title: Environmental and biological monitoring of arsenic in outdoor workers exposed to urban air pollutants.
abstract: The aim of this study is to evaluate personal exposure to As in urban air in two groups of outdoor workers (traffic policemen and police drivers) of a big Italian city through: (a) environmental monitoring of As obtained by personal samples and (b) biological monitoring of total urinary As. The possible influence of smoking habit on urinary As was evaluated. We studied 122 male subjects, all Municipal Police employees: 84 traffic policemen and 38 police drivers exposed to urban pollutants. Personal exposure to As in air was significantly higher in traffic policemen than in police drivers (p=0.03). Mean age, length of service, alcohol drinking habit, number of cigarettes smoked/day and BMI were comparable between the groups of subjects studied. All subjects were working in the same urban area where they had lived for at least 5 yrs. Dietary habits and consumption of water from the water supply and/or mineral water were similar in traffic policemen and in police drivers. The values of total urinary As were significantly higher in traffic policemen (smokers and non smokers) than in police drivers (smokers and non smokers) (p=0.02). In the subgroup of non-smokers the values of total urinary As were significantly higher in traffic policemen than in police drivers (p=0.03). In traffic policemen and in police drivers total urinary As values were significantly correlated to the values of As in air (respectively r=0.9 and r=0.8, p<0.001). This is the first research in literature studying the exposure to As in outdoor workers occupationally exposed to urban pollutants, such as traffic policemen and police drivers. Personal exposure to As in the air, as well as the urinary excretion of As, is significantly higher in traffic policemen compared to drivers. These results can provide information about exposure to As in streets and in car for other categories of outdoor workers similarly exposed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 336, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciarrocca
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tomei
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Palermo
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Caciari
authors.forename: Carlotta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cetica
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiaschetti
authors.forename: Pier Agostino
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gioffrè
authors.forename: Zaira
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tasciotti
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomei
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sancini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000388:Air / Q000032:analysis*; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis / Q000652:urine*; D001151:Arsenic / Q000652:urine*; D002947:Cities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016495:Police / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D001151:Arsenic