Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Pollution Poses Health Risks to Transport Workers

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sep 3 2012 (IPS) - Workers whose jobs place them in direct contact with air pollution face a higher possibility of health problems involving the eyes and lungs, as well as a higher risk of cancer. These were some of the findings of a study conducted by researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo, in association with the University of São Paulo and Harvard University, based on an analysis of the health of 71 taxi drivers and 30 traffic inspectors in the city of São Paulo over a four-year period.

A less vulnerable sample group, made up of 20 individuals who work in areas with a lot of vegetation, were used for comparison.

“As a result of contact with polluted air, the workers in the first group experienced alterations in blood pressure and heart rate, a greater tendency towards obesity, conjunctivitis and rhinitis, and a larger number of chromosomal translocations, which signifies the risk of cancer,” medical doctor Paulo Saldiva, the coordinator of the study, told Tierramérica.