Browsing by Author "Domingos, Catarina"
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- Occupational dermal exposure to alcohol-based desinfectant products against COVID-19: a protocol for a systematic reviewPublication . Domingos, Catarina; Costa, Carla; Oliveira, Ana; Carvalhais, Carlos; Santos, JoanaThe COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants in the workplaces as a preventive measure for disease transmission. These are biocidal products that may be associated with adverse health outcomes. Skin reactions, as irritant contact dermatitis or allergic contact dermatitis, are the most commonly reported health effects. The aim of this work is to present the protocol for a systematic review, intending to describe potential skin health effects associated with occupational dermal exposure to alcohol-based hand sanitisers and surface disinfectants and identify dermal exposure assessment methods applicable in manufacturing environment. To ensure that the review methods are transparent and reproducible, it is essential to describe the protocol before the review. For this systematic review, studies will be searched through Pubmed and Web of Science databases. The search strategy developed will comprise the following terms (not exhaustive list): “SARS-Cov2”; “Skin exposure”; “chemical-skin interactions” “skin exposure assessment”; “skin diseases”; “Alcohol-based hand sanitisers”; “surface disinfectants”; “alcoholic antiseptic agents”. Eligible studies will be descriptive or analytical studies that report occupational dermal exposure to alcohol-based formulations used in manufacturing to control SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Only articles written in English, published in the period from 2010 to the year 2021, will be included. Studies about domestic uses of these products, developed in non-industrial activities, which do not include evaluations of occupational dermal exposure, will be excluded. A narrative synthesis of the available evidence will be adopted. Data synthesis will focus on the reported skin effects and dermal exposure assessment methods used, identify possible inconsistencies found across studies, and examine the strength and robustness of retrieved data. This review will identify and synthesize studies that establish the association between occupational dermal exposure to alcohol-based formulations and skin effects and also that describe methods to dermal exposure risk assessment. Additionally, needs for future research in this field, will be identified.
- Self-reportefd dermal effects of hand sanitisers in industrial workersPublication . Costa, Carla; Carvalhais, Carlos; Domingos, Catarina; Oliveira, Ana; Santos, JoanaDuring COVID-19 pandemic, preventing the virus spread was extremely important to reduce the overall burden of the disease, to maintain the companies running and to remain safe. WHO recommended physical distances, appropriate use of personal protective equipment and hand hygiene practices to reduce the spread. Hand hygiene practice by using alcohol-based hand sanitisers was generalized in all sectors of activity, including those with no previous need to implement preventive measures against biological risks. The aim of this study was to obtain self-reported data on hand hygiene habits and perceived symptomatology regarding skin health effects associated with skin exposure to alcohol-based hand sanitisers of industrial workers during COVID-19 pandemic. Between November 2021 and April 2022, a questionnaire-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using 97 study participants. The reported information on hands sanitisers used show that most of the participants at work, use the hand sanitizer provided by the company a alcoholic solution of 2-propanol 70%. Nearly half of the workers disinfected their hands more than 3 times per day, but at work, there was a concern to also disinfect wrists and forearms. Self-reported dermal effects show that half of the participants noticed skin dryness with the increased use of hand sanitisers. The novelty of this work is posed by the type of sample under study (industrial rather than hospital context) which allow gathering data to build knowledge in this field and to develop guidelines of good practices on how to make adequate disinfection and to promote skin health in industrial settings.