RESUMO

OBJECTIVES: To identify and evaluate, based on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and the legislation of the Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres (ANTT - National Agency for Terrestrial Transport), the hazards arising from chemical waste generated in research laboratories in the health area. METHODS: Chemical residues generated in two medical research laboratories of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo were inventoried, from November 2017 to April 2019, and classified according to the GHS (hazard statements) and the ANTT transport legislation (risk classes), to determine the dangers coming from the respective substances and mixtures. RESULTS: In total, we identified 40 substances or mixtures with classification by the GHS indicating 36 hazard statements, 27 of which related to human health. According to the legislation established by ANTT, we found 16 cases of hazard associated with flammability, 15 cases related to toxicity and 12 cases related to corrosivity. CONCLUSIONS: Chemical residues generated in the laboratories studied are diversified in terms of their hazard characteristics, implying the possibility of exposure to severe risks to workers, students and the environment. The correct identification of these residues is a primary factor for reducing exposure to risks.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Management of contaminated sites requires application of remediation technologies to reduce environmental and human health risks, but these actions can also produce negative effects, such as energy and natural resources consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and impacts on local communities. The tenets of sustainability can be used to select sustainable alternatives in the environmental cleanup of these areas to reduce negative consequences and seek new solutions for site reuse. The present study evaluates seven case studies of contaminated sites to identify how sustainable practices were adopted at each site and how environmental, economic and social benefits were achieved. Based on this survey, an in-depth analysis of 48 sustainable management practices was conducted to assess interim actions and institutional controls at a contaminated site located on the campus of University of Sao Paulo (USP) in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The analysis involved a discussion about how future potential improvements to sustainable practices at the site could generate benefits and sustainable gains, such as improvement of quality of life of university students and surrounding communities; reduction of natural resource use, reduction of costs represented by the consumption of water and reduction of demand of potable water for society. The result of this analysis is a site-specific framework of 36 sustainable practices represented by a graphical approach with several examples that can be adopted during assessment and remediation on a case study basis, taking into account the needs and guidelines of the administration of the contaminated site. This approach can easily be adopted by the public and stakeholders who want to apply sustainable practices in other sites. The site-specific framework demonstrates how sustainable principles can be included in the process of contaminated sites management in an integrated process, meeting the needs and expectations of all affected stakeholders.

Assuntos

RESUMO

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES: To identify and evaluate, based on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and the legislation of the Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres (ANTT - National Agency for Terrestrial Transport), the hazards arising from chemical waste generated in research laboratories in the health area. METHODS: Chemical residues generated in two medical research laboratories of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo were inventoried, from November 2017 to April 2019, and classified according to the GHS (hazard statements) and the ANTT transport legislation (risk classes), to determine the dangers coming from the respective substances and mixtures. RESULTS: In total, we identified 40 substances or mixtures with classification by the GHS indicating 36 hazard statements, 27 of which related to human health. According to the legislation established by ANTT, we found 16 cases of hazard associated with flammability, 15 cases related to toxicity and 12 cases related to corrosivity. CONCLUSIONS: Chemical residues generated in the laboratories studied are diversified in terms of their hazard characteristics, implying the possibility of exposure to severe risks to workers, students and the environment. The correct identification of these residues is a primary factor for reducing exposure to risks.

