While occupational exposure as a firefighter is considered a dangerous occupation, research on the underlying mechanisms remains limited, particularly in wildland firefighters. Inflammation, a key effect of wildfire expo- sure, plays a significant role in the development of various diseases. The current study aims to investigate the impact of wildland firefighting exposure on the levels of pro-inflammatory syst...
Portugal is among the European Union countries more devastated by forest fires. Wildland fire- fighters are at the forefront of this battle, facing exposure to a wide range of harmful pollutants. Epidemiological studies have highlighted a potential link between occupational firefighting exposure and several diseases, including cancer. To date, very few studies have explored the biological mechanisms associated ...
Firefighters face increased risks of developing cardio-respiratory diseases and cancer. This study aimed, for the first time, to simultaneously characterize several biomarkers of effect (lung injury by Clara cell 16 -CC16, lipid peroxidation by 8-isoprostane-8-iso, and DNA oxidation by 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine-8-OHdG) and exposure (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons metabolites - 6 OHPAHs and 17 metal(loid)s) i...
While occupational exposure as a firefighter is considered a dangerous occupation, research on the underlying mechanisms remains limited, particularly in wildland firefighters. Inflammation, a key effect of wildfire exposure, plays a significant role in the development of various diseases. The current study aims to investigate the impact of wildland firefighting exposure on the levels of pro-inflammatory system...
Occupational exposure as a firefighter is classified as carcinogenic to humans. However, information on the biological effects of wildland firefighting remains limited. This study aimed to assess genotoxicity in a group of wildland firefighters and evaluate the contribution of total concentration of urinary hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ΣOHPAHs) to selected endpoints. A group of 59 northern Por...
Background: Portugal is among the European Union countries more devastated by forest fires. Wildland firefighters are at the forefront of this battle, facing exposure to a wide range of harmful pollutants. Epidemiological studies have highlighted a potential link between occupational firefighting exposure and several diseases, including cancer. To date, very few studies have explored the biological mechanisms a...
Background: Portugal is among the European Union countries more devastated by forest fires. Wildland firefighters are at the forefront of this battle, facing exposure to a wide range of harmful pollutants. Epidemiological studies have highlighted a potential link between occupational firefighting exposure and several diseases, including cancer. To date, very few studies have explored the biological mechanisms a...
Introduction: Available literature has found an association between firefighting and pathologic pathways leading to cardiorespiratory diseases, which have been linked with exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are highlighted as priority pollutants by the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative in occupational and non-occupational contexts. Methods: This cross-sectional study is the first to...
Background: Children’s exposure to Passive Tobacco Smoke (PTS) in utero and during infancy can increase the risk of childhood respiratory diseases and infections (e.g., otitis) [1-3]. Objective: This study explores the association between children’s exposure to PTS in utero (maternal, frequent smoking family member during pregnancy), up to one year, and current maternal smoke exposure with, to date, and the fir...
The lack of knowledge regarding the extent of microbial contamination in Portuguese fitness centers (FC) puts attendees and athletes at risk for bioaerosol exposure. This study intends to characterize microbial contamination in Portuguese FC by passive sampling methods: electrostatic dust collectors (EDC) (N=39), settled dust (N=8), vacuum filters (N=8), and used cleaning mops (N=12). The obtained extracts were...