title: Immune parameters in female workers exposed to urban pollutants.
abstract: Urban outside workers, such as traffic police, are daily exposed to air pollutants and psychosocial stressors: for these workers, the working environment corresponds to the living environment of the general population. Studies in the literature have shown that immune parameters could be affected by chronic exposure to various chemical pollutants. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether occupational exposure to urban pollutants can cause alterations in NK, IL-2, IFN-gamma and C3 plasma levels in female traffic police compared to a control group. After excluding subjects with the principal confounding factors, 86 female traffic police and 87 controls were matched by age, years of police work and habitual alcohol consumption. The distribution of NK values in female traffic police and controls was significantly different (p=0.000); NK values above the upper limit of the normal laboratory range were observed in 23 female traffic police and in 2 controls (p=0.000). IL-2 mean levels were higher in traffic police compared to controls, but the difference was not significant. The mean and the distribution of IFN-gamma values in female traffic police and controls were not different. C3 mean levels were higher in female traffic police versus controls, but the difference was not significant. Considering that the subjects with the principal confounding factors were excluded from the study and that female traffic police and controls were matched by the above-mentioned variables, our results suggest that chronic occupational exposure to low doses of chemical stressors, which may interact with and add to psychosocial ones, can affect both innate and adaptative immunity.
authors.affiliation: University of Rome La Sapienza, Department of Occupational Medicine, Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciarrocca
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomei
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernardini
authors.forename: Assuntina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capozzella
authors.forename: Pina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fiore
authors.forename: Vittoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Amicarelli
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sancini
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perugi
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Firullo
authors.forename: Maria Valeria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Rosati
authors.forename: Benedetta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pimpinella
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tomei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000187:drug effects*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D007558:Italy; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D016495:Police; D014507:Urbanization
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D003176:Complement C3; D007376:Interleukin-2; D007371:Interferon-gamma