Is chemical exposure present in informal work associated with Sars-CoV-2 infection?

Author(s)

Fernanda Junqueira Salles ^[1] ; Isabelle Nogueira Leroux ^[2] ; Alda Neis Miranda de Araujo ^[3] ; Nilson Antonio Assunção ^[4] ; Maciel Santos Luz ^[5] ; Glaucia Raquel Luciano da Veiga ^[6] ; Fernando Luiz Affonso Fonseca ; Fredi Alexander Diaz-Quijano ^[8] ; Kelly Polido Kaneshiro Olympio ^[9]

Affiliation

^[1] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Saúde Pública. Departamento de Saúde Ambiental - Brasil

^[2] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Saúde Pública. Departamento de Saúde Ambiental - Brasil

^[3] Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas - Brasil

^[4] Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Instituto de Ciências Ambientais, Químicas e Farmacêuticas - Brasil

^[5] Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas de São Paulo. Laboratório de Processos Metalúrgicos - Brasil

^[6] Centro Universitário Faculdade de Medicina do ABC. Laboratório Clínico - Brasil

^[8] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Saúde Pública. Departamento de Epidemiologia - Brasil

^[9] Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Saúde Pública. Departamento de Saúde Ambiental - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Revista de Saúde Pública; v. 57, 2023-05-26.

Abstract

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To compare the incidence of covid-19 symptoms between informal home-based workers and a control group and to assess the association of these cases with blood elements concentrations and other relevant risk factors for Sars-Cov-2 infection. METHODS Welders chemically exposed to potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (n = 26) and control participants (n = 25) answered questionnaires on adherence to social distancing and signs and symptoms of the disease for five months during the covid-19 pandemic. After follow-up, covid-19 serology tests were performed on a subsample of 12 chemically exposed workers and 20 control participants. Before the pandemic, PTE concentrations in blood (As, Mn, Ni, Cd, Hg, Sb, Sn, Cu, Zn, and Pb) were measured by ICP-MS. RESULTS The chemically exposed group had higher lead and cadmium levels in blood (p < 0.01). The control group presented lower adherence to social distancing (p = 0.016). Although not significant, welders had a 74% greater chance of having at least one covid-19 symptom compared with control participants, but their adherence to social distancing decreased this chance by 20%. The use of taxis for transportation was a risk factor significantly associated with covid-19 symptoms. CONCLUSION The lower adherence to social distancing among the control group greatly influences the development of covid-19. The literature lacks data linking exposure to PTEs and Sars-Cov-2 infection and/or severity. In this study, despite chemical exposure, working from home may have protected welders against covid-19, considering that they maintained greater social distancing than control participants. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/20752-8 - EMU granted in process 2014/50887-4: ICP-MS
• Grantee: Fernando Jose Gomes Landgraf
• Support Opportunities: Multi-user Equipment Program
• FAPESP's process: 17/25424-9 - The impact of chemical exposure on the transcriptome of informal workers
• Grantee: Fernanda Junqueira Salles
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 18/18391-0 - The "omics" era applied to society: the impact of formal and informal labor on the exposome of workers with an emphasis on metabolomics, transcriptomics and lipidomics
• Grantee: Kelly Polido Kaneshiro Olympio
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants