Effects of immunodepressive contaminants on COVID-19 patients

There is a great deal of knowledge on the immunosuppressive and endocrine disrupting effects of a few contaminants detected in humans. These include persistent toxic substances (PTSs) (pesticides and halogenated industrial waste), inorganic elements (lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic), residues from exposure to plastics (phthalates, phenols) and pharmaceutical waste. This knowledge supports the hypotheses of this project on the possible effects of these contaminants on the body's immune response to the infection and its clinical manifestations. In terms of hormonal mechanisms, it is important to evaluate whether the endocrine disruption processes induced by the above-mentioned compounds can help explain the possible differences in the incidence and evolution of the above-mentioned outcomes, according to stage-of-life development (children, adults, older adults), sex, or living and socioenvironmental conditions.

Principal investigator: Dr. Miquel Porta. Coordinator of the IMIM's Epidemiology and Public Health Programme research group.
Funding: FONDO SUPERA LA COVID-19 (Associació CRUE Universidades Españolas/CSIC/Banco Santander).
Make a donation