A huge number of studies have been performed on well known toxicants such as asbestos, pesticides and benzene. Even though there is plenty of evidence toward the toxicity of these compounds, recent findings are pointing out some novelties like new pathogenetic mechanisms, or previously unsuspected work-related pathologies (1).

In occupational settings, it is very important to keep an eye on these toxicants because of their great distribution: pesticides are globally used to enhance agricultural production and to control pests; benzene is still used in petrochemical reactions and its exposure involves many human activities (e.g., gas station attendants); asbestos-like fibers [e.g., carbon nanotubes (CNTs)] are raising great concern in the scientific community because of their increasing use in industry despite their potential, and yet partially known, toxicity (2). The present review summarizes some of the most recent and supported findings on these toxicants.

In the present study, a computerized search on PubMed was performed up to November 2016. Search terms were combinations of the following keywords and their abbreviations: ‘carbon nanotubes’ and ‘toxicity’ or ‘exposure’. ‘Pesticides’ and ‘chronic diseases’ or ‘Parkinson’ or ‘cancer’ or ‘epigenetics’. ‘Benzene’ and ‘low dose exposure’ or ‘chronic exposure’ or ‘epigenetics’ or ‘exposure’ or ‘assessment’. References in reports were also reviewed. The attention was focused on recent findings on these toxicants, which could be of particular interest towards occupational exposure. For this reason, in vivo studies were generally preferred to in vitro studies.

Fiber-induced pulmonary toxicity was widely debated in the 1990s because of the emerging harmful effects of asbestos, which led to the banning of this material from commerce. Later on, it was demonstrated that the high aspect ratio of asbestos fibers was the main pathogenetic factor, and that other fibers could have the same pathogenicity. This is the case in other natural fibers like fluoro-edenite and in silicon carbides (SiC) (1–6).

Recently, some studies have linked CNT exposure with the same pathologies produced by asbestos exposure, such as pleural plaques, fibrosis, and pleural mesothelioma (7,8). In 2014, the International Agency for Research on Cancer published its conclusions on these ‘asbestos-like’ fiber (1), assessing fluoro-edenite fibrous amphibole as carcinogenic to human (Group 1). Furthermore, occupational exposure associated with the Acheson process (of which SiC fibres are unwanted byproducts) was also classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), while fibrous SiC was included in Group 2b, as possible carcinogen to humans. Finally, multi-walled CNT-7 (MWCNT-7) was classified as possible carcinogen to humans (Group 2b), while single-walled CNTs (SWCNT) and other forms of MWCNT were recorded as not classifiable for their carcinogenicity to humans (Group 3), for lack of sufficient evidence (1).

Because of their undisputed utility, pesticides are today an essential tool in agriculture, and many efforts have been made by the scientific community to identify the possible biological and pathological consequences of environmental and professional exposure to pesticides. Assessing professional exposure, though, is far from simple. A previous study of our group summarized the latest findings on the relation between pesticide exposure and development of chronic diseases (14). Even though the link between pesticide exposure and the development of neurological diseases (15,16), reproductive disorders (17,18) and cancer (19–21) seems clear and almost obvious in some cases [like Parkinson's disease (PD)], it is still difficult to correlate these pathologies to exposure to a narrow spectrum of pesticides. Many studies, infact, evaluate exposure to pesticide in general. In particular, epidemiological studies suffer of inaccuracy, because pesticides are almost invariably used as mixtures, so that it is difficult for the worker to remember the exact name of the pesticides he used throughout the years, and for the researcher to determine the specific pesticide which could be responsible for any specific alteration. Furthermore, pesticides are usually applied in open fields, and variables like humidity, wind, heat and correct use of personal protective equipment are almost impossible to be precisely evaluated over a long period of working activity. The use of questionnaires and expert interviews has been used as a tool to provide a more precise assessment of previous exposure of individuals, but the results are still controversial (22,23).

Benzene toxicity has been assessed for a long time. Even if the use of this molecule has been limited, it remains necessary in many industrial processes, like the production of styrene, cyclohexane, cumene, inks, solvents, pesticides, lubricants. As a consequence, occupational exposure is still possible (41). Alongside this professional routes of exposure, benzene is also an environmental contaminant mainly because of industrial emissions, automobile service stations, car exhaust gas, and, more importantly, cigarette smoking habits.

It has been demonstrated that benzene exposure is linked with the risk of developing hematological diseases like aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia and cancers like multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (42,43). Furthermore, benzene toxicity has been linked to the development of diseases at other sites of the human body, like the respiratory system (44), the immune system (45,46), nervous (47) and reproductive systems (48–50,41). Studies indicate that benzene could be a risk factor for the development of breast cancer (51–53), prostate cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, pharyngeal cancer and malignant melanoma (54–57).

