We may conclude that FA/NAFH in the Turkish population seems to be low when compared with Northern and Western European countries. This may be due to genetic, cultural or dietary factors, and further studies evaluating the reasons for this low prevalence of FA/NAFH in our population are needed.

The health care provided by nurses who work in a healthy environment would be more efficient and of better quality, which will result in better economic and social outcomes for individual and communities.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of respiratory health symptoms among high school students attending schools at industrial, urban and rural areas in a Turkish city. Three schools located in different zones of the city having different pollution characteristics were chosen based on the pollutant distribution maps using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software. A cross-sectional survey was performed among 667 high school students in the schools. Outdoor and indoor nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) concentrations were also measured by passive samplers in the same schools to investigate possible routes of exposure. Chronic pulmonary disease (OR = 1.49; 95%CI: 1.11–1.99; p = 0.008), tightness in the chest (OR = 1.57; 95%CI: 1.22–2.02; p = 0.001), morning cough (OR = 1.81 95%CI: 1.19–2.75; p = 0.006) were higher among students in the industrial zone where nitrogen dioxide and ozone levels were also highest. There were no indoor sources of nitrogen dioxide and ozone exists in the schools except for the dining hall. As a conclusion, this study has noticed that air pollution and respiratory health problems among high school students are high in industrial zones and the use of passive samplers combined with GIS is an effective tool that may be used by public health researchers to identify pollutant zones and persons at risk.

This study investigated the relation between mould exposure and allergic rhinitis in Istanbul through questionnaires and measurements of fungal propagules in indoor air. The study group was 42 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis who were sensitive to mould and 40 age and sex matched healthy subjects as controls. A questionnaire was used to characterise the variables of home environment and occupants' behaviour which might have an impact on the presence of fungal levels. At the same time, symptom scores were assessed according to the answers of the patients while air samples were collected to obtain a comparison between the patients' symptoms and the fungal counts. Samples were collected from the bedrooms and the main living rooms between 15 September and 15 November, 2002. Fungal concentrations were reported as colony forming units per cubic metre of air using the MAS 100 conversion unit table.The questionnaires showed that patients reported significantly higher dampness, mould and mildew in their homes than the controls (p ϭ 0.004, p ϭ 0.02, respectively). Also the relative humidity in the patients' houses was significantly higher compared to the controls (p Ͻ 0.001). The total culturable concentrations of fungi were significantly higher in the patients homes compared to those in the homes of the controls (p ϭ 0.003, p ϭ 0.009, respectively). A significant positive correlation was found between the patients' symptom scores and the fungal propagule concentrations (r 2 ϭ 0.39-0.49 , p Ͻ 0.001). Overall the results of this study suggest that damp housing and indoor fungal concentrations show a positive correlation with symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

In this study, the comet assay was used to evaluate whether welding fume and solvent base paint exposure led to DNA damage in construction-site workers in Turkey. The workers (n = 52) were selected according to their exposure in the construction site and controls (n = 26) from the general population, with no history of occupational exposure. The alkaline comet assay, a standard method for assessing genotoxicity, has been applied in peripheral lymphocytes of all subjects. The mean percentages of DNA in tail (%DNA(T)) of each group were evaluated, including the comparisons between smokers in each different group and the duration of exposure. Significant increase in the mean %DNA(T) (p < 0.01) was observed in all exposed subjects (12.34 ± 2.05) when compared with controls (6.64 ± 1.43). Also %DNA(T) was significantly high (p < 0.01) in welders (13.59 ± 1.89) compared with painters (11.10 ± 1.35). There was a statistical meaningful difference in % DNA(T) between control and exposed smokers. Our findings indicate that exposure to welding fumes and paints induce genotoxic effect in peripheral lymphocytes, indicating a potential health risk for workers. Therefore, to ensure maximum occupational safety, biomonitoring is of great value for assessing the risk for construction workers.