The residential district in Panzano is an urban area which was built beginning in 1907 for the Monfalcone shipyard's employees and workers. In the 1930s, the shipyard was one of the most important ...plants of this kind in the world. The district's realization is mainly attributed to engineer Dante Fornasir, who headed the building association entrusted to construct the area from 1913 to 1939. The district was inaugurated in 1927: at that time, more than 190 residential buildings of various types, shops, and many community facilities were operative. The Panzano District, based on the garden-city urban model, shows an articulated structure that defines the correspondence between shipyard employees' tasks and the residential types; the village architecture exemplifies an historicist perspective and contains interesting elements of modern urban planning. After a long period of decay, the district was subjected to a carefully planned and integrated conservation that has led to a compatible reuse of its residential buildings.
Shallow and sheltered marine embayments in urbanized areas are prone to the accumulation of pollutants, but little is known about the historical baselines of such marine ecosystems. Here we study ...foraminiferal assemblages, geochemical proxies and sedimentological data from 1.6 m long sediment cores to uncover ∼ 500 years of anthropogenic pressure from mining, port and industrial activities in the Gulf of Trieste, Italy. From 1600 to 1900 AD, normalized element concentrations and foraminiferal assemblages point to negligible effects of agricultural activities. The only significant anthropogenic activity during this period was mercury mining in the hinterlands of the gulf, releasing high amounts of mercury into the bay and significantly exceeding the standards on the effects of trace elements on benthic organisms. Nonetheless, the fluctuations in the concentrations of mercury do not correlate with changes in the composition and diversity of foraminiferal assemblages due to its non-bioavailability. Intensified agricultural and maricultural activities in the first half of the 20th century caused slight nutrient enrichment and a minor increase in foraminiferal diversity. Intensified port and industrial activities in the second half of 20th century increased the normalized trace element concentrations and persistent organic pollutants (PAH, PCB) in the topmost part of the core. This increase caused only minor changes in the foraminiferal community because foraminifera in Panzano Bay have a long history of adaptation to elevated trace element concentrations. Our study underlines the importance of using an integrated, multidisciplinary approach in reconstructing the history of environmental and anthropogenic changes in marine systems. Given the prolonged human impacts in coastal areas like the Gulf of Trieste, such long-term baseline data are crucial for interpreting the present state of marine ecosystems.
Objectives
To compare a local cohort of 2488 men occupationally exposed to asbestos and enrolled in a public health surveillance program with the 1995–2009 cancer incidence of the general population ...of Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region, Northeast Italy, we conducted a historical cohort study.
Methods
Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), with 95% confidence interval (95% CI), for specific cancer sites were estimated in the cohort and in subgroups of workers employed in shipbuilding between 1974 and 1994. For internal comparisons, we calculated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for all cancers, lung cancer and mesothelioma, by level of exposure to asbestos and sector of employment adjusted for smoking habits and age at start of follow-up.
Results
Among cohort members the SIR was 8.82 (95% CI 5.95–12.61) for mesothelioma and 1.61 (95% CI 1.26–2.04) for lung cancer. In subgroup analyses, the SIR for lung cancer in subjects hired in shipbuilding between 1974 and 1984 was 2.09 (95% CI 1.32–3.13). In the overall cohort, a borderline increased incidence was also found for stomach cancer (SIR = 1.53 95% CI 0.96–2.31). Internal comparisons within the cohort show that among men with high asbestos exposure level the relative risk was almost threefold for lung cancer (IRR = 2.94 95% CI 1.01–8.57).
Conclusions
This cohort experienced an excess in the incidence of both mesothelioma and lung cancer, showing increasing incidence rates at higher level of asbestos exposure. For lung cancer, the relative incidence was highest among workers hired in shipbuilding between 1974 and 1984.
