Occupational Exposure to Urban Air Pollution and Allergic Diseases.
Exposure to air pollution is associated with increased morbidity from cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer, respiratory and allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate allergic diseases in 111 traffic wardens compared to a control group of 101 administrative employees. All participating subjects underwent a physical examination, in which a complete medical history was taken and a dedicated allergological questionnaire administered. Spirometry, Specific IgE dosage (RAST) and skin prick tests (SPT) were done. Diagnostic investigations such as the nasal cytology, a specific nasal provocation test and rhinomanometry were also performed. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 11. The percentage of subjects with a diagnosis of allergy was higher in the exposed workers than in the controls. As regards the clinical tests, the positivity was higher for the group of exposed subjects. Among the exposed workers, those who worked on foot or motorcycle had a higher positivity in clinical trials compared to the traffic wardens who used the car. Our study showed a higher percentage of allergic subjects in the group of workers exposed to outdoor pollutants than in the controls. These results suggest that allergological tests should be included in the health surveillance protocols for workers exposed to outdoor pollutants.
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy. luigi.vimercati@uniba.it.
Luigi
L
Vimercati
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy. mariafranca.gatti@gmail.com.
Maria Franca
MF
Gatti
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy. antonio.baldassarre@uniba.it.
Antonio
A
Baldassarre
Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy. ambulatorio.allergologia@uniba.it.
Eustachio
E
Nettis
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy. docfavia@virgilio.it.
Nicola
N
Favia
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy. marcopalma3@gmail.com.
Marco
M
Palma
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy. gabriellalm.martina@gmail.com.
Gabriella Lucia Maria
GL
Martina
Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy. elisabettadl@alice.it.
Elisabetta
E
Di Leo
Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy. marina.musti@uniba.it.
Marina
M
Musti
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016495:Police / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012882:Skin Tests; D013147:Spirometry; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000633:toxicity*
D001335:Vehicle Emissions
allergic sensitization; health surveillance; urban pollution