LYMPHOCYTE SUBPOPULATIONS OF TRAFFIC POLICEMEN IN A TOWN OF CENTRAL ITALY (PRELIMINARY-STUDY)

Lymphocyte subpopulations were determined in 28 traffic policemen and in 14 male control subjects of a town in Central Italy. One half of each group was composed of smokers. The total number of lymphocytes and lymphocyte subpopulations, determined by flow-cytometric analysis, were not significantly altered in the traffic policemen who where smokers. However, in the non smoking traffic policemen, both number and percentage of CD8+ lymphocytes were significantly augmented of about 25 %, while the percentage of CD4+ lymphocytes and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio were significantly reduced by 22 and 35 %, respectively. Urinary lead (a toxic marker produced by vehicular traffic) was higher in the traffic policemen than in the control group; serum copper was slightly. augmented in the traffic policemen and in all the smokers; serum zinc was not modified. Highly significant correlations were found between urinary lead and CD16+ cells (mainly natural killer lymphocytes) and between serum copper and HLA-DR+ cells (B and activated T lymphocytes).