OBJETIVO: A nalisar o s f atores s ocioeconômicos, d emográficos, a mbientais, r eprodutivos, comportamentais, de assistência à saúde, doenças maternas e, sobretudo, o possível impacto do desastre ambiental ocorrido em Mariana, pela exposição pré-natal a diferentes fontes de água para consumo humano, associados ao baixo peso ao nascer em nascidos vivos a termo no Hospital Municipal de Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais. MÉTODOS: Estudo caso-controle, realizado com nascidos vivos no Hospital Municipal de Governador Valadares, no período de maio de 2017 a julho de 2018. O grupo caso foi composto por nascidos vivos a termo e baixo peso ao nascer e o grupo controle, por nascidos vivos a termo e com peso adequado, pareados por sexo e data de nascimento. Para cada caso foram selecionados dois controles. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevista com as puérperas e informações complementares foram obtidas pela análise do cartão de pré-natal e prontuários. Para análise dos dados, foi realizada regressão logística. RESULTADOS: Participaram do estudo 65 nascidos vivos pertencentes ao grupo caso e 130 ao grupo controle. Após a análise ajustada para os demais fatores em estudo, verificou-se que os riscos mais elevados de baixo peso ao nascer estão associados aos primeiros filhos (RC = 2,033; IC95% = 1,047–3,948; p = 0,036) e aos nascidos vivos cujas mães utilizaram cigarro durante a gestação (RC = 2,850; IC95% = 1,013–8,021; p = 0,047) e consumiram a água fornecida pelos serviços de abastecimento dos municípios atingidos pelos rejeitos provenientes do rompimento da barragem de Fundão (RC = 2,444; IC95% = 1,203–4,965; p = 0,013). CONCLUSÕES: A á gua c onsumida n a g estação, p rimiparidade e t abagismo m aterno apresentaram associação com baixo peso ao nascer na população estudada. Reforça-se a importância de estudos epidemiológicos, que avaliem a qualidade da água e seus efeitos adversos na saúde, assim como maior controle no pré-natal das gestantes que terão o primeiro filho e maior apoio das políticas contra o tabagismo, especialmente durante a gravidez.

Abordamos o tema sob as suas vertentes histórica, comunitária, socio-económico-sanitária e de investigação, detalhando alguns aspectos práticos da recente legislação nacional, sob a perspectiva da Especialidade de Radiodiagnóstico.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of lead poisoning in children and to identify associated factors, as well as possible local sources of contamination. METHODS: A cross-sectional prevalence study conducted in 2006 with a random sample of 97 children age zero to five years from a neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. Blood lead levels were measured and a questionnaire administered to collect information on sociodemographics, recycling and dwelling. A preliminary environmental evaluation was carried out with direct analysis of soil and indirect analysis of air pollution with bioindicators to identify possible sources of contamination. To analyze lead concentrations from the different collection sites, for each type of material studied, ANOVA was performed with a Brown-Forsythe adjustment for heteroscedasticity and with Dunnett's T3 procedure for multiple comparisons of unequal variances. RESULTS: Blood lead levels >; 10.0 µg/dL was found in 16.5% of children. Recycling of waste at home, low father's education level, and increased age of children were associated with increase blood lead levels. High lead levels were found in soil, and there was little indication of lead air pollution. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of lead poisoning was identified, and the potential sources of contamination in this community appear related to waste recylcing activities. Studies should be conducted with other populations of Brazilian children and evaluate potential sources of local and general contamination, to accurately characterize this issue in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of exposure to magnetic fields generated by transmission lines (TL) and characterize the exposed population. METHODS: Information about TL in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, was provided by the electricity companies and mapped out using geographic information system (GIS). Demographic and socioeconomic data were obtained from the 2000 Census and added to the GIS in another layer. Households and their inhabitants that were located at a distance from the TL that was sufficient to generate a magnetic field 0.3 µT (microteslas) were deemed to be exposed. The prevalence was estimated according to