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Food and Chemical Toxicology : An... Dec 2020Multiple medical, lifestyle, and environmental conditions, including smoking and particulate pollution, have been considered as risk factors for COronaVIrus Disease 2019...
Multiple medical, lifestyle, and environmental conditions, including smoking and particulate pollution, have been considered as risk factors for COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) susceptibility and severity. Taking into account the high level of toxic metals in both particulate matter (PM2.5) and tobacco smoke, the objective of this review is to discuss recent data on the role of heavy metal exposure in development of respiratory dysfunction, immunotoxicity, and severity of viral diseases in epidemiological and experimental studies, as to demonstrate the potential crossroads between heavy metal exposure and COVID-19 severity risk. The existing data demonstrate that As, Cd, Hg, and Pb exposure is associated with respiratory dysfunction and respiratory diseases (COPD, bronchitis). These observations corroborate laboratory findings on the role of heavy metal exposure in impaired mucociliary clearance, reduced barrier function, airway inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. The association between heavy metal exposure and severity of viral diseases, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus has been also demonstrated. The latter may be considered a consequence of adverse effects of metal exposure on adaptive immunity. Therefore, reduction of toxic metal exposure may be considered as a potential tool for reducing susceptibility and severity of viral diseases affecting the respiratory system, including COVID-19.
Topics: Air Pollution; Animals; Arsenic; COVID-19; Cadmium; Environmental Exposure; Heavy Metal Poisoning; Humans; Lead; Mercury; Metals, Heavy; Respiratory Tract Diseases; SARS-CoV-2; Severity of Illness Index; Smoking
PubMed: 33069759
DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2020.111809 -
Annals of Global Health Oct 2019Workers in the informal economy often incur exposure to well-documented occupational health hazards. Insufficient attention has been afforded to rigorously evaluating...
BACKGROUND
Workers in the informal economy often incur exposure to well-documented occupational health hazards. Insufficient attention has been afforded to rigorously evaluating intervention programs to reduce the risks, especially in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM).
OBJECTIVES
This systematic review, conducted as part of the World Health Organization's Global Plan of Action for Workers' Health, sought to assess the state of knowledge on occupational health programs and interventions for the informal artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector, an occupation which directly employs at least 50 million people.
METHODS
We used a comprehensive search strategy for four well-known databases relevant to health outcomes: PubMed, Engineering Village, OVID Medline, and Web of Science, and employed the PRISMA framework for our analysis.
FINDINGS
Ten studies met the inclusion criteria of a primary study focused on assessing the impact of interventions addressing occupational health concerns in ASGM. There were no studies evaluating or even identifying comprehensive occupational health and safety for this sector although target interventions addressing specific hazards exist. Major areas of intervention-education and introduction of mercury-reducing/eliminating technology were identified, and the challenges and limitations of each intervention taken into assessment. Even for these, however, there was a lack of standardization for measuring outcome or impact let alone long-term health outcomes for miners and mining communities.
CONCLUSION
There is an urgent need for research on comprehensive occupational health programs addressing the array of hazards faced by artisanal and small-scale miners.
Topics: Conservation of Natural Resources; Environmental Pollution; Extraction and Processing Industry; Gold; Health Education; Humans; Informal Sector; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning; Mining; Occupational Exposure; Occupational Health; Technology; Water Pollution; World Health Organization
PubMed: 31709160
DOI: 10.5334/aogh.2592