title: Non-occupational exposure to heavy metals of the residents of an industrial area and biomonitoring.
abstract: In areas at high environmental risk, a major issue is the assessment of the exposure of the general population to industrial pollutants. To date, few studies have investigated exposure to heavy metals in a population residing in a high risk environmental area. The aim of this study is to evaluate the exposure to heavy metals in the industrial area of Taranto, Southern Italy, through biological monitoring techniques. We measured the levels of inorganic arsenic and methylated metabolites, lead, cadmium, chromium, and manganese in the urine samples of 279 subjects residing in Taranto and neighboring areas. After obtaining informed consent from each participant, qualified health staff administered a standardized structured questionnaire investigating lifestyle habits and assessing any confounding factors. The biological monitoring data showed high urinary concentrations of nearly all of the heavy metals investigated. These findings could be related to the presence of industrial plants and is sufficient to warrant the expectation that local and national institutions should be required to adopt preventive measures to reduce the environmental exposure of the general population to heavy metals.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, 70124, Bari, Italy. luigi.vimercati@uniba.it.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4072-2871
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vimercati
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baldassarre
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Gatti
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gagliardi
authors.affiliation: ARPA PUGLIA, Environmental Protection Agency of Apulia, Corso Trieste 27, 70126, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Serinelli
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Maria
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caputi
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine "B. Ramazzini", University of Bari Medical School, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Angelica A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Dirodi
authors.affiliation: ARPA PUGLIA, Environmental Protection Agency of Apulia, Corso Trieste 27, 70126, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Ida
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Galise
authors.affiliation: Health Local Unit of Barletta-Andria-Trani, 76121, Barletta, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cuccaro
authors.affiliation: ARPA PUGLIA, Environmental Protection Agency of Apulia, Corso Trieste 27, 70126, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Assennato
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001151:Arsenic / Q000652:urine*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000652:urine*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Biological monitoring; Environmental exposure; Heavy metals; Polluted area; Resident population