New occupational risks by technology

• April 25, 2024

The report "Emerging risks and new models of prevention in a world of work in transformation", recently published by the International Labor Organization (ILO), highlights the risks related to technical innovations, such as nanotechnology and the biotechnology .

The manipulation of nanomaterials generate unknown hazards, both in health and in the environment. It is estimated that by 2020, 20% of the manufactured products will be manufactured with some type of these materials, so there will be countless people exposed to possible insecurities.

Refering to biotechnology , the biological alarms from prevalent infectious diseases affect, above all, the health sector and group more than 35 million people around the world.

The ILO highlights the use of chemicals in agriculture or the risk derived from specialization in genetic engineering , with consequences still unknown.

The report exposes other possible causes of emerging risks: higher workloads and intensification of work (cut-outs) or new forms of employment (subcontracting, independent employment or temporary contracts).

Main effects

Certain conditions in the field of work continue to cause diseases, such as asbestosis, a lung pathology caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers (asbestos) that affects, above all, mechanics.

Wave silicosis of the miners, which also causes breathing difficulties by inhaling chemical compounds that contain crystalline silica.

Regarding contact with chemical agents, the manufacturers of insecticides or of toys they continue to develop health problems due to phosphorus (myocarditis, conditions in the jaws, bronchitis , dermatitis , among other).

On the other hand, printers, plumbers, metallurgists and welders run the danger associated with lead: gastroduodenitis, polyneuropathy or toxic encephalopathy, to give several examples.

Stress, your worst enemy

Other frequent conditions continue to be caused by excess noise , by stress (hypertension , coronary insufficiencies, gastric problems ) or for repetitive work or that require strange postures. The latter result in musculoskeletal problems such as tendonitis and the low back pain .

Although it is more difficult to detect for diagnosing in the long term, a high percentage of cases of Cancer It is not due to endogenous factors (from the interior), but to environmental factors: from exposure to smoke of the tabacco as to the same work environment.

Video Medicine: Hazard, Risk & Safety - Understanding Risk Assessment, Management and Perception (April 2024).