title: Urban pollution and nickel concentration in serum.
abstract: The study's objective has been to evaluate whether urban pollution, here nickel compounds and metallic nickel (Ni) are present, could determine serum concentrations of the above mentioned metal. Out of a population of 394 Municipal Police employees, subjects with main confounding factors were eliminated. The remaining subjects were made comparable for sex, age, and length of employment. Thus, 160 subjects were included in the study: 80 traffic policemen (42 men and 38 women) with outdoor activity exposed to urban pollutants in a direct way, and 80 administrative workers (42 men and 38 women) with indoor unexposed activity. The results obtained in the studied population demonstrate that in traffic policemen the serum levels of Ni are more elevated than those in administrative workers; both in male and female workers. The authors hypothesise that the presence of Ni as fuel additive in lead free fuels and as catalyser in catalytic exhausts, which have been obligatory in Italy in new cars for the last 10 years, could be one of the causes for the increased serum levels of the above mentioned metal in traffic policemen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Medicine, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Viale Regina Elena 336 00161, Rome, Italy. francesco.tomei@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomei
authors.forename: Maria Valeria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Rosati
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciarrocca
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Marchetti
authors.forename: Tiziana Paola
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Baccolo
authors.forename: Vincenza
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Anzelmo
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tomao
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel; D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009532:Nickel / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D016495:Police; D014505:Urban Population; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D009532:Nickel