RESUMO OBJETIVOS: Identificar e avaliar, com base no Sistema Globalmente Harmonizado de Classificação e Rotulagem de Produtos Químicos (GHS) e na legislação da Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres (ANTT), os perigos provenientes dos resíduos químicos gerados em laboratórios de pesquisa na área de saúde. MÉTODOS: Resíduos químicos gerados em dois Laboratórios de Investigação Médica da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo foram inventariados, no período de novembro de 2017 a abril de 2019, e classificados conforme o GHS (frases de perigo) e a legislação de transportes da ANTT (classes de risco), para determinação dos perigos provenientes das respectivas substâncias e misturas. RESULTADOS: No total, foram identificadas 40 substâncias ou misturas, cuja classificação pelo GHS indicou 36 frases de perigo, sendo 27 relacionadas à saúde humana. De acordo com a legislação estabelecida pela ANTT, foram encontrados 16 casos de periculosidade associada à inflamabilidade, 15 casos relacionados à toxicidade e 12 casos relativos à corrosividade. CONCLUSÕES: Resíduos químicos gerados nos laboratórios estudados são diversificados quanto a suas características de periculosidade, implicando a possibilidade de exposição a riscos severos aos trabalhadores, aos estudantes e ao ambiente. A correta identificação desses resíduos é fator primordial para diminuição da exposição aos riscos.

Assuntos

RESUMO

OBJECTIVE: To analyze factors associated with diarrheal disease in the rural Caribbean region of Colombia. METHOD: A cross-sectional study conducted in the rural area of the Cesar Department, Colombia, between November 2017 and June 2018. Self-reported cases of diarrheal disease were surveyed, and water samples from 42 households were collected and analyzed. Descriptive statistics were employed in the analysis of socioeconomic status, environmental and sanitary conditions, and we evaluated their association with the diarrheal disease using the Poisson regression models. Each model was adjusted with variables suggested by specific directed acyclic graphs. RESULTS: Poor water supply conditions, hygiene and basic sanitation were reported in the study area. All water samples were classified either as high risk for health problems or unfit for human consumption. The diarrheal disease had a prevalence of 7.5% across all ages and of 23.5% in children under five years old. The variables rainy season (PR = 0.24; 95%CI 0.07-0.85), children under five years old (PR = 4.05; 95%CI 1.70-9.68), water from deep wells (PR = 16.90; 95%CI 2.45-116.67), water from artificial ponds (PR = 11.47; 95%CI 1.27-103.29), toilets availability (PRA = 0.23; 95%CI 0.06-0.96), and swine presence (PR = 0.20; 95%CI 0.05-0.74) were significantly associated with the occurrence of diarrheal disease. CONCLUSION: Water supply, hygiene and basic sanitation conditions have been associated with the diarrheal disease, affecting almost a quarter of the population under five years old. There is an urge for the design of effective policies that improve environmental and sanitation conditions in rural areas.

Assuntos

RESUMO

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To analyze factors associated with diarrheal disease in the rural Caribbean region of Colombia. METHOD: A cross-sectional study conducted in the rural area of the Cesar Department, Colombia, between November 2017 and June 2018. Self-reported cases of diarrheal disease were surveyed, and water samples from 42 households were collected and analyzed. Descriptive statistics were employed in the analysis of socioeconomic status, environmental and sanitary conditions, and we evaluated their association with the diarrheal disease using the Poisson regression models. Each model was adjusted with variables suggested by specific directed acyclic graphs. RESULTS: Poor water supply conditions, hygiene and basic sanitation were reported in the study area. All water samples were classified either as high risk for health problems or unfit for human consumption. The diarrheal disease had a prevalence of 7.5% across all ages and of 23.5% in children under five years old. The variables rainy season (PR = 0.24; 95%CI 0.07-0.85), children under five years old (PR = 4.05; 95%CI 1.70-9.68), water from deep wells (PR = 16.90; 95%CI 2.45-116.67), water from artificial ponds (PR = 11.47; 95%CI 1.27-103.29), toilets availability (PRA = 0.23; 95%CI 0.06-0.96), and swine presence (PR = 0.20; 95%CI 0.05-0.74) were significantly associated with the occurrence of diarrheal disease. CONCLUSION: Water supply, hygiene and basic sanitation conditions have been associated with the diarrheal disease, affecting almost a quarter of the population under five years old. There is an urge for the design of effective policies that improve environmental and sanitation conditions in rural areas.

