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Following publication of the original article [1], the typesetters have missed to add the below listed study group author names in XML in author group section. The study group authors have been added to the author group and are presented correctly in this correction article. A minor change has been made to the electronic supplementary files by removing the yellow highlights and included in this correction. Study Group Authors: Andrea Festa1 Gaia Claudia Viviana Viola1 Ilaria Zerbini1 Cristina Fatigoni2 Sara Levorato2 Silvano Monarca2 Tania Salvatori2 Samuele Vannini2 Gabriele Donzelli3 Francesco Bagordo4 Mattia De Giorgi4 Marcello Guido4 Alessandra Panico4 Francesca Serio4 Maria Rosaria Tumolo4 Silvia Bonetta5 Marta Gea5 Giorgio Gilli5 Cristina Pignata5 Tiziana Schilirò5 Valeria Romanazzi5 Camilla Furia6 Beatrice Bruni7 Beatrice Casini7 Study Group Author Affiliations: 1Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, 11 Viale Europa, 25123 Brescia, Italy 2Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Unit of Public Health, University of Perugia, Via del Giochetto, 06122 Perugia, Italy 3Department of Biology, University of Pisa, 35/39 Via S. Zeno, 56127 Pisa, Italy 4Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, 165 Via Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy 5Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, 94 Piazza Polonia, 10126 Turin, Italy 6Brescia Municipality, 1 Piazza Repubblica, 25100 Brescia, Italy 7Department of Translational Research, N.T.M.S., University of Pisa, 35/39 Via S. Zeno, 56127 Pisa, Italy Author details 1 Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Science and Public Health, University of Brescia, 11 Viale Europa, 25123 Brescia, Italy. 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Unit of Public Health, University of Perugia, Via del Giochetto, 06122 Perugia, Italy. 3 Department of Biology, University of Pisa, 35/39 Via S. Zeno, 56127 Pisa, Italy. 4 Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, 165 Via Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy. 5 Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, 94 Piazza Polonia, 10126 Turin, Italy. 6 Multi-sector and Technological Service Centre - CSMT Gestione S.c.a.r.l, 45 Via Branze, 25123 Brescia, Italy. 7 Brescia Municipality, 1 Piazza Repubblica, 25100 Brescia, Italy. 8 Department of Statistic, Computer Science, Applications, University of Florence, 59 Viale Morgagni, 50134 Florence, Italy.

Introduction 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 and analysis 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. Ethics and dissemination 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.

The MAPEC-Life project aims to study the biological effects of early exposure to air pollutants on the oral mucosa cells of school-age children in five Italian cities. A questionnaire was created to evaluate the association between outdoor and indoor airborne pollutants, lifestyle, diet and biomarker effects. The feasibility and reliability of the questionnaire were evaluated.

The MAPEC-Life project aims to study the biological effects of early exposure to air pollutants on the oral mucosa cells of school-age children in five Italian cities. A questionnaire was created to evaluate the association between outdoor and indoor airborne pollutants, lifestyle, diet and biomarker effects. The feasibility and reliability of the questionnaire were evaluated.A questionnaire was drawn up to be filled in by the parents of 6-8-year-old children. It consisted of 148 questions on the children's health, physical activity, environmental exposures and the frequency of food consumption at the main meals. First we conducted a questionnaire feasibility study involving 53 volunteer parents. We then performed a reliability study by administering the questionnaire to a further 156 parents and again one month later (test/retest method). The correlations between answers at the first and second administration of the questionnaire were evaluated using the Kappa statistic and Spearman's coefficient.After verifying the feasibility of the questionnaire, we conducted a reliability analysis on 132 completed questionnaires. The percentage of agreement between the first and the second responses given was over 70%, all K values being greater than 0.6. The analysis of calories and macronutrients also showed good agreement.The questionnaire drawn up for the study proved to be sufficiently reliable for gathering information about the factors of interest in our study of the relationship between air pollution and early biological effects in children.

Air pollutants, especially PM, have been found to determine various effects on human health, including genotoxic effects. The aim of this study was to assess DNA damage with micronuclei (MN) and comet tests on buccal cells of 6–8 years old children living in an area with high air pollution. Both tests were repeated in the same children in two consecutive winters to compare the levels of DNA damage under different pollution conditions. A complete data set including lifestyle, air pollutants levels and biological sampling was available for 180 children in the two winters. A high mean MN frequency was found in both seasons, with higher value in the first (0.51 ± 0.59) than the second winter (0.40 ± 0.52), whereas DNA damage measured with comet test showed higher damage in the second versus the first winter (visual score 208.8 ± 67.1 vs. 173.2 ± 50.8). The associations between air pollutant levels (CO, NO2, SO2, benzene, O3, PM10, and PM2.5, PM0.5 and PAHs) and DNA damage were investigated at different lag times, and mainly, no significant association was found. This study on repeated measure of MN frequency and DNA damage in children’s buccal did not show an association with various air pollutants evaluated in an area with high levels of air pollution.

Background Recent data support the hypothesis that genetic damage occurring early in life during childhood can play an important role in the development of chronic diseases in adulthood, including cancer. Objectives The objective of this paper, part of the MAPEC_LIFE project, is to describe the frequency of micronuclei and meta-nuclear alterations in exfoliated buccal cells of 6–8year-old Italian children recruited in five Italian towns (i.e., Brescia, Torino, Pisa, Perugia and Lecce) with different air pollution levels. Methods About 200 children per town were recruited from primary schools. Biological samples were collected twice from the same children, in two different seasons (winter 2014-15 and late spring 2015). Cytogenetic damage was evaluated by the buccal micronucleus cytome assay. Results Overall,n = 1046 children represent the final cohort of the MAPEC_LIFE study. On the whole, the results showed a higher mean MN frequency in winter (0.42 ± 0.54‰) than late-spring (0.22 ± 0.34‰). MN frequency observed among the five Italian towns showed a trend that follows broadly the levels of air pollution in Italy: the highest MN frequency was observed in Brescia during both seasons, the lowest in Lecce (winter) and Perugia (late-spring). Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, the number of recruited children included in the analysis (n = 1046) is the highest compared to previous studies evaluating the frequency of MN in exfoliated buccal cells so far. MN frequency was associated with winter season and living in towns at various levels of air pollution, suggesting an important role of this exposure in determining early cytogenetic effects.

The aim of the MAPEC_LIFE (Monitoring Air Pollution Effects on Children for Supporting Public Health Policy) study is to evaluate the associations between the concentrations of air pollutants and early biological effects in children living in five Italian towns (Brescia, Torino, Lecce, Perugia and Pisa) characterised by varying levels of air pollution. This paper presents the results of micronucleus cytome assays performed on the oral mucosa cells of subjects living in Lecce (Puglia, Italy) and their relationship to factors associated with indoor/outdoor exposure and lifestyles. The study was conducted on 6-8-year-old schoolchildren living in Lecce. The micronucleus cytome assay was performed on exfoliated buccal cells collected from the oral mucosa of children using a soft-bristled toothbrush. Micronuclei were evaluated only in normal differentiated cells. Overall, 43.0% of the samples tested were positive, with an average frequency of 0.28 MN/1000 differentiated cells. Data analysis shows positive associations between the frequency of MN in the children’s buccal mucosa cells and obesity, heavy traffic and smoking mothers, while outdoor sports seem to have the opposite effect. These data will be integrated with data from the other cities involved in the MAPEC_LIFE study and could be used