Occupational exposure and respiratory diseases in Brazil

Abstract

The exposure to environmental factors is a major source of morbidity in Brazil. Despite the reduction in the rates of traditional pneumoconiosis as coal worker’s lung and asbestosis ascribed to the several improvements that were made in the working conditions and the trend towards urbanization, other risk factors have emerged. Among them, air pollution and new risk factors pertinent to the workplace are nowadays co-responsible for the increasing rates of asthma and COPD exacerbations. Although many advances were made by researchers on this field, significant improvements in epidemiologic surveillance and risk assessment of individuals exposed to occupational hazards are needed. These advances will allow early interventions that may reduce the burden of occupational exposure on respiratory function.