Introduction/background/objectives:

Sometimes there are customers who operate in the field of wastewater/sewage treatment; so workers are subject to the particular risks of these activities. The purpose of this review was to summarize what most pertinent was written about the topic.

Methodology:

This is a Bibliographic Review, initiated through a research carried out in March 2021, in the databases “CINALH plus with full text, Med line with full text, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Methodology Register, Nursing and Allied Health Collection: comprehensive, MedicLatina and RCAAP”.

Contents:

Water pollution is relevant, especially in urban areas in more developed or developing countries. In these circumstances there is usually an organized water treatment system, which employs a reasonable number of workers.

Most of the articles selected highlighted the biological and chemical risk.

Wastewater contains numerous microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. There is a high production of bioaerosols. The atmospheric concentration of endotoxins is generally higher in places where the agitation of the liquid is higher, especially when it circulates at high pressure and in the cleaning of some structures. Bioaerosols can contain the microorganism itself or fragments/endotoxins produced by it.

Part of the chemical agents in question are genotoxic/carcinogenic; aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, pesticides, paints, nitrosamines and biphenyls can be found. However, exposure varies between jobs and timings; sometimes it is even intermittent, which makes the assessment more difficult.

Discussion and Conclusions:

The bibliography is scarce. It would be relevant the sector be better studied and characterized, producing data that would be publishable and useful for Occupational Health teams with clients in this area, to enhance their performance.

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