RESUMEN OBJETIVO: Analizar factores asociados con enfermedad diarreica en área rural del Caribe colombiano. MÉTODO: Estudio transversal en área rural dispersa del departamento del Cesar, Colombia, entre noviembre de 2017 y junio de 2018. Se indagó sobre morbilidad auto-reportada de enfermedad diarreica y se recolectaron y analizaron muestras de agua en 42 domicilios. Fue realizado un análisis descriptivo de condiciones socioeconómicas, ambientales y sanitarias y evaluamos su asociación con enfermedad diarreica mediante modelo robusto de regresión de Poisson. Cada modelo fue ajustado con variables sugeridas por diagramas causales específicos. RESULTADOS: Se evidenciaron condiciones precarias de abastecimiento de agua, higiene y saneamiento básico en la zona de estudio. Todas las muestras de agua se clasificaron entre los niveles de riesgo alto e inviable sanitariamente. La prevalencia de enfermedad diarreica fue 7,5% en todas las edades y 23,5% en niños menores de cinco años. Las variables estación lluviosa (RP = 0,24; IC95% 0,07-0,85), niños menores de cinco años (RP = 4,05; IC95% 1,70-9,68), abastecimiento de agua desde pozo profundo (RP = 16,90; IC95% 2,45-116,67), abastecimiento de agua desde estanco (RP = 11,47; IC95% 1,27-103,29), tenencia de baño (RPA = 0,23; IC95% 0,06-0,96) y presencia de cerdos (RP = 0,20; IC95% 0,05-0,74) mostraron asociaciones estadísticamente significativas con la ocurrencia de enfermedad diarreica. CONCLUSIÓN: Condiciones de abastecimiento de agua, higiene y saneamiento básico estuvieron asociadas con la ocurrencia de enfermedad diarreica, afectando alrededor de un cuarto de la población menor de cinco años. Urge un diseño efectivo de políticas que contribuyan al mejoramiento de condiciones ambientales y saneamiento en áreas rurales.

Assuntos

RESUMO

The paper discusses views, perceptions, experiences, knowledge and behaviors related to occupational risks among recycling workers. Data collection involved field observation and two focus groups in each site. Narratives were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes. Findings are presented according to the following topics: economic and environmental value of recycling; aspects of employment in the cooperative system; occupational hazards; and suggestions of improvements. Municipal programs of selective collection, as implemented in most Brazilian municipalities, still need improvements to achieve their goals and objectives. We learned that organizing recycling workers in cooperatives, despite its broad acceptance as a replacement to informal garbage collection in streets and landfills, only brought small progress regarding the safety and quality of life of cooperative workers. Recycling workers noticed the existence of workplace hazards, but seemed resigned to the situation, considered them as part of the job and did not communicate their needs to supervisors. They ignored the existence of some measures to prevent hazards and sometimes even created work practices and alternatives that endangered their own health.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Abstract The paper discusses views, perceptions, experiences, knowledge and behaviors related to occupational risks among recycling workers. Data collection involved field observation and two focus groups in each site. Narratives were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes. Findings are presented according to the following topics: economic and environmental value of recycling; aspects of employment in the cooperative system; occupational hazards; and suggestions of improvements. Municipal programs of selective collection, as implemented in most Brazilian municipalities, still need improvements to achieve their goals and objectives. We learned that organizing recycling workers in cooperatives, despite its broad acceptance as a replacement to informal garbage collection in streets and landfills, only brought small progress regarding the safety and quality of life of cooperative workers. Recycling workers noticed the existence of workplace hazards, but seemed resigned to the situation, considered them as part of the job and did not communicate their needs to supervisors. They ignored the existence of some measures to prevent hazards and sometimes even created work practices and alternatives that endangered their own health.

