Zusammenfassung Zum Weltnichtrauchertag 2020 ruft die WHO dazu auf, die Jugend vor der Manipulati... more Zusammenfassung Zum Weltnichtrauchertag 2020 ruft die WHO dazu auf, die Jugend vor der Manipulation durch die Tabak- bzw. Nikotinindustrie zu schützen. Bei der Tabakprävention haben Mittel- und Osteuropa Nachholbedarf. In Österreich wurde das Schutzalter erst 2019 auf 18 Jahre angehoben. Danach erhoben wir bei 13- bis 16-jährigen Schülern in 5 Bundesländern (Burgenland, Kärnten, Niederösterreich, Steiermark, Wien) Konsum und Bezugsquellen von Tabak- und Nikotinprodukten. Von 95 % der Stichprobe erhielten wir auswertbare Antworten. Von 1029 Jugendliche gaben 38,4 % zu, schon mit Rauchwaren Erfahrung zu haben (41,6 % der Mädchen und 34,9 % der Jungen), wobei Tabakzigaretten am häufigsten konsumiert wurden, gefolgt von Shisha und E‑Zigaretten. Bezugsquellen sind meist Freunde, aber Mädchen benutzen häufiger auch Automaten (11,6 %), meist zum Bezug normaler Zigaretten, während Jungen verschiedene Tabak- und Nikotinprodukte und das zu 30,2 % in der Trafik kaufen. Im Vergleich zu früheren...
The exposure to particles was measured by a diffusion size classifier (10–300 nm) and an optical ... more The exposure to particles was measured by a diffusion size classifier (10–300 nm) and an optical particle counter (300 nm–10 μm) at the child’s seat of a car during repeated drives on a fixed route from a suburban domestic area to a school and back. One single cigarette smoked in a car at the front seat during a 10 minute trip, lead to an increase of PM10 on the back seat by a factor of 10.5, for PM2.5 by a factor of 21.3 and for PM1 by a factor of 23.9. Concentrations dropped after opening the back door, but stayed elevated on the way back, compared to outdoor concentrations. Holding the cigarettes to the open window of the front seat did not reduce exposure on the back seat. When a second cigarette was smoked on the way back, PM10 concentrations rose again to 300 μg m−3. While background PM1 made up 19–39% of PM10, PM1 during smoking amounted to 78–89% of PM10. PM1 was highly correlated to particle number (mean 97,701 pt cm−3, SD 82,537) and lung deposited surface area (LDSA, mean 270 cm2 cm−3, SD 229). Positioning of the cigarette at the open window did not decrease the exposure to LDSA at the child’s seat. In conclusion, particles can reach exorbitant high levels at the back seat, when cigarettes are smoked in a small place like a car, even with a 2 inches open window next to the smoker at the front seat. Through smoking in cars parents can harm their or other’s children severely.
International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2020
The aim was to record the smoking behaviour of 13- to 16-year-old Austrian pupils and to investig... more The aim was to record the smoking behaviour of 13- to 16-year-old Austrian pupils and to investigate changes in smoking behaviour following amendments of legislation and gender-specific differences. The survey took place in Vienna, Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria and Carinthia and was conducted at eight different school types. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire in a group setting at the beginning of a school lesson. The completion of the questionnaire was anonymous. 95,1% of the returned questionnaires could be used for this study, yielding data from a total of 1029 young people for analysis. 38.4% of the participants stated that they had at least once consumed tobacco or related products, with girls having tried them more often (41,6%) than boys (34,9%) (p = .028). At the time of the study, 3,3% used tobacco daily and 4,6% several times a week; thus 7,9% smoke regularly. Although friends or family are the most popular type of acquisition for girls and boys, girls ...
Aims and Background A law banning smoking in enclosed public places was implemented in Italy on J... more Aims and Background A law banning smoking in enclosed public places was implemented in Italy on January 10, 2005. The aim of this paper is to present a cross-sectional survey on two representative samples of non-smokers of two Italian towns (Florence and Belluno), conducted one year after the introduction of the ban, in order to assess prevalence of second-hand smoke exposure, to record the attitudes towards the ban, and the perception about its compliance in a representative sample of non-smokers. Methods Computer-assisted telephone interviews were carried out in March 2006, from a random sample of households from telephone registries. Respondents were 402 non-smokers from Belluno and 1,073 from Florence. Results About 12% of Florentines and 7% of Belluno respondents were exposed at home; 39% and 19%, respectively, at work; 10% and 5% in hospitality venues; 20% and 10% in cars. The smoke-free law was almost universally supported (about 98%) even if a smaller proportion of people (a...
