Document re9wb50mXY85a8BQv18BNR02r

CLINICA DEL LAVORO "LUIGI DEVOTO" Dir et t o r e Pr o f . ENRICO C. YfGLIANI Dr. Robert Kehoe Director. Department of Preventive Medicine and Industrial Health University of Cincinnati Kettering Laboratory - College of Medicine Eden Avenue, Cincinnati Ohio 45219, U.S.A, mil a n o 10th Aprils 1967 VIA S. BA3.NAEA, 8 57.60.91 - 33.16.10 ECV/kw - Prot. 941 Dear Dr. Kehoe, Remembering the visit to the Clinica del Lavoro of Mr. Don Fowler, project manager of the International Lead Zinc Research Organisation, I wrote to him, asking whether he would be interested in our studies on the atmospheric lead pollution in the Milan area and on normal lead in the inhabitants of Milan. He replied a few days ago that we was very interested in our study and thought it might perhaps be possible to let us carry out the same research work on lead that is now under way in six American cities. He said he would consider this problem and talk with several people before making any decision. As a result of this letter, I -sent Mr. Fowler a short account of the lead analyses we have carried out in the last few years in Milan. I thought you might be interested in our results so I am sending you a copy of this account as well. If you think it would be worthwhile carrying out our research work in a more complete gnd systematic way, and if you think it would be an advantage to have a European city included in the study now under way in the U.S. cities, I would be indeed grateful to you if you could give your favourable support to the possibility of having Milan included in the so-called "normal lead" study. I am very anxious to hear your views on our results, if you have any suggestions which would help us, please do not hesitate to let me lenow. It was really a pleasure to see you and Mrs. Kehoe in San Francisco; after the meeting we had a delightful week in Hawaii. Luisa joins me in sending you and Mrs, Kehoe our very best regards. r Your" --------1" Prof. Enrico C. Vigliahi UNIVERSITA DEG'LI STUD! ISTITUTI CLINICI DI PERFEZIONAMENTO CLINICA DEL LAVORO "LUIGI DEVOID" - Dir h t t o r e Pr o f . ENRICO C. VIGLIANI t MILANO VIA S. BARNABA, 8 3rd ikpriij i9^7 57,60.91 - 58,16.10 J Research work carried out up to date by the Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology Laboratory of the Clinica del Lavoro, Mifljan, on the atmospheric lead pollution and on normal lead of the inhabitants of Milan. 1) Lead in the atmosphere of the City of Milan All samples of air were taken in the middle of the streets and cross-roads with heavy traffic, one metre above street level, at different hours of the day and on different days during the whole year. The results are given in Table 1: TABLE 1 - Lead in the atmosphere of some streets in Milan Site Cavour Square, corner Senato Street S. Sofia Street, corner Rome Street S. Babila Square Oberdan Square Visconti di Modrone Street, corner Monforte Street Cuomo Square, comer Mercanti Street La Scala Square, corner Mansoni Street Baracca Square Turati Street Magenta Street, corner Carducci Street No. of analyses Pb fg/m3 Mean Max. 3 19.20 21.8 5 14.20 18.4 4 12.80 19.4 4 20.00 35.6 4 9.00 14.0 5 29.58 36.8 3 16.00 18.2 4 11.22 14-5 4 11.00 13.2 3 26.25 29.8 Min. 16.5 11.3 6.9 7.6 5.5 21.3 12.4 9.1 9.7 19.0 KF 0019560 N20207.01 A DEL LAVORO "LUIGI DEVOTO" a'sg-ys rcgf/o W. 2 For comparison, several air samples were taken outside the windows of the Clinica del Lavoro and of the Institute of Hygiene of the Province of Milan, 10 metres above & small garden, at a distance of 30-40 metres from any street, these samples were taken daring winter only, when thermal inversion and fog are frequent in Milan. The results obtained are shown in Table 2: TABLE 2 - Lead in the atmosphere near the Clinica del Lavoro and the Provincial Institute of Hygiene, Milan Site No. of Pb ^g/m3 analyses Mean Max. Min. Clinica del Lavoro (40 m. from S. Bamaba Street) Institute if Hygiene (30 m. from Juvara Street)* 30 - 4.10 7.1 4.65 - 2.8 * Samples taken and analysed by the Institute of Hygienej number of samples not known. 