From exposome up to Regulatory Toxicology: a thematic study on potentially toxic elements (PTEs) exposure of families inserted in informal productive arrangement in the jewelry and fashion jewelry chain from Limeira, SP

Abstract

The city of Limeira - SP leads the ranking of jewelry, plated jewelry and fashion jewelry companies concentration. The electroplating is part of the manufacturing process of these accessories which causes elimination of many toxic substances in the environment. Considering the outsourcing and informal practices in the local productive arrangement (LPA) in the city, there is concern about the consequences of these processes for human and environmental health. This project aims to study, thematically, the exposure of families (men, childbearing age women, children and adolescents) inserted in the informal LPA of jewelry, plated jewelry and fashion jewelry through biomonitoring of potentially toxic elements (PTE) and essential elements and the effects on health, as well as evaluating the social and domestic work conditions in which these families are with respective assessment of the environmental impact of the activity. A preliminary study will be conducted on the number of households and the production process involved assessing, using interviews, socioeconomic conditions and health problems of population by age group. Analyzes of the biomarker concentrations will be made in blood and breathing zone of the workers. Thus, it is expected to determine possible associations between high PTEs levels found in the environment and blood, activities in the jobs and reported diseases in interviews. A regulatory approach will use the Gap analysis in the study. It is also aim of this project the consolidation of the international collaboration with HEALS (Health and Environment-wide Associations based on Large population Surveys), in respect to exposome study, not yet started in Brazil, but broadly in development in the Europe and United States. (AU)