Families inserted in local productive arrangement of the productive chain of jewelry and fashion jewelry from Limeira, SP: the occupational exposure to chemical contaminants in home setting

Abstract

Families inserted in Local Productive Arrangement of the productive chain of jewelry and fashion jewelry from Limeira, SP: the occupational exposure to chemical contaminants in home setting.Supervisor: Profª. Drª. Kelly Polido Kaneshiro Olympio. Candidate for scholarship: Ana Paula Sacone da Silva.Host institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública - Universidade de São Paulo. Abstract: The city of Limeira has the largest national center for jewelry and fashion jewelry production, representing 60% of production in Brazil. Local surveys indicate that one third of the economically active population of the municipality may be related, directly or indirectly, in jewelry industry. Some families carry out activities in their homes; however, this manufacturing process needs care due to handling hazardous inputs. Some items of jewelry and fashion jewelry manufacturing process expose workers to high potential for toxicity elements whose chronic exposure, even at low concentrations, can cause severe damage to human health. This study aims to assess the exposure of families inserted in the Local Productive Arrangement of jewelry and fashion jewelry industries from Limeira, SP, through biomonitoring of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sn and Zn). Therefore, a descriptive study will be carried out on the number of households and the jewelry and fashion jewelry production process in Limeira, SP, and determinations of the concentrations of these PTEs will be made in the blood and in the workers' breathing zone, by collecting air. Thus, it is expected to determine possible associations between high levels of PTEs found in the environment and their jobs with the concentrations of the respective PTEs in blood. In addition, for a broader social contribution, a regulatory base survey and the construction of a Gap analysis will be performed, showing possible health risks found in homes and better alternatives to recommend for this population. (AU)