Table 3.
Characteristics of study subjects at enrolment.
| Variable | 1st Sampling Period † | 2nd Sampling Period ‡ | 3rd Sampling Period § | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEWs, n = 54 | Cs, n = 6 | BEWs, n = 46 | Cs, n = 6 | BEWs, n = 34 | Cs, n = 6 | |
| Age group ^ (%) | ||||||
| 20–29 | 4 (7.4) | 2 (33.3) | 4 (8.7) | 2 (33.3) | 0 | 3 (50) |
| 30–39 | 12 (22.2) | 0 | 11 (23.9) | 0 | 8 (23.5) | 0 |
| 40–49 | 16 (29.6) | 2 (33.3) | 12 (26.1) | 2 (33.3) | 13 (38.2) | 2 (33.3) |
| 50–59 | 14 (25.9) | 2 (33.3) | 14 (30.4) | 2 (33.3) | 9 (26.5) | 1 (16.7) |
| ≥60 | 8 (14.8) | 0 | 5 (10.9) | 0 | 4 (11.8) | 0 |
| Gender (%) | ||||||
| Male | 35 (64.8) | 3 (50) | 27 (58.7) | 3 (50) | 23 (67.6) | 4 (66.7) |
| Female | 19 (35.2) | 3 (50) | 19 (41.3) | 3 (50) | 11 (32.4) | 2 (33.3) |
| Nationality (%) | ||||||
| North Africa | 3 (5.6) | 0 | 3 (6.5) | 0 | 2 (5.9) | 0 |
| West Africa | 4 (7.4) | 0 | 3 (6.5) | 0 | 3 (8.8) | 0 |
| Italy | 47 (87) | 6 (100) | 40 (87) | 6 (100) | 29 (85.3) | 6 (100) |
| YR of OE (%) | ||||||
| ≤2 | 5 (9.3) | na | 3 (6.5) | na | 0 | na |
| 2–10 | 17 (31.5) | na | 15 (32.6) | na | 9 (26.5) | na |
| 10–20 | 20 (37) | na | 17 (37) | na | 18 (52.9) | na |
| 20–30 | 8 (14.8) | na | 7 (15.2) | na | 4 (11.8) | na |
| >30 | 4 (7.4) | na | 4 (8.7) | na | 3 (8.8) | na |
BEWs, bird exposed workers; Cs, controls, non-exposed workers; †, sampling period between April and August 2005; ‡, sampling period December 2005; §, sampling period between May and July 2006 with the exception of one wildlife professional sampled for the first time in November 2006; ^, Age group assignment was made at the first individual blood collection; YR, year range; OE, occupational exposure: na, not applicable.