Several mechanisms of toxicity have been proposed for benzene, like production of chromosomal aberrations, sister chromatid exchange, and micronuclei (58). Recently, some studies have evidenced that some of the harmful effects of benzene could be caused by the induction of oxidative stress. A recent review (59) simulated chronic exposure to benzene on mice, with the aim to evaluate the mechanism of toxicity of benzene itself and of its metabolite hydroquinone. After the evaluation of plasmatic values for insulin and glucose and the examination of liver and pancreatic histological samples, the authors concluded that repeated administration of benzene could be capable of determining oxidative stress-related damage to the liver and the pancreas (the latter determined by hydroquinone, a benzene metabolite). These results suggest the potential role of benzene in the development of glucose metabolism dysregulations. Even if the study of Bahadar et al (59) examined the molecular effects of benzene at relatively high doses, similar pathways may be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic cellular damage at other sites (60), even at low degrees of exposure. In this regard, a study of our group enrolled 91 male gas station attendants and compared them to a control population of 63 male office workers (61). The aim was to evaluate the effects of low dose, chronic exposure to benzene on NF-κB, STAT3, p38-MAPK and stress-activated protein kinase/Jun aminoterminal kinase signal transduction pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of gas station workers. Urine samples were collected at the end of the work shift to evaluate the concentration of trans, trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA), and oxidative stress biomarkers were determined on blood samples. The results showed a significant increase of t,t-MA in the urine of gasoline station attendants, compared with those of the control group. NF-κB and phospho-IκB-α proteins were also higher in the exposed population, while phosphorylated STAT3 was significantly decreased in the benzene exposed group, compared to controls. These results indicate the action of benzene on some oxidative stress-related signal transduction pathways, even at low doses of occupational exposure (61,62).

A similar study conducted by Xia et al involved 144 workers, of which 96 were gasoline filling station attendants (with no history of exposure to heavy metals and organic solvents) and 48 were cashiers, the latter used as controls. Aim of the study was to assess the oxidative stress status of workers exposed to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX) and manganese (Mn) (63). Mn levels were investigated since methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT), an organic derivative, is a widely used additive for gasoline. The authors combined environmental monitoring with biological monitoring for the assessment of exposure. After that, the authors calculated the cumulative exposure index from 8 h of BTEX and Mn exposure time-weighted average and multiplied this value for the years of exposure. The authors assessed oxidative stress biomarker levels, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), malondialdehyde (MDA) and Hsp70. Given that the airborne concentration of BTEX were significantly higher in gas station attendants working environment than for office workers, blood levels of SOD and GSH-Px were significantly lower in the exposed group than in the control group, and, conversely, MDA levels (a marker of oxidative stress) were significantly higher in the exposed group, especially for those who had been working in gas stations for a longer time (>10 years). Hsp70 hematic concentration was also found higher in gas station attendants who worked for >10 years in the field, compared to the control group. The authors concluded that MMT-containing gasoline may diminish the antioxidant capabilities of the body and enhance lipid peroxidation levels in occupationally exposed workers. Hsp70 could be an interesting biomarker in this regard.

The pollution of living environment and workplaces by a large number of toxic agents, makes it essential to continue investigating the links between exposure to toxicant and development of certain pathologies, basing on epidemiological evidence and laboratory experiments.

Occupational and environmental exposure to CNTs and to nanoparticles in general is particularly important in this regard, as this scenario reminds us of what happened with asbestos some decades ago. Although this comparison may sound exaggerated, the studies presented above show that, even if some international agencies are recommending limits for occupational exposure, occupational and environmental exposure still continues even if the possible consequences are not yet fully clear.

Pesticides exposure shows similar issues. Even after years of investigations, scientific evidence is still conflicting with the fact that a proper assessment of occupational exposure is very difficult to obtain and this corrupts the reliability of a large number of epidemiological and retrospective studies. Recently, the use of algorithms and tools like job exposure matrices has been proposed to surpass this issue and establish the correct links between exposure to specific pesticides and the eventual development of diseases.

Lastly, the examination of some of the latest evidence regarding benzene toxicity points out another very interesting argument. In fact, the evidence that benzene exposure could be related to immunotoxic and epigenetic effects opens new scenarios about individual susceptibility to this molecule (as well as others), and probably leads towards a novel conception of occupational safety. Personal characteristics such as genetic polymorphisms and eventual epigenetic changes should, in fact, be considered for a real assessment of risk in the future.