Resumo O artigo discute pontos de vista, percepções, experiências, conhecimentos e comportamentos relacionados aos riscos ocupacionais entre os trabalhadores de reciclagem. Coleta de dados envolveu observação de campo e dois grupos focais em cada unidade. Narrativas foram gravadas, transcritas e analisadas por temas. Resultados são apresentados de acordo com os seguintes tópicos: valor econômico e ambiental da reciclagem; aspectos do sistema cooperativista; riscos ocupacionais e sugestões de melhorias. Programas municipais de coleta seletiva, tal como implantados na maioria dos municípios brasileiros, ainda precisam de melhorias para atingir suas metas e objetivos. Aprendemos que a organização de trabalhadores da reciclagem em cooperativas, apesar de sua ampla aceitação como um substituto para a coleta de lixo informal nas ruas e aterros, trouxe pouco progresso em relação à segurança e qualidade de vida dos cooperados. Os trabalhadores notaram a existência de riscos no local de trabalho, mas parecem resignados com a situação, consideram como parte do trabalho e não comunicam as suas necessidades aos supervisores. Eles ignoraram a existência de algumas medidas para evitar riscos e, por vezes, até criam práticas de trabalho e alternativas que colocam em perigo a própria saúde.

Assuntos

RESUMO

RESUMO O tratamento dos esgotos sanitários gera resíduos, destacando-se o lodo, continuamente e em grande volume. Como a reciclagem da matéria orgânica do lodo apresenta restrições ambientais e sanitárias, a codisposição em aterros sanitários é alternativa interessante, principalmente pelo menor custo. A introdução de novo rejeito no aterro, com características físicas e geotécnicas distintas dos resíduos sólidos urbanos, necessita de prévia avaliação dos efeitos sobre a operação, a estabilidade e o uso futuro da área. O presente artigo enfocou a problemática da codisposição de lodos de estações de tratamento de esgotos sanitários em aterros sanitários sob o ponto de vista técnico e ambiental. Critérios de codisposição foram selecionados e submetidos à avaliação de especialistas brasileiros. O resultado foi hierarquizado por grau de importância, gerando um grupo de critérios mínimos de codisposição, representativos e de aplicação prática, constituído por: periculosidade; controle quantitativo; proporção rejeito/lodo; rotina de monitoramento; controle qualitativo; e monitoramento geoambiental, a ser considerado na decisão quanto à codisposição de lodo em aterros. Este grupo poderá contribuir para o aperfeiçoamento de critérios de projeto e operação de aterros sanitários com codisposição de lodo de estações de tratamento de esgotos, visando à disposição final segura e adequada, assim como embasar o planejamento e a execução de políticas públicas e ações mais apropriadas e sustentáveis para o setor.

ABSTRACT Sanitary sewage treatment generates residues, particularly sludge, whose production is continuous and voluminous. Since there are environmental and economic restrictions for recycling the organic matter present in sewage sludge, co-disposal in sanitary landfills is an interesting low-cost alternative. The effects of adding sewage sludge, on the operation, stability and post-closure use of the landfill, must be accounted for, since its geotechnical and physical properties are very different from those of municipal solid waste. This paper focused on the issues of co-disposal of sewage sludge in sanitary landfills from the technical and environmental standpoints. Co-disposal criteria were selected and then evaluated by experts. The results were ordered according to their level of importance, thus consolidating a group of essential criteria, representative and of practical application, to be considered in decision making about co-disposal: hazardousness, quantitative control, waste/sludge ratio, monitoring routine, qualitative control and geo-environmental monitoring. This set of criteria should also be considered in the design and operation of sanitary landfills with sludge co-disposal, as well as in the elaboration of sustainable public policies for the sector.

