Exposição a contaminantes ambientais inorgânicos e danos à saúde humana

Abstract

The mechanisms of toxicity of inorganic compounds in the human organism are complex and are not yet fully understood. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate what are the possible damages that the inorganic environmental contaminants can trigger in the human organism. For this, the PRISMA guidelines were followed, searching for original articles on the topic in the databases and in the PubMed, Lilacs and SciELO databases. A total of 72 articles were found, of which 18 were selected to be part of the present review. The most prevalent inorganic environmental contaminants found were heavy metals such as Lead, Cadmium, Manganese, Copper, Zinc and Mercury. Such metals have been researched as pollutants of soil and water, contaminating food and entering the human body mainly through the oral route. As a consequence of the bioaccumulation of these metals in human organs, tissues and cellular structures, there are pathologies related, mainly to the nervous system, kidneys, liver and endocrine system, the affected organ being directly related to the studied pollutant, via penetration, dose and exposure time. Human samples were collected mainly in a non-invasive manner, such as urine samples and other biological fluids. Additionally, it is important to highlight studies such as forms of treatment and prophylaxis such as supplementation with antioxidants, in addition to competition with other minerals such as selenium. It is concluded that human intoxication is a public health problem and more research is needed to understand the doses and exposure times necessary to trigger damage to the human body