El mercurio como contaminante y factor de riesgo para la salud humana / Mercury as a pollutant and risk factor for human health / Mercúrio como poluente e fator de risco para a saúde humana

Resumen El mercurio (Hg) es considerado en la actualidad un contaminante a nivel mundial, que además impacta de manera negativa sobre la salud de las personas que están expuestas a este. Dentro de sus efectos más graves se encuentran afectaciones a nivel del sistema nervioso, por lo cual se considera un problema de salud pública que requiere la atención adecuada. El mercurio puede entrar al cuerpo a través de la ingesta, inhalación y absorción, por lo cual las poblaciones expuestas a actividades como la minería en pequeña escala representa un factor de riesgo importante sobre el cual se deben establecer estrategias para la mitigación de la exposición al mercurio. Teniendo en cuenta lo anterior, este artículo de revisión presenta los avances y tendencias significativas reportadas por bibliografía indexada, tanto a nivel nacional como latinoamericano e internacional. Las evidencias son claras: la intervención de estrategias de mayor escala es urgente para controlar la contaminación por mercurio de las fuentes de abastecimiento de agua y alimentos y prevenir afectaciones graves a la salud de los seres humanos.

Abstract Mercury (Hg) is currently considered a global pollutant, which also has a negative impact on the health of people who are exposed to it. Among its most serious effects are affectations at the level of the nervous system, which is why it is considered a public health problem that requires adequate attention. Mercury can enter the body through ingestion, inhalation and absorption, which is why populations exposed to activities such as small-scale mining represent an important risk factor on which strategies must be established to mitigate mercury exposure. Taking the foregoing into account, this review article presents the progress and trends of 50 articles consulted from different indexed journals, both nationally and at the Latin American and international level. The evidence is clear: the intervention of larger-scale strategies is urgent to control mercury contamination of food and water supplies and prevent serious damage to human health.

Resumo O mercúrio (Hg) é atualmente considerado um poluente global, que também tem um impacto negativo na saúde das pessoas que estão expostas a este. Entre seus efeitos de maior gravedade estão as afecções do sistema nervoso, por isso é considerado um problema de saúde pública que requer atenção adequada. O mercúrio pode entrar no corpo através da ingestão, inalação e absorção, razão pela qual populações expostas a atividades como a mineração em pequena escala representam um importante fator de risco sobre o qual estratégias devem ser estabelecidas para mitigar a exposição ao mercúrio. Tendo em conta o exposto, este artigo de revisão apresenta os avanços e tendências significativas relatadas pela bibliografia indexada, tanto no âmbito nacional, quanto latino-americano e internacional. A evidência é clara: a intervenção de estratégias em larga escala é urgente para controlar a contaminação por mercúrio das fontes de abastecimento de água e alimentos e prevenir sérios danos à saúde humana.

Association between Workplace Risk Factor Exposure and Sleep Disturbance: Analysis of the 2nd Korean Working Conditions Survey

OBJECTIVES: Sleep is essential for human beings to live and work properly. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between occupational exposures to workplace risk factors and sleep disturbance in Korean workers. METHODS: The data were drawn from the second Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS); a total of 7,112 paid workers were analyzed. The independent variables were occupational exposures such as physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial risk factor in the workplace, and psychosocial risk factor was divided into five categories (job demand, job control, social support, job insecurity, lack of reward). We estimated the relationship between various occupational exposures and sleep disturbance using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that people who exposed to physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial (high job demand, inadequate social support, lack of reward) risk factors were more likely to increase the risk of sleep disturbance. Furthermore, after adjusting for general and occupational characteristics, we found significant positive associations between exposures to physical (odds ratios [OR] 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-2.07) and psychosocial (high job demand (OR 2.93, 95% CI 2.16-3.98), inadequate social support (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.14-2.15), lack of reward (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.08-1.96)) risk factors and sleep disturbance. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that occupational exposures to physical and psychosocial workplace risk factors are significantly related to sleep disturbance.