the area of the corridors of exposure along the TL. Two approaches were used to delimit the corridor width: one consisted of widths that were predefined by the TL voltage, and the other consisted of calculation of the magnetic field. The socioeconomic information on the exposed and non-exposed populations were compared by applying the two-proportion test (&#945;= 5%). RESULTS: In the corridors with predefined widths, the prevalence of exposure was 2.4%, and in the calculated corridors, the prevalence was 1.4%. Both methods indicated higher prevalence of exposure among the younger population, and among individuals with lower education and income levels (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of exposure to magnetic fields generated by TL in the metropolitan region of São Paulo was lower than what has been observed in other countries. The results indicate inequality in the exposure to magnetic fields in this urban area, with greater risk to vulnerable populations such as children and socioeconomically less favored individuals.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze household risk factors associated with high lead levels in surface dental enamel. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 160 Brazilian adolescents aged 14-18 years living in poor neighborhoods in the city of Bauru, southeastern Brazil, from August to December 2008. Body lead concentrations were assessed in surface dental enamel acid-etch microbiopsies. Dental enamel lead levels were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and phosphorus levels were measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The parents answered a questionnaire about their children's potential early (05 years old) exposure to well-known lead sources. Logistic regression was used to identify associations between dental enamel lead levels and each environmental risk factor studied. Social and familial covariables were included in the models. RESULTS: The results suggest that the adolescents studied were exposed to lead sources during their first years of life. Risk factors associated with high dental enamel lead levels were living in or close to a contaminated area (OR = 4.49; 95% CI: 1.69;11.97); and member of the household worked in the manufacturing of paints, paint pigments, ceramics or batteries (OR = 3.43; 95% CI: 1.31;9.00). Home-based use of lead-glazed ceramics, low-quality pirated toys, anticorrosive paint on gates and/or sale of used car batteries (OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 0.56;3.03) and smoking (OR = 1.66; 95% CI: 0.52;5.28) were not found to be associated with high dental enamel lead levels. CONCLUSIONS: Surface dental enamel can be used as a marker of past environmental exposure to lead and lead concentrations detected are associated to well-known sources of lead contamination.

O eczema atópico, uma doença cutânea inflamatória crónica e recidivante, é altamente prevalente a nível mundial, tendo um impacto significativo na vida dos doentes. A sua incidência tem vindo a aumentar significativamente nos últimos anos, mais comumente em áreas industrializadas. Embora a sua etiopatogenia não esteja bem elucidada, acredita-se que seja uma doença de etiologia multifatorial, resultante de uma combinação de fatores genéticos, ambientais e imunológicos, apresentando um quadro clínico altamente variável, que varia desde lesões cutâneas associadas a prurido intenso, xerose cutânea, dor, interferência no sono até infeções bacterianas da pele graves. As lesões cutâneas são pruriginosas, eritematosas e com exsudação, principalmente nas crises, tornando-se, posteriormente, liquenificadas e descamativas.Manifesta-se tipicamente em idade pediátrica, embora possa ser diagnosticada em diferentes faixas etárias.O diagnóstico é clínico e tem por base critérios bem definidos, centrando-se, sobretudo, na morfologia das lesões e na distribuição das mesmas. O impacto que o ambiente e a alimentação têm na dermatite atópica tem vindo a ganhar relevância clínica, uma vez que parece existir uma correlação entre estes e a frequência das exacerbações de eczema. Assim sendo, tentaremos apurar os potenciais “triggers” desta doença tanto do ponto vista alimentar como ambiental, frequentemente negligenciados, mas determinantes para o comportamento desta doença. O presente estudo tem como principal objetivo pesquisar sobre fatores potencialmente agravantes e desencadeantes das crises, bem como procurar medidas preventivas, essencialmente no que diz respeito à influência do ambiente e da alimentação, recorrendo a uma revisão de literatura científica atual.