Homes and workplaces are polluted by sidestream smoke which irritates eyes and airways and impair... more Homes and workplaces are polluted by sidestream smoke which irritates eyes and airways and impairs lung functions longer than outdoor summer smog, is more mutagenic than particulates in a city with dense traffic and will cause more cancers in the population than all emissions of diesel, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), benzene, asbestos and heavy metals together which are measured at present outdoors in Austrian towns and industrial areas. Lethal effects of passive smoking by placenta have been proven for the fetus and also breathing of parent's tobacco smoke may threaten life of babies by interactions with viral infections. In about 50% of asthmatic children passive smoking aggravates symptoms and in 10% it is a major aggravating factor. Even in healthy children we found significant relations between passive smoking and lung function deficit. Even though these deficits are small at school age they could be early symptoms of chronic inflammatory changes in small airways a...
Zentralblatt für Hygiene und Umweltmedizin = International journal of hygiene and environmental medicine, 1996
Sources of asbestos in drinking water may be natural deposits or the use of asbestos cement for w... more Sources of asbestos in drinking water may be natural deposits or the use of asbestos cement for water distribution. 50 water samples were selected in Austria to detect fibre contamination from either geology or asbestos cement by comparison with control areas and by comparison of raw and treated water. Standardized EPA/BGA methodology with transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and selected area electron diffraction was used to quantify concentrations of different sized amphibole and chrysotile fibres. In 10 areas with asbestos deposits and in 14 areas with use of asbestos cement pipes asbestos concentrations in drinking water were low and not significantly different from 6 control areas (median 32,000 total asbestos fibres per litre). The relative highest concentration was found in an area with natural deposits at the source of the water supply (190,000 per litre). In areas without natural deposits the increase of asbestos concentrations from origin to c...
A preventive action limit for dioxins in feed for broiler chickens and pigs was set to 2 pg toxic... more A preventive action limit for dioxins in feed for broiler chickens and pigs was set to 2 pg toxic equivalents/g feed in Austria. This limit was effective in the detection of feed contamination from an imported mineral additive, and in the prevention of food contamination according to WHO tolerable daily intake.
Zusammenfassung Zum Weltnichtrauchertag 2020 ruft die WHO dazu auf, die Jugend vor der Manipulati... more Zusammenfassung Zum Weltnichtrauchertag 2020 ruft die WHO dazu auf, die Jugend vor der Manipulation durch die Tabak- bzw. Nikotinindustrie zu schützen. Bei der Tabakprävention haben Mittel- und Osteuropa Nachholbedarf. In Österreich wurde das Schutzalter erst 2019 auf 18 Jahre angehoben. Danach erhoben wir bei 13- bis 16-jährigen Schülern in 5 Bundesländern (Burgenland, Kärnten, Niederösterreich, Steiermark, Wien) Konsum und Bezugsquellen von Tabak- und Nikotinprodukten. Von 95 % der Stichprobe erhielten wir auswertbare Antworten. Von 1029 Jugendliche gaben 38,4 % zu, schon mit Rauchwaren Erfahrung zu haben (41,6 % der Mädchen und 34,9 % der Jungen), wobei Tabakzigaretten am häufigsten konsumiert wurden, gefolgt von Shisha und E‑Zigaretten. Bezugsquellen sind meist Freunde, aber Mädchen benutzen häufiger auch Automaten (11,6 %), meist zum Bezug normaler Zigaretten, während Jungen verschiedene Tabak- und Nikotinprodukte und das zu 30,2 % in der Trafik kaufen. Im Vergleich zu früheren...
The exposure to particles was measured by a diffusion size classifier (10–300 nm) and an optical ... more The exposure to particles was measured by a diffusion size classifier (10–300 nm) and an optical particle counter (300 nm–10 μm) at the child’s seat of a car during repeated drives on a fixed route from a suburban domestic area to a school and back. One single cigarette smoked in a car at the front seat during a 10 minute trip, lead to an increase of PM10 on the back seat by a factor of 10.5, for PM2.5 by a factor of 21.3 and for PM1 by a factor of 23.9. Concentrations dropped after opening the back door, but stayed elevated on the way back, compared to outdoor concentrations. Holding the cigarettes to the open window of the front seat did not reduce exposure on the back seat. When a second cigarette was smoked on the way back, PM10 concentrations rose again to 300 μg m−3. While background PM1 made up 19–39% of PM10, PM1 during smoking amounted to 78–89% of PM10. PM1 was highly correlated to particle number (mean 97,701 pt cm−3, SD 82,537) and lung deposited surface area (LDSA, mean 270 cm2 cm−3, SD 229). Positioning of the cigarette at the open window did not decrease the exposure to LDSA at the child’s seat. In conclusion, particles can reach exorbitant high levels at the back seat, when cigarettes are smoked in a small place like a car, even with a 2 inches open window next to the smoker at the front seat. Through smoking in cars parents can harm their or other’s children severely.
