Chronic exposure of workers to powder containing crystalline silica (Silicon dioxide; SiO 2) can lead to chronic lung diseases (lung cancer, silicosis, etc.). Aim of this study was to evaluate the exposure of Greek construction workers to SiO 2 and describe their pulmonary function. The study involved 86 outdoor and underground workers. Medical and professional history was obtained, and breath samples were collected at morning hours through a mask for the determination of SiO 2 levels. Pulmonary function tests, radiological examination and evaluation of radiographs were also performed. Pulmonary function examination showed that the majority of the workers were within normal range (61.4%) while the rest were diagnosed with mild (26.5%) and more severe impairment (7.24%). Working conditions (underground-outdoor) were statistically significantly related to the categorization of pulmonary function (P=0.038). During radiological examination, the type of working activity/ conditions (underground-outdoor) were statistically significantly related to the categorization of these findings (P=0.044). Of the 69 employees, 52 did not present findings (75.4%) and 5 were diagnosed with findings specific to occupational diseases (7.23%). Environmental exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) was detected at 0.0125 mg/m 3 in the workplace, which is not beyond the legal limits. Underground workers with more than 15 years of exposure to SiO 2 are more likely to present chronic silicosis compared to the workers of outdoor activities.

Food safety constitutes a basic priority for public health. Foodborne botulism occurs worldwide; it is an acute paralytic disease caused by the consumption of food containing the botulinum toxin. Growing consumer demand for cheese products could result in increased exposure of the population to this toxin, and thus the risk of foodborne botulism. The majority of cases of botulism caused by dairy products are related to cheese products specifically. Epidemic outbreaks and isolated cases have been reported over time. Domestically canned foods are still among the primary causes of the disease. Cheese products are not regularly involved in botulism incidents; it is however, necessary to take control measures for manufacturing and domestic preparation due to the high risk of occurrence of this particular disease. The aim of this review is to discuss foodborne botulism caused by cheese products, providing a brief epidemiological history, and to examine certain control measures that should be taken throughout the production process to better protect public health.

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Chronic exposure of workers to powder containing crystalline silica (SiO2) can lead to chronic lung diseases (lung cancer, silicosis, etc.). The aim of the study was to evaluate the exposure of Greek construction workers to SiO2 and describe their pulmonary function. The study involved 86 outdoor and underground workers. Medical and professional history was obtained, and samples were collected for the determination of SiO2 levels. Pulmonary function tests, radiological examination and evaluation of radiographs were, also performed. During the examination of the pulmonary function, the majority of the workers were within normal range (61.4%) while the rest were diagnosed with mild (26.5%) and more severe impairment (7.2%). Working conditions (underground-outdoor) were statistically significantly related to the categorization of pulmonary function (P = 0.038). During radiological examination, the type of working conditions (underground-outdoor) were statistically significantly related to the categorization of these findings (P = 0.044). Of the 69 employees, 52 did not present findings (75.4%) and five (5) were diagnosed with findings specific to occupational diseases (7.2%). The environmental exposure to RCS (Respirable crystalline silica) was detected at 12 mg / m3 in the workplace, which is beyond the legal limits. Underground workers with more than 15 years of exposure to SiO2 may experience silicification in its chronic form compared to the workers of outdoor activities.

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