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In 1991, the implementation of the new programme for education and training in Medicine and Surgery has introduced the teaching of Occupational Medicine (OM) as a compulsory subject for all medical students. After two decades from that event and in conjunction with the implementation of the new academic departments introduced by the law 240/2010, the aim of the present study was to address the current status and the main characteristics of education and training, including clinical activities, in OM in Italian Universities and to update the information on the related academic human resources available. A questionnaire was developed to investigate the different features of the academic staff belonging to the area of OM (SSD MED/44), and to evaluate the organization of teaching and the clinical activities performed by the Occupational Medicine sections. The results showed that among the 40 Italian universities with a degree course in Medicine and Surgery, 67% of them have at least one full professor, 72% one associate professor and 78% one assistant professor belonging to the area of OM. Nevertheless, a steady decrease in the number of academic staff is observed with time, which caused a lack of presence of the discipline in some universities. In most degree courses in Medicine and Surgery the teaching of OM is usually included in an integrated course together with other disciplines such as General and Applied Hygiene and/or Forensic and Legal Medicine. Within the integrated course the number of University Education & Training Credits (CFU, corresponding to approx. 25 hrs of teaching overall) assigned to OM is generally between 2 and 3 (61% of cases). The teaching of OM is also present in eight different master degree courses (MSc) and in 33 different triennial degree courses (BSc). To support the teaching clinical activities, such as workers' health surveillance, laboratories, ambulatories, and DH or inpatient activities are performed, in one or more of these forms, by almost all of the OM institutions. The findings of this study, despite being subject to change rapidly with time, still provide an invaluable set of information and should represent, therefore, a rational basis for planning the future recruitment of academic staff and for updating the contents and methodologies of graduate education and training in Occupational Medicine in Italian universities.

Background: Our primary endpoint was to use nasal cytology to compare woodworkers with unexposed subjects to see if wood dust exposure correlates with specific patterns of inflammatory or infectious rhinitis. A secondary endpoint was to identify any differences in the exposed group's nasal symptoms or nasal cytology by years of exposure or personal exposure levels. Methods: Ninety-two woodworkers and 90 controls were assessed using a questionnaire and nasal cytology (on nasal mucosa obtained by scraping). Wood dust exposure was investigated using personal sampling methods. Results: Woodworkers reported significantly more nasal symptoms than controls (p < 0.00001). The woodworkers' nasal smears revealed more neutrophils (p = 0.001) and significantly higher mean neutrophil scores (p = 0.001) than control smears. Lymphocytes were also found more often in the woodworkers' rhinocytograms (statistical trend, p = 0.06). Neutrophilic rhinitis was diagnosed more frequently in the exposed workers than in controls (chi-square = 5.97, p < 0.05). Woodworkers with lymphocytes in their nasal smears had been exposed to wood dust for longer periods of time (statistical trend; p = 0.06). No differences in nasal symptoms or cell counts emerged when woodworkers were stratified by levels of personal exposure. Conclusion: Nasal cytology should be further investigated in woodworkers before considering it a screening method for identifying woodworkers with chronic inflammatory rhinitis.

Occupational exposure limits and guideline values for the general population proposed for benzene by several international bodies are discussed and compared with the Italian and EU occupational limit values, taking also into account the criteria used for their derivation. Benzene is an environmental pollutant, and the EU guideline value for ambient air is 5 microg/m3, based on carcinogenic risk. Presently, occupational exposures are greatly reduced, and in many instances close to those of the general population. Consequently, it does not seem to be appropriate to maintain the Italian and the EU occupational exposure limits of 1 ppm (3.2 mg/m3), which are inconsistent with the ALARA principle and not justified by technological constraints. It should be pointed out that, in any case, preventive interventions should be carried out, beyond the compliance with the established limit values, in order to ensure the lowest exposure and by carrying out biological monitoring as a tool to verify the appropriateness of risk management measures.

The presence of chemical agents in construction is certainly relevant in terms of quality, quantity and toxicity. Their manipulation can result in potential exposure as inhaled and/or through the skin. It is therefore possible and necessary to identify a list of substances to be considered relevant for the risk assessment and the possible environmental monitoring to verify the adequacy of the estimate made. The many variables inherent in construction make it extremely difficult to apply the usual methods of the industrial hygiene because it would not very significant conclusions in terms of space-time representation. SIMLII in one of its guidelines have proposed a "indexes" method that can provide useful information to the figures of prevention for the actions of their competence. The subsequent introduction of the REACH Regulation and exposure scenarios may help to further sharpening the assessment of chemical hazards in construction.

After emphasizing the characteristics of the sector and the difficulty of applying traditional industrial hygiene methods for assessing exposure to chemical agents in the construction industry, we have reviewed the major experiences of environmental and biological monitoring that can be derived from the literature. Although the determination of exposure through environmental measures should be considered the most appropriate instrument, it should be paid for the study of specific activities, while it is preferable in many situations the use of simplified tools (such as algorithms and databases) that allow the risk estimation and enable the adoption of safe work procedures and environmental and individual protection devices.

The present research investigates the occurrence of hyaline droplet (HD) accumulation related to age, dose and time after treatment in male Wistar rats given a single i.p. injection of hexachloro-1:3-butadiene (HCBD). In the study on age, rats from 1 to 12 months of age were treated with 100 mg kg(-1) body weight (b.w.) HCBD dose. Rats treated at 2 months of age showed a greater accumulation of HD than the other age groups; HD accumulation was not observed in 1-month-old rats. In the dose-response study, the treatment with 25, 50 and 100 mg kg(-1) b.w. at 2 months of age caused HD accumulation in the proximal convoluted tubule at all doses, with the 100 mg kg(-1) b.w. group slightly more affected. Finally, in the time-course study, rats treated with a 100 mg kg(-1) b.w. dose at 2 months of age and sacrificed at 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h post-dosing showed a time-related HD accumulation in terms of incidence and severity, after 6 h, with a peak at 24 and 48 h and decreasing at 72 and 96 h. The present results show that HD accumulation is an early finding, and is unrelated to dose level and particularly evident in rats of 2 month of age. These findings in male rats treated with HCBD emphasize the importance of considering the age of rats at the start of a study. The more sensitive model was used in the detection of nephrotoxic effects of chemicals.