Formaldehyde and Acetaldehyde Exposure in "Non-Traditional" Occupational Sectors: Bakeries and Pastry Producers.

INTRODUCTION: Formaldehyde, a colorless and highly irritating substance, causes cancer of the nasopharynx and leukemia. Furthermore, it is one of the environmental mutagens to which humans are most abundantly exposed. Acetaldehyde was recently classified as carcinogen class 1B and mutagen class 2 in Annex VI EC regulation. Occupational exposure to the two aldehydes occurs in a wide variety of occupations and industries. The aim of this study is to deepen exposure to the two aldehydes in the non-traditional productive sectors of bakeries and pastry producers. METHODS: The evaluation of exposure to formaldehyde and acetaldehyde was conducted in Italy in 2019, in specific tasks and positions of 11 bakeries and pastry producers (115 measures, of which 57.4% were in fixed positions and the rest were personal air sampling). The measurements were performed using Radiello© radial diffusion samplers. A logarithmic transformation of the data was performed, and the correlation between the two substances was calculated. Moreover, linear models considering the log-formaldehyde as the outcome and adjusting for log-acetaldehyde values were used. RESULTS: The study identified high levels of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde exposure in the monitored workplaces. Higher mean values were observed in the leavening phase (8.39 µg/m3 and 3.39 µg/m3 for log-transformed data acetaldehyde and formaldehyde, respectively). The adjusted univariate analyses show statistically significant factors for formaldehyde as the presence of yeast, the presence of type 1 flour, the use of barley, the use of fats, the type of production, the use of spelt, and the presence of type 0 flour. CONCLUSIONS: The measurements confirmed the release of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in bakeries and pastry industries, especially in some phases of the work process, such as leavening.

Serum heavy metals and breast cancer risk: A case-control study nested in the Florence cohort of the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition) study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic exposure to heavy metals is of concern for its potential carcinogenic effect. An association with increased breast cancer (BC) risk was hypothesized, but literature data are conflicting and the question remains unresolved. We aimed to investigate the association between heavy metals and BC risk in a case-control study nested within the Florence section of the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition) cohort. METHODS: We included 150 BC cases and an equal number of controls individually matched to cases by age and year of enrolment. In order to avoid confounding by smoking, the study was restricted to never smokers. Serum levels of six heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Mn, Pb, and Tl) were quantified in pre-diagnostic samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated via multivariable conditional logistic regression models. RESULTS: Serum levels of cobalt were inversely associated with BC risk (OR for the comparison of 3rd vs. 1st tertiles: 0.33, 95 % CI 0.12-0.91, p-value 0.033). None of the other heavy metals under study was significantly associated with BC risk in multivariable models. For Cd, Cr, and Tl, over half of the study participants had serum levels below the limit of quantitation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not support the hypothesis that exposure to heavy metals is associated with an increased BC risk among never smokers from the general population. The inverse association between cobalt serum levels and BC risk requires confirmation in future studies.