In Colombia, the inhabitants of the Mojana region have historically been subjected to high levels of environmental and occupational exposure to mercury; however, there are few robust data on the magnitude of this exposure and associated factors. This study aimed to describe the levels of mercury in the workers and inhabitants in this region, and to identify the main sociodemographic and occupational factors that are associated with this exposure. A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which mercury levels were determined in biological samples (blood, urine, hair) from 1119 people in the Mojana region. A questionnaire was also administered, which was adapted from the Global Mercury Assessment. Linear regression models were adjusted for the natural logarithm of mercury levels in blood, urine, and hair, using the factors that were explored as independent variables. The study reports high mercury levels in 35.0% of blood samples (95% CI 31.9–38.1%), 28.8% (95% CI 24.9–32.8%) of urine samples, and 56.3% (95% CI 53.1–59.5%) of hair samples. The reported source of water for consumption was associated with high levels of mercury (p-value < 0.05). We provide evidence of high levels of mercury exposure for the population in the Mojana region.
Background The relationship of religious affiliation and mental health is complex, and being part of a minority religious group could have negative effects on mental health. In this study, we assessed the association between religious affiliation and major depressive episode (MDE) in older adults (> = 60 years) from China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the Study on global Ageing and adult health (SAGE), with six nationally-representative community-based samples ( n = 21,410). Religious affiliation was self-reported by participants, and we defined MDE based on ICD-10 classification. We estimated the association of MDE with religious affiliation versus no religious affiliation, and minority versus majority affiliation. Results We observed no association between having a religious affiliation (vs. no affiliation) and the odds of MDE in older adults. In most cases minorities had higher odds of MDE as compared with the majority religion, but the associations were only significant for Muslims in Ghana and for Muslims, Hindus and Other in South Africa. Conclusions While the results were significant only for two countries, we observed higher odds of MDE among minorities in most of them. Older adults who are members of religious minorities might be at risk for mental health problems, and there is a need for public health interventions aimed at them. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-6806-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Women are primarily exposed to mercury through the consumption of fish contaminated by gold mining activities. The main systems affected are the central nervous and renal systems, although effects on the reproductive system have also been found. Objective: To explore the relationship between mercury levels in women and their possible sources of contamination. A cross-sectional study was conducted from 2013 to 2015 with women residing in 11 municipalities in La Mojana, Colombia, using non-random sampling. Standardized instruments were used to identify sociodemographic characteristics, mercury use, mining-related activities, water and fish consumption, and other factors. Blood, urine, and hair samples were taken to quantify mercury levels. A logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with elevated mercury values in the participants’ samples. A total of 428 women were included, with an average age of 36.7 ± 16.7 years, 3.3% of whom were pregnant at the time of the survey and 8.4% of whom were exposed occupationally. High levels of mercury were present in 62.8% of the women, in any one of the three samples processed. Those exposed occupationally and environmentally had similar values (p = 0.821). Frequency of fish consumption and source of drinking water were associated with higher levels of mercury (p < 0.05).
Una adecuada implementación de los protocolos de bioseguridad requiere conocimientos adecuados y actitudes a favor de la bioseguridad, por parte de los trabajadores de las organizaciones. Por consiguiente, dada la situación de emergencia sanitaria por COVID-19, es importante de acoger medidas de bioseguridad en todos los entornos, que permitan el despliegue apropiado de protocolos de bioseguridad. La presente investigación buscó describir los conocimientos y actitudes sobre bioseguridad y factor de riesgo biológico durante la pandemia por COVID-19 en un grupo de docentes de colegios del área metropolitana de Bucaramanga. La información se recolectó por medio de un cuestionario virtual y la muestra fue no probabilista. Como principales hallazgos se encontró que la mayoría de los docentes, con un resultado del 91% están total o parcialmente de acuerdo con que los protocolos de bioseguridad ayudan a prevenir el contagio por coronavirus y que en el lugar de trabajo se implementan los protocolos de bioseguridad de forma adecuada con un 88%.
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