Blood concentrations of metals, essential trace elements, rare earth elements and other chemicals in the general adult population of Barcelona: Distribution and associated sociodemographic factors.

Background: Very little information is available on the population distribution and on sociodemographic predictors of body concentrations of rare earth elements (REE) and other chemicals used in the manufacturing of high-tech devices.

Objectives: To analyze the distribution and associated sociodemographic factors of blood concentrations of chemical elements (including some metals, essential trace elements, rare earth elements and other minority elements) in a representative sample of the general population of Barcelona (Spain).

Methods: A sample of participants in the Barcelona Health Survey of 2016 (N = 240) were interviewed face-to-face, gave blood, and underwent a physical exam.

Prepandemic personal concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other pollutants: Specific and combined effects on the incidence of COVID-19 disease and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Objective: To investigate the specific and combined effects of personal concentrations of some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), other persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and chemical elements -measured in individuals' blood several years before the pandemic- on the development of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease in the general population.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study in 240 individuals from the general population of Barcelona. PFAS, other POPs, and chemical elements were measured in plasma, serum, and whole blood samples, respectively, collected in 2016-2017.

Food Security as a Social Determinant of Health: Tackling Inequalities in Primary Health Care in Spain.

Food insecurity can be understood as a manifestation of health inequality and thus a deprivation of the right to health. This paper explores the strategies followed in primary health care centers in Spain to care for people struggling to regularly access healthy, safe, and sufficient food. Ethnographically based, our study analyzes, on the one hand, the resources available to primary health care teams to assess the social determinants of health and, on the other, the importance that professionals give to food in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to inequality.

Supporting legislative action: Urinary levels of phthalates and phenols among influencers in the 'Plastics in the spotlight' advocacy initiative.

Background: Society-wide initiatives to prevent human exposure to plastic residues include laws and policies. Such measures require citizens' support, which can be increased by honest advocacy and pedagogic projects. These efforts must have a scientific basis.

Individual blood concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and chemical elements, and COVID-19: A prospective cohort study in Barcelona.

Background: There is wide, largely unexplained heterogeneity in immunological and clinical responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Numerous environmental chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and chemical elements (including some metals, essential trace elements, rare earth elements, and minority elements), are immunomodulatory and cause a range of adverse clinical events. There are no prospective studies on the effects of such substances on the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19.