Prevalence of occupational co-exposure to biomechanical factors and neurotoxic chemicals in French workers.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about occupational co-exposure. The objective was to assess the prevalence of exposure and co-exposure to biomechanical factors and neurotoxic chemicals in French workers in 2017.

METHODS: Data from the French representative survey SUMER 2017 (SUrveillance Médicale des Expositions aux Risques professionnels) were analyzed. A total of 25 118 workers were included. Exposure to 4 biomechanical factors (manual handling of loads, forceful joint exertion, repetitive movements, and hand-arm transmitted vibrations) and 18 neurotoxic chemicals (n-hexane, perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene, etc.) were assessed using a questionnaire during face-to-face interviews with occupational physicians.

RESULTS: Among men, 22.9% were exposed to at least one biomechanical factor and 10.2% were exposed to at least one neurotoxic chemical, mainly single exposures. Among women, 10.8% were exposed to at least one biomechanical factor and 3.1% were exposed to at least one neurotoxic chemical, also mainly single exposures. Occupational co-exposure to biomechanical factors and neurotoxic chemicals was observed among 4.8% of men and 0.7% of women. Workers under 30 yr old, blue-collar workers and those working in small companies were more co-exposed than other workers. In men, the prevalence of co-exposure was higher in the construction sector compared to other economic activities.

DISCUSSION: This study stresses the importance of considering multiple occupational exposures while the current prevention measures are designed to focus on preventing occupational factors individually.