Comprehensive assessment of occupational exposure to microbial contamination in waste sorting facilities from Norway

Carla Viegas; Elke Eriksen; Bianca Gomes; Marta Dias; Renata Cervantes; Pedro Pena; Elisabete Carolino; Magdalena Twarużek; Liliana Aranha Caetano; Susana Viegas; Pål Graff; Anani Komlavi Afanou; Anne Straumfors

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1297725

Comprehensive assessment of occupational exposure to microbial contamination in waste sorting facilities from Norway

Front Public Health. 2023 Dec 19:11:1297725. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1297725. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Carla Viegas^{1

2}, Elke Eriksen³, Bianca Gomes^{1

4}, Marta Dias^{1

2}, Renata Cervantes^{1

2}, Pedro Pena^{1

2}, Elisabete Carolino¹, Magdalena Twarużek⁵, Liliana Aranha Caetano^{1

6}, Susana Viegas^{1

2}, Pål Graff³, Anani Komlavi Afanou³, Anne Straumfors³

Affiliations

¹ H&TRC - Health & Technology Research Center, ESTeSL - Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
² NOVA National School of Public Health, Public Health Research Centre, Comprehensive Health Research Center, CHRC, NOVA University Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
³ National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI), Oslo, Norway.
⁴ CE3C - Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Change, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
⁵ Kazimierz Wielki University, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Department of Physiology and Toxicology, Chodkiewicza, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
⁶ Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.uLisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.

Abstract

Introduction: It is of upmost importance to contribute to fill the knowledge gap concerning the characterization of the occupational exposure to microbial agents in the waste sorting setting (automated and manual sorting).

Methods: This study intends to apply a comprehensive field sampling and laboratory protocol (culture based-methods and molecular tools), assess fungal azole resistance, as well as to elucidate on potential exposure related health effects (cytotoxicity analyses). Skin-biota samples (eSwabs) were performed on workers and controls to identify other exposure routes.

Results: In personal filter samples the guidelines in one automated industry surpassed the guidelines for fungi. Seasonal influence on viable microbial contamination including fungi with reduced susceptibility to the tested azoles was observed, besides the observed reduced susceptibility of pathogens of critical priority (Mucorales and Fusarium sp.). Aspergillus sections with potential toxigenic effect and with clinical relevance were also detected in all the sampling methods.

Discussion: The results regarding skin-biota in both controls´ and workers´ hands claim attention for the possible exposure due to hand to face/mouth contact. This study allowed concluding that working in automated and manual waste sorting plants imply high exposure to microbial agents.

Keywords: Aspergillus spp.; azole resistance screening; manual and automated waste sorting; microbial agents; occupational exposure assessment.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aspergillus
Environmental Monitoring* / methods
Humans
Norway
Occupational Exposure* / analysis

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Portugal) for funding the EEA Grants Project-EXPOGreen FBR38 and by Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education, under the program "Regional Initiative of Excellence" in 2019-2022 (Grant No. 008/RID/2018/19). H&TRC authors gratefully acknowledge the FCT/MCTES national support through the UIDB/05608/2020 and UIDP/05608/2020 and the PhD Grant UI/BD/151431/2021. This work was supported by national funds through FCT/MCTES/FSE/UE, UI/BD/153746/2022 and CE3C unit UIDB/00329/2020 within the scope of a PhD Grant.