2) Lead in food and beverages Up to the present, 260 lead analyses have been performed on 62 samples of food and 48 analyses have been performed on 24 samples of beverages, all purchased on the Milan market. The average lead content is given in Table 3s TABLE 3 - Lead in food consumed in Milan, inicrogrammes/kilogramme No. of No. of samples analyses Food Pb jig/kg Mean Max. 36 Cereals & cereal products: bread, pasta, wheat flour, maize flour, rice, biscuits, barley, rye 940 1095 4 Potatoes 220 230 9 34 Meat: beef, pork, lamb, chicken 300 315 Min. 810 195 285 KE 0018561 o DEL LAVORO "LUIGI DEVOIDfi' Segue f-ogfto N.___ 3_ TABLE 3 cont. No . of No. of Samples analyses Food 1 5 Milk 1 3 Butter 2 7 Oil: olive, seed 2 10 Fats; lard, margarine 8 32 Cheese 5 21 Fish, fresh, frozen 1 3 Eggs 1 O Sugar 6 39 Pulse vegetables 7 27 Fruit, including jam and fruit juices 9 36 Green vegetables 62 260 Pb /JLg/kg Mean Max. Min. 120 760 1200 285 571 192 238 500 400 : 180 870 1355 380 780 256 260 545 468 23 710 1045 190 362 128 210 450 333 300 430 170 549 678 420 TABLE 4 - Lead in beverages consumed in Milan, microgramraes/litre No. of No. of samples analyses Type of beverage 1 3 Drinking water of Milan 4 8 Mineral water 5 10 Wine 2 4 Coca Cola 3 5 Beer 2 4 Whisky 2 4 Gin 2 4 Vodka 3 6 Cognac 24 48 He. 0019562 Pb ^g/Litre Mean Max. Min. 12 13 14 17 180 205 100 130 71 90 36 52 68 68 55 63 11 10 160 90 20 13 5 5 34 *^:A DEL LAVORO "LUIGI DEVOTO" We do not know whether the same figures also apply to samples of food taken in other cities or in rural areas. According to the diet prevalent among the inhabitants of Milan, it can be roughly estimated that the daily lead intake of a healthy adult person in Milan amounts to 500-700A worker consuming 3400 Cal/day would ingest about g of lead. These figures are nearly twice as high as those calculated by ICehoe in Cincinnatij the difference is partly due to a higher consumption of bread and pasta by the Milanese people. 3) ''Normal Lead" in urine and blood 130 healthy adults of both sexes, living in the City of Milan and not occupationally exposed to lead, have been analyzed for lead in urine and blood over a period of ten years. Samples of urine were collected at the Clinica and the result of the analysis adjusted to one litre. The mean urinary output of lead was found to be 45 Jf-g/litre and the mean lead content of blood 40j*.g/100 ml. No significant changes have been found in the mean values during the last ten years. A statistical elaboration of the values obtained, related to age, sex, diet and occupation, has not yet been made. In any case, the normal lead of the inhabitants of Milan seems to be significantly higher than the normal lead found in the population of some U.S. cities j the values match well the higher oral intake of lead in Milan as compared with the American figures. Appendix Lead analysis method used by the Department of Hygiene and Toxicology of the Clinica del Lavoro The lead determinations were effected using the dithizone titrimetic micromethod. SiCA DEL LAVOftO. "LUIGI DEVOID* 5fogtio N, - Oxidization of the organic substance with concentrated HNO3 at a temperature of 250G, until a white residue is obtained; - Extraction of lead with chloroform solution of dithizone from alkaline solution (pH 9) in the presence of SON; - Washing of the excess dithizone, again with alkaline solution and KCN; - Removal of the lead bound to dithizone by agitation in a solution of hydro chloric acid (the lead passes into the hydrochloric layer - the dithizone remains in the chloroformc layer); - Titration of the dithizone which has remained in the chloroformic layer with a lead solution of known concentration. (N. Zurlo, E. Meschia - Medicina del Lavoro, AS, 668, 1954)* **#* For the samples of atmospheric lead, air is passed through a paper filter connected to two Brechsel Bottles with fritted glass disk bubblers connected in series, at the speed of 5 1/min. * **** For the determination of lead in plasma, 50 ccc. of plasma were used. HE 0018564