ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: The city of Limeira in São Paulo, Brazil, is characterized by a cluster of companies producing jewelry, plated jewelry, and fashion jewelry, with most of the laborforce composed of women. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to assess the health conditions of workers from gold plated and costume jewelry manufacturers in Limeira, in 2007. METHODOLOGY: Transversal study involving 383 women, comparing a group of 191 workers of electroplating sites considered exposed to cyanide to a group of 192 non-exposed. Work Index Capacity, Fagerström Scale of Tolerance, and a socio-demographic and occupational questionnaire were applied. RESULTS: The exposed group presented shorter average of time working in the company (p = 0.008), higher proportion of workers dealing with chemicals (p <0.001), wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (p <0.001), and receiving PPE provided by the companies where they worked (p <0.001). The group exposed to cyanide also presented lower proportion in reported morbidity (p = 0.042), but higher prevalence of chronic bronchitis (p = 0.027), chronic sinusitis (p = 0.022), and thyroid disorders (p = 0.022). CONCLUSION: The results indicate the need for cohort studies to examine the association between the reported diseases and cyanide exposure.
health; work; cyanide; electroplating
