Occupational Exposure to Urban Air Pollution and Allergic Diseases

Luigi Vimercati, Maria Franca Gatti, Antonio Baldassarre, Eustachio Nettis, Nicola Favia, Marco Palma, Gabriella Lucia Maria Martina, Elisabetta Di Leo and Marina Musti
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Luigi Vimercati: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine “B. Ramazzini”, University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy
Maria Franca Gatti: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine “B. Ramazzini”, University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy
Antonio Baldassarre: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine “B. Ramazzini”, University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy
Eustachio Nettis: Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy
Nicola Favia: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine “B. Ramazzini”, University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy
Marco Palma: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine “B. Ramazzini”, University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy
Gabriella Lucia Maria Martina: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine “B. Ramazzini”, University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy
Elisabetta Di Leo: Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy
Marina Musti: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine “B. Ramazzini”, University of Bari Medical School, Bari 70124, Italy

IJERPH, 2015, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-11

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: urban pollution; allergic sensitization; health surveillance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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