This material has been kindly shared with Noblis by Dr. Sivo and Dr. Lobuono of the
Servizio di Epidemiologia at the University of Bari, and describes their work on the continuing exposure of fisherman to
mustard.
Health Effects of Sulfar Mustard Exposure Among Apulian Trawlers
by Assennato, G.; Sivo, D.; Lobuono, F.
ABSTRACT
Mustard gas (2,2-dichloroethyl sulfide) was widely used during WWI; despite massive preparations made in WWII, it was not used except for an accidental exposure in the Bari Harbour on 2 December 1943. After the war, part of the chemical stockpile was unloaded into the Adriatic sea. This study was conducted in a cohort of fishermen from Molfetta, 30 Km north of Bari, exposed to mustard gas picked up in the nets. 232 cases, all males living in Molfetta (15 to 72 years old), exposed over the period 1946-1997 were enrolled. Most cases (97) including five casualities occurred in the first 10 years period (1946-1955). In our analysis health effects were evaluated as percent of injured skin and using a severity score (ITD). Fishing season was also evaluated. Differences were found in the Health effects between our cohort and a sample described in the literature. The mean of percent of injured skin for the fishermen contaminated in summertime (16.6%) was significantly higher than spring, autumn and winter mean values (respectively 5.5%, 7.5% and 9%). Also the ITD scores show the same seasonal trend. The most frequent anatomical sites injured in this fishermen cohort were arms (45% of the contamined subjects), hands (39.2%), face (32.5%) and eyes (27.2%). Unlike the veterans of WWI that showed 75% of cases with respiratory tract injuries, only 0.7% of fishermen had respiratory symptoms.
Literature citations for this work follow the figures.
Image provided by Dr. Sivo and Dr. Lobuono
Image provided by Dr. Sivo and Dr. Lobuono
Image provided by Dr. Sivo and Dr. Lobuono
Image provided by Dr. Sivo and Dr. Lobuono
References
- Assennato G, Lobuono F, Sivo D, Ferri GM. A forgotten exposure: mustard gas among apulian fishermen, abstract n.P081 (poster session). In: the Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology and International Society for Exposure Analysis. Nooerdwijkerthout, The Netherlands, August 30-September1 1995. Epidemiology1995, 6 (suppl 4) :S27.
- Assenato G, Ambrosi F, Sivo D. Possibili effetti a lungo termine sull’apparato respiratorio della esposizione ad iprite tra pescatoi (Possible long term effects on the respiratory tract of the sulfur mustard exposure among fishermen). Med Lav1997, in press.