Documents Leso, Veruscka 3 results

"Objectives
The widespread application of nano-enabled products and the increasing likelihood for workplace exposures make understanding engineered nanomaterial (ENM) effects in exposed workers a public and occupational health priority. The aim of this study was to report on the current state of knowledge on possible adverse effects induced by ENM in humans to determine the toxicological profile of each type of ENM and potential biomarkers for early detection of such effects in workers.
Methods
A systematic review of human studies and epidemiological investigations of exposed workers relative to the possible adverse effects for the most widely used ENM was performed through searches of major scientific databases including Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed.
Results
Twenty-seven studies were identified. Most of the epidemiological investigations were cross-sectional. The review found limited evidence of adverse effects in workers exposed to the most commonly used ENM. However, some biological alterations are suggestive for possible adverse impacts. The primary targets of some ENM exposures were the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Changes in biomarker levels compared with controls were also observed; however, limited exposure data and the relatively short period since the first exposure may have influenced the incidence of adverse effects found in epidemiological studies.
Conclusions
There is a need for longitudinal epidemiologic investigations with clear exposure characterizations for various ENM to discover potential adverse health effects and identify possible indicators of early biological alterations. In this state of uncertainty, precautionary controls for each ENM are warranted while further study of potential health effects continues."

"In the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the definition of risk factors for susceptibility to adverse outcomes seems essential to support public and occupational health policies. Some specific issues need to be addressed to understand vulnerability in occupational settings. Among these, individual factors, e.g., age, sex, and preexisting comorbidities (hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, cancer), that can predispose individuals to more severe outcomes and post-COVID-19 symptoms that may represent conditions of acquired susceptibility, possibly impacting the return to—and fitness for—work. Additionally, the risk of contracting COVID-19 through work should be addressed, considering the probability of being in contact with infected people, physical proximity to others, and social aggregation during work. Occupational health settings may represent appropriate scenarios for the early identification of vulnerable subjects, with the final aim to guide risk assessment and management procedures. These should include the systematic surveillance of work-related risk factors, collective preventive policies, stringent actions for specific groups of workers, decisions on occupational placement of employees, and health promotion activities. Concerted actions of general practitioners, hospital specialists, occupational physicians, and all the stakeholders involved in the occupational health and safety management should be focused on planning suitable preventive measures for susceptible subjects,"

"he high toxicity of antineoplastic drugs (ADs) makes them dangerous not only for patients, but also for exposed workers. Therefore, the aim of this review was to provide an updated overview of the biological monitoring of occupational AD exposure in order to extrapolate information useful to improve risk assessment and management strategies in workplaces. Several studies demonstrated that remarkable portions of healthcare workers may have traces of these substances or their metabolites in biological fluids, although with some conflicting results. Nurses, directly engaged in AD handling, were the occupational category at higher risk of contamination, although, in some cases, personnel not involved in AD-related tasks also showed quantifiable internal doses. Overall, further research carried out on greater sample sizes appears necessary to gain deeper insight into the variability retrieved in the reported results. This may be important to understand the impact of the extent of ADs use, different handling, procedures, and cleaning practices, spill occurrence, training of the workforce, as well as the adoption of adequate collective and personal protective equipment in affecting the occupational exposure levels. This may support the achievement of the greatest clinical efficiency of such therapies while assuring the health and safety of involved workers"