International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2020
The aim was to record the smoking behaviour of 13- to 16-year-old Austrian pupils and to investig... more The aim was to record the smoking behaviour of 13- to 16-year-old Austrian pupils and to investigate changes in smoking behaviour following amendments of legislation and gender-specific differences. The survey took place in Vienna, Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria and Carinthia and was conducted at eight different school types. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire in a group setting at the beginning of a school lesson. The completion of the questionnaire was anonymous. 95,1% of the returned questionnaires could be used for this study, yielding data from a total of 1029 young people for analysis. 38.4% of the participants stated that they had at least once consumed tobacco or related products, with girls having tried them more often (41,6%) than boys (34,9%) (p = .028). At the time of the study, 3,3% used tobacco daily and 4,6% several times a week; thus 7,9% smoke regularly. Although friends or family are the most popular type of acquisition for girls and boys, girls ...
Aims and Background A law banning smoking in enclosed public places was implemented in Italy on J... more Aims and Background A law banning smoking in enclosed public places was implemented in Italy on January 10, 2005. The aim of this paper is to present a cross-sectional survey on two representative samples of non-smokers of two Italian towns (Florence and Belluno), conducted one year after the introduction of the ban, in order to assess prevalence of second-hand smoke exposure, to record the attitudes towards the ban, and the perception about its compliance in a representative sample of non-smokers. Methods Computer-assisted telephone interviews were carried out in March 2006, from a random sample of households from telephone registries. Respondents were 402 non-smokers from Belluno and 1,073 from Florence. Results About 12% of Florentines and 7% of Belluno respondents were exposed at home; 39% and 19%, respectively, at work; 10% and 5% in hospitality venues; 20% and 10% in cars. The smoke-free law was almost universally supported (about 98%) even if a smaller proportion of people (a...
Homes and workplaces are polluted by sidestream smoke which irritates eyes and airways and impair... more Homes and workplaces are polluted by sidestream smoke which irritates eyes and airways and impairs lung functions longer than outdoor summer smog, is more mutagenic than particulates in a city with dense traffic and will cause more cancers in the population than all emissions of diesel, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), benzene, asbestos and heavy metals together which are measured at present outdoors in Austrian towns and industrial areas. Lethal effects of passive smoking by placenta have been proven for the fetus and also breathing of parent's tobacco smoke may threaten life of babies by interactions with viral infections. In about 50% of asthmatic children passive smoking aggravates symptoms and in 10% it is a major aggravating factor. Even in healthy children we found significant relations between passive smoking and lung function deficit. Even though these deficits are small at school age they could be early symptoms of chronic inflammatory changes in small airways a...
Zentralblatt für Hygiene und Umweltmedizin = International journal of hygiene and environmental medicine, 1996
Sources of asbestos in drinking water may be natural deposits or the use of asbestos cement for w... more Sources of asbestos in drinking water may be natural deposits or the use of asbestos cement for water distribution. 50 water samples were selected in Austria to detect fibre contamination from either geology or asbestos cement by comparison with control areas and by comparison of raw and treated water. Standardized EPA/BGA methodology with transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and selected area electron diffraction was used to quantify concentrations of different sized amphibole and chrysotile fibres. In 10 areas with asbestos deposits and in 14 areas with use of asbestos cement pipes asbestos concentrations in drinking water were low and not significantly different from 6 control areas (median 32,000 total asbestos fibres per litre). The relative highest concentration was found in an area with natural deposits at the source of the water supply (190,000 per litre). In areas without natural deposits the increase of asbestos concentrations from origin to c...
A preventive action limit for dioxins in feed for broiler chickens and pigs was set to 2 pg toxic... more A preventive action limit for dioxins in feed for broiler chickens and pigs was set to 2 pg toxic equivalents/g feed in Austria. This limit was effective in the detection of feed contamination from an imported mineral additive, and in the prevention of food contamination according to WHO tolerable daily intake.
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