Asbestos exposure causes significant pleural diseases, including malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Taking into account the impact of MPM on emotional functioning and wellbeing, this study aimed ...to evaluate the quality of life and personality traits in patients with MPM and their first-degree caregivers through the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF). The sample was composed of 27 MPM patients, 55 first-degree relatives enrolled in Casale Monferrato and Monfalcone (Italy), and 40 healthy controls (HC). Patients and relatives reported poorer physical health than the HC. Patients had a higher overall sense of physical debilitation and poorer health than relatives and the HC, more numerous complaints of memory problems and difficulties in concentrating, and a greater belief that goals cannot be reached or problems solved, while often claiming that they were more indecisive and inefficacious than the HC. First-degree relatives reported lower opinions of others, a greater belief that goals cannot be reached or problems solved, support for the notion that they are indecisive and inefficacious, and were more likely to suffer from fear that significantly inhibited normal activities than were HC. In multinomial regression analyses, partial models indicated that sex, physical comorbidities, and the True Response Inconsistency (TRIN-r), Malaise (MLS), and Behavior-Restricting Fears (BRF) dimensions of the MMPI-2-RF had significant effects on group differences. In conclusion, health care providers should assess the ongoing adjustment and emotional wellbeing of people with MPM and their relatives, and provide support to reduce emotional distress.
Geochemical investigations were carried out to define the origin of the low- to moderate-temperature thermal waters feeding the Monfalcone springs in northern Italy. Chemical data indicate that ...waters approach the composition of seawater. Mixing processes with cold low-salinity waters are highlighted. The δ
18
O and δD values are in the range −5.0 to −6.4 ‰, and −33 to −40 ‰, respectively, suggesting the dilution of the saline reservoir by karst-type freshwaters. A surplus of Ca
2+
and Sr
2+
ions with respect to a conservative mixing is ascribed to diagenetic reactions of the thermal waters with Cretaceous carbonates at depth. The measured Sr isotopic composition (
87
Sr/
86
Sr ratio) ranges between 0.70803 and 0.70814; after correction for the surplus Sr, a
87
Sr/
86
Sr ratio indicating Miocene paleo-seawater is obtained. The dissolved gases indicate long-lasting gas–water interactions with a deep-originated gas phase of crustal origin, dominated by CO
2
and marked by a water TDIC isotopic composition in the range −5.9 to−8.8 and helium signature with 0.08 < R/Ra < 0.27, which is a typical range for the crust. A possible scenario for the Monfalcone thermal reservoir consists of Miocene marine paleowaters which infiltrated through the karstic voids formed within the prevalently Cretaceous carbonates during the upper Eocene emersion of the platform, and which were entrapped by the progressive burial by terrigenous sediments.
The coastal area of Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) region, north-eastern Italy, was characterized by work activities in which asbestos was used until the early 1990s, particularly in shipbuilding. A ...public health surveillance program (PHSP) for asbestos-exposed workers was established, although limited evidence exists about the efficacy of such programs in reducing disease occurrence and mortality.
To compare mortality in a cohort of 2,488 men occupationally exposed to asbestos, enrolled in a PHSP in FVG between the early 1990s and 2008, with that of the general population of FVG and Italy.
Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMR), with 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI), for all causes, all cancers, lung (LC) and pleural cancer (PC) were estimated in the cohort and in subgroups of workers with the first hire in shipbuilding that caused asbestos exposure (<1974, 1974-1984, 1985-1994).
A strong excess in mortality for PC with reference to FVG (SMR=6.87, 95% CI 4.45-10.17) and Italian population (SMR=13.95, 95% CI 9.02-20.64) was observed. For LC, the FVG-based SMR was 1.49 (95% CI 1.17-1.89) and the Italy-based 1.43 (95% CI 1.12-1.81). Mortality among workers with the first hire in shipbuilding before 1974 was high for PC (FVG-based SMR=8.98, 95% CI 5.56-13.75; Italy-based SMR=18.41, 95% CI 11.40-28.17) and for LC (FVG-based SMR =1.60, 95% CI 1.18-2.11; Italy-based SMR=1.54, 95% CI 1.14-2.03). Further, for LC between 1974 and 1984, the FVG-based SMR was 2.45 (95% CI 1.06-4.82), and the Italy-based SMR was 2.33 (95% CI 1.01-4.60).
