title: Monitoring air pollution effects on children for supporting public health policy: the protocol of the prospective cohort MAPEC study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Genotoxic biomarkers have been studied largely in adult population, but few studies so far have investigated them in children exposed to air pollution. Children are a high-risk group as regards the health effects of air pollution and some studies suggest that early exposure during childhood can play an important role in the development of chronic diseases in adulthood. The objective of the project is to evaluate the associations between the concentration of urban air pollutants and biomarkers of early biological effect in children, and to propose a model for estimating the global risk of early biological effects due to air pollutants and other factors in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two biomarkers of early biological effects, DNA damage by the comet assay and the micronuclei (MN) test, will be investigated in oral mucosa cells of 6-8-year-old children. Concurrently, some toxic airborne pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and nitro-PAH) and in vitro air mutagenicity and toxicity in ultra-fine air particulates (PM0.5) will be evaluated. Furthermore, demographic and socioeconomic variables, other sources of exposures to air pollutants and lifestyle variables will be assessed by a structured questionnaire. The associations between sociodemographic, environmental and other exposure variables and biomarkers of early biological effect using univariate and multivariate models will be analysed. A tentative model for calculating the global absolute risk of having early biological effects caused by air pollution and other variables will be proposed.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The project has been approved by the Ethics Committees of the local Health Authorities. The results will be communicated to local Public Health Agencies, for supporting educational programmes and health policy strategies. LIFE+2012 Environment Policy and Governance. LIFE12 ENV/IT/000614.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Feretti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ceretti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Donno
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carducci
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonetta
authors.affiliation: Comune di Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Marrese
authors.affiliation: Centro Servizi Multisettoriale e Tecnologico-CSMT Gestione S.c.a.r.l., Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Covolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bagordo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Villarini
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verani
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schilirò
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Limina
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grassi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monarca
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Research, N.T.M.S., University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Casini
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carraro
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zani
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mazzoleni
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Levaggi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gelatti
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011634:Public Health
keywords: DNA damage; PUBLIC HEALTH; air pollution; children; early biological effect; mucosa buccal cells