Visión cromática en trabajadoresde lavanderías de Usaquén y Suba / Color vision in workers of laundries of Usaquén and Suba

En las lavanderías los trabajadores están expuestos a riesgos de tipo químico y de manejo de sustancias como el percloroetileno y el tetracloroetileno, las cuales ocasionan intoxicación del sistema nervioso, siendo la retina uno de los primeros tejidos afectados y uno de los indicadores de dicha intoxicación.Objetivo: valorar los cambios visuales con la prueba de visión cromática al inicio y al final de la jornada laboral de los participantes en la investigación.Materiales y métodos: se realizó prueba de visión cromática a un grupo de 60 trabajadores de los puestosde lavado y planchado de lavanderías de Usaquén y Suba, que tuvieran 6 meses de trabajo continuo y que no padecieran de ningún tipo de alteración en la visión cromática, daño retinal o cualquier patología o alteración de la función visual que pudiera interveniren los resultados. El test empleado fue FarnsworthD-15, este test fue aplicado antes y después de la jornada laboral. Resultados: al analizar los porcentajespor categoría (Protane, Deutan, Tritan y Normal), el 5 por ciento (3/60) de los trabajadores tuvieron categoría Protane y Deutane; el 28 por ciento (12/60) Tritane al inicio de la jornada y un 33 por ciento (14/60) al final. Veintisiete trabajadorespresentaron categoría normal al inicio de la jornada (63 por ciento) y 25 al final (58 por ciento). Conclusiones: la alteración en el eje amarillo-azul es la que más se presentó en los trabajadores de lavanderías.

In the laundry workers are at risk of chemical and handling chemicals such as ethylene perchloric, tetrachlorodiphenylethylene, which caused intoxicationlevel nervous, being the retina among the first affected tissue and one of the indicators of intoxicationsystemic.Objectives: to evaluate the changes with visual proof of colour vision at the beginning and end of the workday of the participants of research.Materials and methods: This colour vision test to a group of 60 workers from the posts of washing and ironing laundry of Usaquén and Suba, who had 6 months of continuous work and not suffer from any change in the colour vision , Retinal damage or any condition or alteration of visual function that could intervene in the outcome. The test used was Farnsworth D-15, this test was applied before and after the workday.Results: In analyzing the percentages in each category (Protan, Deuter, Tritan and Normal). The 5 percent (3/60) of workers had Protan and Deutane category, 28 percent (12/60) Tritane at the start of the day and 33 percent (14/60) at the end. 27 workers had normal category at the beginning of the day (63 percent) and 25 at the end (58 percent). Conclusions: The change in the yellow-blue axis is the one that is present in more workers in laundries.

Proposta de mudança no ensino de toxicologia do médico do trabalho no Brasil, a partir da análise de erros cometidos por profissionais na condução de casos atendidos / Proposal of change in the teaching of toxicology of the occupational physician in Brazil, based on the analysis of errors made by professionals in the management of cases attended

Em um universo de centenas de casos envolvendo problemas de toxicologia ocupacional atendidos ao longo de 17 anos (1984 a 2001) por uma instituição governamental especializada em Saúde e Trabalho, foi constado que a grande maioria deles tinha sido anteriormente conduzido de forma equivocada pelos médicos do trabalho. Isto mostrou uma falha no ensino deste conhecimento a estes profissionais, e a partir deste fato, o ensino de toxicologia para os médicos, e especialmente para os médicos do trabalho, foi estudado, assim como os conceitos fundamentais das boas práticas da toxicologia ocupacional. A fim de se propor maneiras objetivas de melhoria dos cursos, foram analisados em profundidade dez casos extraídos do universo existente através do método qualitativo de estudos de casos, muito utilizado na área de educação, e a partir da compreensão das causas que levaram aos conceitos equivocados, e que tiveram suas conseqüências nos erros cometidos, foram elaboradas propostas de mudança da forma de se ministrar o conhecimento de toxicologia aos médicos do trabalho no Brasil

In a universe of hundreds of cases related to occupational toxicology, assisted over 17 years (from 1984 to 2001) in a governmental institution specialized in Occupational Health, it was observed that the great majority of them had been inadequately managed by the occupational physicians previously. This fact showed a flaw in the knowledge to these professionals. Based on this finding, a study was designed to evaluate the teaching of toxicology for physicians, particularly occupational physicians, as well as to assess the essential concepts of the good practices of occupational toxicology. In order to suggest objective measures to improve the courses, ten cases were deeply analyzed using a case study, a qualitative research methodology frequently used in the Education area. Based on the understanding of the causes responsible by the equivocal concepts, a set of proposals for changing the teaching of toxicology to occupational physicians in Brazil has been created.