RESUMO

RESUMO O presente artigo apresenta a construção do índice de salubridade ambiental domiciliar focado no meio rural (ISA/DR) como instrumento para diagnóstico e avaliação das condições de saúde-ambiente em meio rural, assim como sua aplicação em comunidades ribeirinhas da Amazônia. A construção do ISA/DR foi realizada com base em três referenciais: a teoria do índice de salubridade ambiental urbana para áreas de ocupações espontâneas; os aspectos teóricos e conceituais da relação saneamento e saúde; e as informações resultantes de diagnósticos de saneamento e pesquisas socioeconômicas realizadas em comunidades ribeirinhas. Para quantificar os diferentes níveis de salubridade ambiental domiciliar rural, foi efetuada a aplicação do ISA/DR aos domicílios de oito comunidades localizadas em duas unidades de conservação de uso sustentável no estado do Amazonas, Brasil. Apesar das comunidades apresentarem características sociais, econômicas, culturais e ambientais relativamente semelhantes, o ISA/DR, como instrumento de representação de fenômenos da realidade vivenciada (salubridade ambiental domiciliar), teve sensibilidade suficiente para captar a variação da situação de salubridade dos domicílios entre as comunidades estudadas. Dessa forma, recomenda-se o ISA/DR como instrumento que permite apontar cenários que direcionariam as prioridades de investimentos e ações de políticas públicas voltadas à reversão da realidade de saúde e salubridade ambiental de domicílios do meio rural brasileiro.

ABSTRACT This paper aims to present the construction of a household environmental health index focused on rural areas (ISA/DR) as a tool for diagnosis and assessment of the rural health-environment conditions, as well as its application for Amazon rural communities. The ISA/DR construction was conducted based on three benchmarks: the theory of environmental health index for spontaneous urban areas occupations; the theoretical and conceptual aspects of the relation between water supply, sanitation and health; and the information from sanitation and socioeconomic surveys in Amazon rural communities. To quantify the different levels of environmental health situation of rural household, we applied the ISA/DR to households in eight communities located in two protected areas for sustainable use in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. Although the communities present relatively homogeneous social, economic, cultural and environmental characteristics, the use of ISA/DR as a tool for representing the phenomena of the experienced reality (household environmental health) was sensitive enough to capture the variation in the environmental health status among households of the studied communities. Therefore, we conclude that ISA/DR could be used as a tool that could direct investment priorities and public policies actions that aim at reversing the reality of environmental health of Brazilian rural households.

RESUMO

Measuring lead in the surface dental enamel (SDE) using biopsies is a rapid, safe, and painless procedure. The dental enamel lead levels (DELLs) decrease from the outermost superficial layer to the inner layer of dental enamel, which becomes crucial for the biopsy depth (BD) measurement. However, whether the origin of lead found in SDE is fully endogenous is not yet established. There is also controversy about the biopsy protocol. The aims of this study were to investigate if DELLs are altered by extrinsic contamination (A) and to evaluate the real geometric figure formed by the erosion provoked by biopsy procedure and the respective BD in SDE (B). To accomplish the aim A, lead from 90 bovine incisor crowns lead was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer as a function of exposure time and lead concentration. Two biopsies were performed in each tooth, before and after lead exposure. Six 15-tooth groups differed by exposure time (1 or 30 min) and lead concentrations (A. 0 mg/L-placebo, B. 0.01 mg/L-standard for drinking water, or C. 0.06 mg/L-concentration found in contaminated groundwater). Phosphorus was determined by an inductively coupled plasm optical emission spectrometer to quantify the enamel removed. To compare intakes/losses of lead in SDE among the groups, values of DELL differences between before and after lead exposure were compared by ANOVA (p < 0.05). To attain the objective B, one extracted human permanent tooth was studied by confocal Raman microscopy. Lead measurements and the surface profile were determined. There was no difference in DELL among the groups (p = 0.964). The biopsy bottom surface area, analyzed by microscopy, showed an irregular area, with regions of peaks and valleys, where areas with depth ranging from 0.2 (peaks) to 1.8 µm (valleys) (± 0.1 µm) could be found. BD carried out in vivo is commonly calculated using the cylinder height formula. The real BD was shown to be very similar to already published data. In conclusion, the SDE of erupted teeth does not seem to be susceptible to environmental lead intake, being thus reliable to measure remote exposures to lead.

Assuntos