Presentation of the C.I.M.E. Project

Mazara del Vallo (Trapani), 07 May 2009
" 31 Marzo 1946" Conference Hall

Project description:
C.I.M.E. is a research project promoted by the Seamen’s Security Institute (IPSEMA) and the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Policies. NHIMP and SASN (Seamen’s Assistance Service) provide collaboration and scientific advice for the project.
The main objective is to carry out an information campaign aimed at promoting health self-protection and education among seamen, particularly neo-communitarian and extra-communitarian.
The research aims at providing in-depth studies on health risks for sailors, particularly referring to skin tumours, gastroenteric pathologies, infectious and parasitary diseases, including sexually transmitted infections, and damages caused by noise. It also provides a screening of the staff through specialist medical examinations.
Knowledge leads to prevention, risk decrease and health protection.

Scheduled activities:

- Medical examinations on a sample of ships aimed at screening health conditions of Italian, neo-communitarian and extra-communitarian seamen;
- Creation of a scientific booklet, translated into the main languages, on health education, particularly on protection from solar radiations, healthy diet respecting different food traditions, main infectious and parasitary diseases and exposure to sound pollution;
- Organization of events in the major Italian harbours for publicizing the information campaign among public opinion, press and competent authorities.
Health risks for seamen:

Working at sea exposes to health risks due to the exposure to solar radiations, the long cohabitation in small environments, the diet and the high levels of noise and vibrations.
Damages caused by solar exposure are numerous: sunrashes, maculae, photoaging, skin tumours. For seamen ultraviolet radiations should be considered as a real occupational health risk factor. The information about right exposure to ultraviolet radiations is fundamental, since a culture of protection based on phototypes is often absent.
One of the most important elements to keep good health is to follow a correct diet. If the energy and nutrient intake is unbalanced we have malnutrition:
- If it is higher than the food requirements, we have overweight/obesity and associated chronic degenerative diseases (diabetes, cardio-circulatory diseases, etc.)
- If it is lower we have nutritional and/or protein and caloric insufficiency.
It is important to know the elements of a correct diet to be followed by respecting food traditions.
Infectious and parasitary diseases may be transmitted through infected foods or direct contact with infected people. It is fundamental to diffuse multicultural information materials for advising seamen on the prevention of health risks related to these pathologies.

When noise exposure is high, a temporary or permanent hearing loss may occur: the irreversible damage is called “deafness from noise”. A prolonged exposure to intense noise may also cause an aspecific syndrome whose symptoms are stress and biological, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and mental disorders.