GEO Brasil - UNEP

The state of health and the environment
the state of the environment in Brazil
The transgenic biotechnology, nowadays, has been
introduced as an alternative to agricultural productive
processes, and the same speech used during the “Green
Revolution” era is used to justify its usage In fact, the
genetically modified organisms can determine, in the
medium term, the complete dependence of rural producers
on a multinational monopoly The uncertainty about the
risks originated from the consumption of transgenic food
to human health and the environment requires these
technologies to be submitted to the Precaution Principle
In this sense, public and collective interests must prevail
over capital ones Studies carried out by competent public
institutions must be prioritised to assess such risks (Brazilian
Federal Senate 1999)
To illustrate the situation, data collected by the Federal
University of Bahia and the Centre for Studies of Workers’
Health and Human Ecology (CESTEH/FIOCRUZ) will be
used These institutions have been studying several aspects
of human and environmental contamination by lead and
their consequences to human health
In 1980, 1985 and 1992, in Santo Amaro (State of Bahia),
Silvany-Neto et al (1996) investigated lead exposure in
children living near a casting plant and workers’ children,
finding lead levels that were higher than the limit (30mg/dl)
recommended by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC-
USA), and lead intoxication symptoms Other sources of
exposure occur in house and building refurbishment using
lead-based paint, abnormal feeding, occupational exposures
(both primary and secondary) and smoking (ATSDR 1999a)
In the place where the study was carried out, there was a
lead casting plant that was operational between 1960 and
1993 (Silvany-Neto et al 1996) The population characteristics
related to the higher levels of zinc protoporfirine in these
children were: female, living near the casting plant, abnormal
feeding, being a worker’s child and black-skinned In
addition to that, the place occupied by the child within the
urban space was strongly associated with lead intoxication,
and migration and the socio-economic situation were
important factors in this spatial distribution, as shown by a
study carried out in the same region by Silvany-Neto et al
(1985)
The localised increase in levels of lead found in the
environment originates from human activities (Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry – ATSDR 1999a)
The most common sources of lead contamination of the
environment are airborne and occur through fuel and solid
waste burning, which forms aerosols, and through industrial
processes, forming vapour The population in general is
exposed to lead through environment air, food, water, soil
and dust Some of the most important exposures occur as
a result of work in industries, contaminating houses in urban
environments, specially where near emitting sources
The environmental (internal and external air) and human
contamination, in four battery manufacturers and/or
reformers and their surrounding neighbourhood, located
in the urban region within the city of Rio de Janeiro, were
studied by Mattos et al (2001), Caldeira et al (2000), Quiterio
et al (2001) and Araújo et al (1999) These studies showed
the high contamination level in all segments (workers,
internal and external environments) Interior air monitoring
measured within the workers’ breathing zone evidenced
contamination levels varying from 0068 to 0802 mg/m 3 Of
all workers of the studied industries, around 60 per cent
presented lead concentrations in their blood, that were
higher than 40 ìg/dL, which is the maximum limit
recommended by the WHO Of these workers, 81 per cent
also presented concentrations of the delta-aminolevulinic
acid urinary bioindicator (ALA-U) that were higher than what
it is considered normal (ALA-U