[Salivary analyses for biologic monitoring: possibility and perspectives]. / La saliva come matrice di analisi per il monitoraggio biologico: possibilità e prospettive.

The use of saliva for biological monitoring offers several interesting advantages, in terms of cost, non-invasive sampling, no risk of infection and little likelihood of the sample being polluted. Tests for measuring chemicals in saliva are available for many endogenous analytes, and xenobiotics. Saliva tests for inorganic compounds have so far not given satisfactory results, even using highly sensitive methods such as ICP/MS or atomic absorption. However, testing saliva for pesticides holds promise: the close correlation between the plasma compartment and saliva for some of these compounds has led to proposals for assaying diazinon, trichloropyridinol, atrazine, and paraquat, for instance, in saliva as biological indicators of occupational exposure. In industrial settings too significant correlations have been found between blood, urine and saliva assays. Investigations of exposure, for example, to plastifiers (phthalates), methanol, isopropanol and m-xylene have given comparable, equally reliable data, although highly sensitive instrumentation is needed. This approach appears to offer a wide range of applications, and certainly merits further study.

[Chemical risk in health environment: contribution to the evaluation and management of the risk to health]. / Il rischio chimico in ambiente sanitario: contributo per la valutazione e la gestione del rischio per la salute.

Among the many workplaces where there is a chemical risk, hospitals are surely one of the most complex when it comes to risk assessment. Numerous highly toxic substances are routinely used; clinical decisions often mean health workers come into contact with latest-generation drugs whose secondary effects are not yet fully known; they may have to execute procedures using different chemicals at the same time, as often happens in therapy or surgery. We studied two provincial hospitals in order to make a preliminary risk assessment, using an algorithm model. The chemical risk in the environments analyzed was mainly moderate, though some specific settings call for closer attention. Certain at-risk conditions can be solved by simple procedural changes, but others need to be tackled with a view to residual risk management. Some critical points came to light, linked to the algorithm employed, which need further examination to fit the model better to this particular context.

[Health risk caused by exposure to low-dose chemical agents at research laboratories]. / Rischio per la salute da esposizione ad agenti chimici a basse dosi nei laboratori di ricerca.

In literature there are many works on the exposure to organic solvents and its risk. In research laboratories the risk valuation is really problematic due to different variables such as low dose, multiple exposure to substances with different characteristic of hazardous. We analyzed the blood exams of workers of seven biomedical research laboratories for finding a correlation between exposition and the variability of some parameters.

[Occupational exposure to endocrine disruptors: state of the art]. / Esposizione professionale a distruttori endocrini: stato dell'arte.

Research into how exposure to "endocrine disrupters chemicals" affects human health is attracting increasing attention among European and international scientists since these contaminants are so widespread in the home and work environment and can have far-reaching effects on mental and physical health. Here we draw a general picture of studies to date on specific occupational exposures to single chemicals such as bisphenol A, styrene, etc., or homogeneous groups such as pesticides, metals, dioxins, phthalates and others. Although the exposure occurs in different ways, the toxic mechanisms of action vary widely, and it is hard to establish precisely the conditions of occupational exposure, significant correlations are nevertheless evident between the potential dose and its effects and further studies are certainly needed. There is still much debate on the epidemiological methods employed, which may overestimate exposure. The "measure" or at least an accurate description of exposure conditions is critical to the whole question and attempts to ensure this involve standardized procedures and statistical tests as the basis for a protocol for assessing the risk of occupational exposure. Investigations to date have focused on the effects on the reproductive system, in males in particular. However, considering the broad range of equilibria and systems on which endocrine destructive compounds can act, the international scientific community needs to persist in its efforts to develop methods for checking the effects on other endocrine organs--particularly the thyroid gland--and on the immune and neurological systems.