Occupational and environmental medicine
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To better understand the relations between occupational exposure, blood antioxidant enzyme activities, total plasma antioxidant concentration, and the severity of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP). ⋯ These results are in good agreement with the hypothesis that production of reactive oxygen species may be an important event in the exposure to coal mine dusts and the severity of CWP. Erythrocyte catalase and Cu++/Zn++ SOD activities are more closely related to recent exposure to high dust concentrations than to cumulative exposure, and could be considered as biological markers of exposure rather than as markers of early adverse biological effect.
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To assess the short term effect of concentrations of black smoke, sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) in ambient air on emergency room visits for asthma in the city of Valencia, Spain during the period 1994-5. ⋯ Current concentrations of ambient air pollution in Valencia are significantly associated with emergency room visits for asthma. This association is high and more consistent for NO2 and O3 than for particulate matter and SO2 (classic pollutants).