmental and occupational fields. METHODS: The paper describes the SIVR methodology for defining RVs of xenobiotics and their metabolites. Aspects regarding the choice of population sample, the quality of analytical data, statistical analysis and control of variability factors are considered. The simultaneous interlaboratory circuits involved can be expected to increasingly improve the quality of the analytical data. RESULTS: Examples of RVs produced by SIVR are presented. In particular, levels of chromium, mercury, ethylenethiourea, 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol, 2,5-hexanedione, 1-hydroxypyrene and t,t-muconic acid measured in urine and expressed in micrograms/g creatinine (µg/g creat) or micrograms/L (µg/L) are reported. CONCLUSIONS: With the proposed procedure, SIVR intends to make its activities known to the scientific community in order to increase the number of laboratories involved in the definition of RVs for the Italian population. More research is needed to obtain further RVs in different biological matrices, such as hair, nails and exhaled breath. It is also necessary to update and improve the present reference values and broaden the portfolio of chemicals for which RVs are available. In the near future, SIVR intends to expand its scientific activity by using a multivariate approach for xenobiotics that may have a common origin, and to define RVs separately for children who may be exposed more than adults and be more vulnerable.

Iodine nutritional status and thyroid effects of exposure to ethylenebisdithiocarbamates.

INTRODUCTION: Italy is still characterized by a mild iodine deficiency and is among the most intensive users of chemical products for agriculture in Europe. The aim of this study was i) to evaluate thyroid effects of exposure to mancozeb, a fungicide widely used in agriculture, in a sample of Italian grapevine workers, and ii) to verify whether the iodine intake may modulate the risk of thyroid disruption due to the mancozeb metabolite ethylenthiourea (ETU). METHODS: One hundred seventy-seven occupationally exposed male workers (29 from Chianti, a mild iodine deficient area, and 148 from Bolzano an iodine sufficient province) and 74 non-occupationally exposed male controls (34 from Chianti and 40 from Bolzano) were enrolled in the study. Serum biomarkers of thyroid function, as well as urinary iodine and ETU concentrations were assessed. Moreover all the recruited subjects underwent clinical examination and thyroid ultrasound. RESULTS: Multivariate comparisons showed lower mean serum levels of FT4 in Chianti-workers as compared to Bolzano-workers. Moreover, an increased urinary iodine excretion (>250µg/L) was more frequently found among more exposed workers (ETU>20µg/L) than among less exposed ones and this effect was more pronounced in Chianti- than in Bolzano-workers. Chianti-workers also showed a significantly higher frequency of very low thyroid volume (≤6.0ml) as compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: These findings showed a mild thyroid disrupting effect due to occupational exposure to mancozeb, more pronounced in workers residing in an area characterized by a mild to moderate iodine deficiency as compared to workers residing in an area covered by a long-lasting iodine prophylaxis program.

[Benzene in soft drinks: a study in Florence (Italy)]. / Benzene nelle bibite analcoliche: un'indagine fiorentina.

The aim of this study was to determine the amount of benzene present in soft drinks sold in Florence (Italy). We analyzed 28 different types of soft drinks, by measuring concentrations of benzoic acid, sorbic acid, ascorbic acid (using high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection) and benzene (using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry). Data was analysed by using SPSS 18.0.Traces of benzene were detected in all analyzed beverages, with a mean concentration of 0.45 µg/L (range: 0.15-2.36 µg/L). Statistically significant differences in mean benzene concentrations were found between beverages according to the type of additive indicated on the drink label, with higher concentrations found in beverages containing both ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate. Two citrus fruit-based drinks were found to have benzene levels above the European limit for benzene in drinking water of 1 µg /L. Sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid were also detected in the two drinks.In conclusion, not all soft drink producers have taken steps to eliminate benzoic acid from their soft drinks and thereby reduce the risk of formation of benzene, as recommended by the European Commission. Furthermore, the presence of benzene in trace amounts in all beverages suggests that migration of constituents of plastic packaging materials or air-borne contamination may be occurring.

Assessment of foetal exposure to cigarette smoke after recent implementations of smoke-free policy in Italy.

AIM: We investigated foetal exposure to cigarette smoke following maternal active and passive smoking at the end of the pregnancy in a cohort of mother-infant dyads after recent implementation of the Italian smoke-free legislation and information campaigns against smoking. METHODS: Study subjects were 979 mothers and their newborns attended at one of the major Florence hospitals between the end of 2004 and during 2005, when smoking banning legislation in all the enclosed places of employment was completely enforced. A structured questionnaire was completed by mothers and cord serum cotinine was used as a biomarker of foetal exposure to maternal smoke at the end of the pregnancy. RESULTS: Women (53.9%) declared to be non-smokers not exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), 33.5% to be exposed non-smokers, while 12.6% reported daily smoking during pregnancy. Based on the levels of cord serum cotinine, 78.9% newborns were not exposed to ETS, 13.5% were exposed to ETS and 7.7% were exposed to active maternal smoke. CONCLUSIONS: Smoke-free policies can be an effective strategy for reducing both first-hand and second-hand exposure to cigarette smoke in pregnant women and their newborns. Due to the implementation of smoke-free legislation and information campaigns against smoking, a significant trend towards less active smoking during pregnancy was observed in our study cohort, as well as a minimal exposure to ETS in non-smoking pregnant women and their newborns.

Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene and t,t-muconic acid as biomarkers of exposure to environmental pollutants in two areas in Italy (EPIC-Florence and Ragusa).

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Several chemical compounds included in the group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and benzene are well-known human carcinogens present in the atmosphere of polluted urban areas. Major sources include vehicle traffic and industrial emissions, but also cigarette smoke. Genotoxic damage derived from exposure to PAHs can be measured in healthy adults by specific assays as PAH-DNA adducts. In the frame of EPIC-Italy, we recently carried out a cross-sectional study in different areas of the country (Palli et al., Int J Cancer, 87: 444-451, 2000) and showed that mean DNA adduct levels varied considerably among different centers, being highest in Florence (a large metropolitan area in Tuscany) and lowest in Ragusa (a small town in Sicily). METHODS: A subgroup of EPIC volunteers, representative of these two local cohorts, agreed to collect 24-h urine samples, and we measured the excretion of two potential biomarkers of exposure to environmental pollutants: t,t-muconic acid (MA), a metabolite of benzene, and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), a metabolite of pyrene. Overall, 69 24-h urine samples were available for analyses. RESULTS: The absolute amounts of 1-OHP and MA excreted in the 24-h urine samples were 169.6 ng and 33.8 microg, respectively. Urinary excretion of both metabolites did not vary according to age or area of residence. Strongly significant differences emerged when current smokers were compared to non-smokers for 1-OHP (P = 0.0001) and MA (P = 0.01), thus confirming that smokers are directly exposed to PAHs and benzene from tobacco smoke, with a dose-dependent effect particularly evident for MA. Multivariate analyses showed positive associations of 1-OHP excretion with male sex, low education and being overweight but not with residence in two areas with contrasting levels of urban pollution; MA excretion tended to be higher in Florence. CONCLUSIONS: These two urinary metabolites are strongly related to tobacco smoke and do not appear to represent reliable biomarkers of exposure to environmental pollutants in the general population.