[Acute effects of environmental pollution on the urban vigilants airways].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the acute exposure to air pollution, in a group of policemen of Padua, is correlated with increased inflammatory biomarkers (exhaled nitric oxide, feNO) and alterations of bronchiolar cells (assessed by CC16 Clara cell-specific protein).


METHODS
We studied 44 healthy, non-smokers divided in exposed to traffic and controls (office workers). Before and after the Monday shift serum and urinary concentration of CC16, feNo and spirometry were measured in each subject. Data on air pollutants, PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, O3 were collected from official bulletin online (ARPAV).


RESULTS
In exposed policemen serum CC16 decreased after shift (before 4.6 +/- 0.2 vs after 6.4 +/- 0.8 ng/ml, = 0.02), while feNO increased significantly (33.2 +/- 4.4 vs 29.7 +/- 3.9 ppb, p = 0.02). feNO cross-shift changes were positively correlated with environmental SO2 levels (rho = 0.48; p = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that in healthy and nonsmokers subjects the exposure to air pollution is associated with subclinical airway inflammation and decrease of bronchiolar epithelium function.
Guarnieri
G
G
Dipartimento di Medicina Ambientale e Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Padova, Via Giustiniani, 2, 35128 Padova. gabriella.guarnieri@unipd.it
Lodde
V
V
Ferrazzoni
S
S
Bordini
A
A
Venturini
R
R
Zaninotto
M
M
Clonfero
E
E
Maestrelli
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001980:Bronchi / Q000473:pathology; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016495:Police; D014505:Urban Population; D014598:Uteroglobin / Q000145:classification
D015415:Biomarkers; C556389:SCGB1A1 protein, human; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D014598:Uteroglobin