This cohort experienced an excess mortality for pleural and lung cancer, compared with regional and national populations. For lung cancer, the excess was stronger in workers with the first hire in shipbuilding before 1985, suggesting a key role of asbestos exposure.
The study on the evolution of the consumer co-operation in the area around Monfalcone in the post-WWII period draws a picture never retraced before by historiography, at least locally. Subject of the ...analysis is, on the one hand, the growth of business organizations – from the early Cooperativa Consumo Lavoratori del Monfalconese (1945), through the Coop Consumatori Friuli (1985) and up to the Coop Consumatori Nordest (1945); on the other hand, the transition from the small town shops to the first Discount Store in Monfalcone in the 70s up to the following substitution with the updated Supercoop. Specifically, the foundation of one of the first nationwide Discount Stores was – for the Monfalcone area and the consumer co-operation – a pilot experience achieved through the relationship with the local authorities, the political organizations and the trade unions of that time.
The study on the evolution of the consumer co-operation in the area around Monfalcone in the post-WWII period draws a picture never retraced before by historiography, at least locally. Subject of the ...analysis is, on the one hand, the growth of business organizations – from the early Cooperativa Consumo Lavoratori del Monfalconese (1945), through the Coop Consumatori Friuli (1985) and up to the Coop Consumatori Nordest (1945); on the other hand, the transition from the small town shops to the first Discount Store in Monfalcone in the 70s up to the following substitution with the updated Supercoop. Specifically, the foundation of one of the first nationwide Discount Stores was – for the Monfalcone area and the consumer co-operation – a pilot experience achieved through the relationship with the local authorities, the political organizations and the trade unions of that time.
The ships continue to be built in Monfalcone, in the large factory that looks towards Trieste. It’s now more than one hundred years since the Cosulich family, which is from Lošinj Island (in the ...Kvarner Gulf) by birth, started the construction of a shipyard. This site has gone through changing fortunes, but it’s fated however to leave a trace in the history of Italian Marine industry: thanks, above all, to passenger ships, as well as to many cargo and military units. This article traces the events of this historic shipyard, adding a rich photographic documentation to the historical account.
5 - the priest blesses the motonave during the launching ceremony
9 - the heavy anchor chains are dragged by the moving motor ship
4 - the workers remove the motor ship with well-settled shots of ...pole the scaffolding
3 - workers in the shipyard work around the ship's scaffolding
12 - secular and ecclesiastical authorities leave the tribune; among them men in tuba who make the Roman greeting
The launch of the Motonave\ "Auris\"; present children in Balilla uniform
8 - the crew on the motor ship bridge greets waving their arms and hats
7 - those present make the Roman greeting while the ship freed from the impediments slowly descends into the water
6 - a bottle of champagne is broken against the ship's masonry
2 - a priest and altar boys arrive
10 - the motor ship enters the water
11 - children on the pier dressed as a balilla shake their caps to greet the motor ship at sea
1 - a group of authorities arrive on the pier; the crowd witnesses the ceremony on the edge of the street
Il varo della motonave "Auris"; presenti bambini in divisa da balilla.
1 - giungono sul molo un gruppo di autorità; la folla assiste alla cerimonia ai margini della strada
2 - giungono un sacerdote e dei chierichetti
3 - operai nel cantiere navale lavorano attorno ai ponteggi della nave
4 - gli operai tolgono alla motonave con dei colpi ben assestati di palo i ponteggi
5 - il sacerdote benedice la motonave durante la cerimonia di varo
6 - una bottiglia di champagne viene infranta contro la murata della nave
7 - i presenti fanno il saluto romano mentre la nave liberata dagli impedimenti scende lentamente in acqua
8 - l'equipaggio sul ponte delle motonave saluta agitando le braccia e i cappelli
9 - le pesanti catene dell'ancora vengono trascinate dalla motonave in movimento
10 - la motonave entra in acqua
11 - bambini sul molo vestiti da balilla agitano i berretti per salutare la motonave in mare
12 - autorità laiche ed ecclesiastiche lasciano la tribuna; tra loro uomini in tuba che fanno il saluto romano
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