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Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

^‡Authors contributed equally

Carla Loreto^‡

Human Anatomy & Histology, Department of Biomedical & Biotechnology Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

^‡Authors contributed equally

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Sergio Castorina

Human Anatomy & Histology, Department of Biomedical & Biotechnology Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

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Gaetano Romano

Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

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Sebastiano Fabio Garozzo

Clinical Pathology Unit, ‘Garibaldi Centro’ Hospital of Catania, Italy

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Andrea Musumeci

Radiology Unit, ‘Policlinico G. Rodolico’ Universitary Hospital of Catania, Catania, Italy

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Marcello Migliore

Academic Thoracic Surgery Unit, University Hospital ‘Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele’, Department of Surgery, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

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Roberto Avola

Biochemistry, Department of Biomedical Sciences & Biotechnology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

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Diana Cinà

Clinical Pathology Unit, ‘Garibaldi Centro’ Hospital of Catania, Italy

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Cristoforo Pomara

Legal Medicine, Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy

School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, University of Malta, Msida, Malta

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Caterina Ledda

*Author for correspondence:

E-mail Address: cledda@unict.it

Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

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Published Online:17 Apr 2018https://doi.org/10.2217/fon-2017-0389

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Abstract

An environmental contamination due to an asbestiform mineral fiber, fluoro-edenite (FE), caused a significantly increased mortality rate for malignant mesothelioma in Biancavilla, Italy. Exposure to fluoro-edenite has been associated with inflammatory processes as an early response to inhaled fibers. The aim was to explore prevalence of anti-nuclear autoantibodies (ANA) in a group of construction workers residing and working in the contaminated area. Prevalences for samples positive to ANA were 60% (n = 9) and 13% (n = 2), for exposed and nonexposed, respectively (p-value <0.05), the odds ratio was 9.75 (95% CI: 1.59–59.69). The significance of elevated ANAs in subjects exposed to fibers is unknown; additional studies may provide a better opportunity to establish a correlation between autoimmunity and environmental exposure.

Keywords:

References

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Vol. 14, No. 6s

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History

Received 4 August 2017

Accepted 31 October 2017

Published online 17 April 2018

Published in print March 2018

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Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

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Occupational exposure to fluoro-edenite and prevalence of anti-nuclear autoantibodies

Abstract

References