INTRODUCTION. The Sacco Valley (Lazio, Italy) is characterized by high density population and several industrial chemical productions that during the time had led to a substantial amount of by-products. The result was a severe environmental pollution of the area and in particular of the river Sacco. In 1991, the analysis of water and soils samples of three industrial landfills revealed the presence of organochlorine compounds and heavy metals. A research project named "Health of residents living in Sacco Valley area", coordinated by the regional Department of Epidemiology, was undertaken and financed to evaluate the state of health of the population living near those polluted areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Cd, Hg and Pb were quantified in 246 blood samples of potentially exposed residents of the Sacco Valley by quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS). RESULTS. Individuals who agreed to be sampled did not exhibit high levels of the elements. The distance from the river does not seem to be directly connected with the elements levels in blood. The contribution of these contaminants to the total intake due to ingestion of food was difficult to evaluate. The unclear trend of data would require a characterization of the polluted site with environmental sampling of different matrices.

X-ray radiography plays an important role in the study of artworks. It particularly provides information on the origin, authenticity, painting technique, material conditions and its conservation history. This article describes a system based on semiconductor microstrip detector for acquisition X-ray images using the k-edge logarithmic substraction technique. The system has been characterized and the first images of its application for pigment detection are shown.

La radiografía de rayos-X juega un papel importante en el estudio de obras de arte, específicamente suministra información sobre la génesis, autenticidad, técnica de la pintura, condiciones del material e historia de su conservación. El trabajo muestra un sistema desarrollado, a partir de detectores semiconductores de microbandas para adquirir imágenes de rayos X basado en la técnica de substracción logarítmica del borde de absorción K. El sistema se caracterizó y se muestran las primeras imágenes de su aplicación en la detección de pigmentos.