Could Necroleachate Be the Cemetery's Sewage? A Panorama from Brazilian Legislation.

Cemeteries can be compared to landfills, as the leachate produced in these areas, also known as necroleachate, can be environmentally transported, polluting groundwater, surface water, and soil. In Brazil, to ensure no negative environmental impacts and public health risks, cemetery management is the responsibility of states and municipalities. In this context, this article aims to discuss Brazilian sanitary-environmental legislation concerning cemetery waste management. Only half of all Brazilian states have established sanitary-environmental cemetery legislation, and only 19 municipalities have specific laws. These laws, however, are broad and contain many gaps. Necroleachate care and control require both sanitary and environmental assessments to avoid environmental vulnerability and contamination risks for populations inhabiting surrounding areas. In this regard, new water analysis parameters in environmentally vulnerable areas should be established to control the population's drinking water quality, such as the detection of C. perfringens. Furthermore, the construction of vertical cemeteries instead of horizontal ones and the adoption of cremation procedures should also be considered. This assessment comprises a novel research framework, as no studies on the impact of Brazilian laws on environmental necroleachate contamination are available to date.

Methodology for a Comprehensive Health Impact Assessment in Water Supply and Sanitation Programmes for Brazil.

Based on the broader concept of health proposed by the Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO), 2018, and the absence in the literature of indices that translate the causal relationship between sanitation and health, a methodology for assessing the health impact of a water and sanitation programmes, known as a Health Impact Assessment (HIA), was developed, specifically in the Brazilian context, and focused on a school in the northeast of the country. Through exploratory and descriptive evidence, and using documentary research as a method, a retrospective survey was carried out from 2000 to 2022 using documents proposing evaluation methodologies. A single document was found to fit the research objective, which was used to develop the proposed HIA methodology. Development of the methodology consisted of two stages: definition of the health dimensions and selection of the indicators making up each dimension. The HIA methodology was then applied to a school in northeast Brazil to test its use, before a water-efficient management intervention was going to be used. The overall score of 46% indicated that there was room for improvement, which the new management approach could facilitate. This methodology is therefore proposed to be an instrument for the evaluation of public water and sanitation policies, thus assisting managers in the decision-making process and in guiding sanitation programs and plans.

Construção e validação de instrumento para avaliação das medidas de biossegurança em bioterrorismo pelos bombeiros / Construction and validation of and assessment tool for biosafety measures in bioterrorism for firefighters / Construcción y validación de un instrumento para evaluar las medidas de bioseguridad en el bioterrorismo de los bomberos

Objetivo: Este estudo teve como objetivo desenvolver e validar um instrumento de avaliação das medidas de Biossegurança adotadas pelos bombeiros militares, para a contenção dos agentes biológicos frente a um evento de bioterrorismo. Métodos: Tratou-se de um estudo descritivo de abordagem quantitativa, de desenvolvimento metodológico e do tipo de validação de conteúdo de um instrumento de avaliação. O estudo foi dividido nas fases de desenvolvimento e validação do instrumento. Para o desenvolvimento do instrumento foram feitas revisões da literatura e para a validação do instrumento foi utilizado o método Delphi. Para o estudo foram incluídos 6 juízes que avaliaram o instrumento através da escala numérica tipo Likert. Resultados: Os juízes avaliaram que o instrumento proposto está bem estruturado, possuindo boa clareza e coesão de escrita, com aplicabilidade no campo de estudo e de grande relevância, principalmente em vista a ausência desse tipo de instrumento para a população de bombeiros militares. Para avaliar a concordância entre os juízes foi utilizado o índice de Validade de Conteúdo, que alcançou 98% de concordância e o Índice de Fidedignidade Interavaliadores, que alcançou os conceitos bom e muito bom, mostrando baixa variância das respostas dos juízes, sendo estatisticamente válido. Conclusão: O estudo descreveu o processo de construção e validação do instrumento, provando ser apropriado e confiável para ser utilizado.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to assess the Biosafety measures adopted by firefighters, for the containment of biological agents in the face of a bioterrorism event. Methods: This is a descriptive study with a quantitative approach, methodological development, and the type of content validation of an assessment instrument. The study was divided into instrument development and validation phases. For the development of the instrument, literature reviews were conducted and for the instrument validation, the Delphi method was used. For the study, 6 judges were included who evaluated the instrument using the Likert-type numerical scale. Results: The judges evaluated that the proposed instrument is well structured, with good clarity and cohesion of writing, with applicability in the field of study and of great relevance, especially considering the absence of this type of instrument for the military firefighter population. To evaluate the agreement between the judges, we used the Content Validity Index which reached 98% of agreement and the Interrate agreement, which reached the concepts good and very good, showing low variance of the judges' answers, being statistically valid. Conclusion: The study described the process of construction and validation of the instrument, proving to be appropriate and reliable to be used.

Objetivo: Este estudio tenía como objetivo desarrollar y validar un instrumento para evaluar las medidas de bioseguridad adoptadas por los bomberos militares para contener los agentes biológicos durante un evento de bioterrorismo. Métodos: Se trata de un estudio descriptivo de abordaje cuantitativo, de desarrollo metodológico y del tipo de validación de contenido de un instrumento de evaluación. El estudio se dividió en las fases de desarrollo y validación del instrumento. Para la elaboración del instrumento se realizaron revisiones bibliográficas y para la validación del mismo se utilizó el método Delphi. Para el estudio se incluyeron 6 jueces que evaluaron el instrumento mediante una escala numérica tipo Likert. Resultados: Los jueces evaluaron que el instrumento propuesto está bien estructurado, poseyendo buena claridad y cohesión de redacción, con aplicabilidad en el campo de estudio y de gran relevancia, especialmente en vista de la ausencia de este tipo de instrumento para la población de bomberos militares. Se utilizó el Índice de Validez de Contenido para evaluar la concordancia entre los jueces, alcanzando un 98% de acuerdo y el Índice de Fiabilidad Inter-registrador, que alcanzó conceptos buenos y muy buenos, mostrando una baja varianza en las respuestas de los jueces, siendo estadísticamente válido. Conclusión: El estudio describió el proceso de construcción y validación del instrumento, demostrando ser apropiado y confiable para ser utilizado.

Bioterrorismo: capacitar para responder / Bioterrorism: empower to respond

RESUMO A utilização de agentes biológicos com a finalidade de aterrorizar inimigos surgiu há muitos séculos. Essa ação foi popularizada como bioterrorismo. Ataques bioterroristas são perigosos devido ao envolvimento de diversos fatores, como a forma silenciosa na qual pode ocorrer, o tipo e a forma de transmissão do agente biológico utilizado, dependendo do objetivo do ataque. Para prevenção da contaminação por esses agentes, os profissionais que irão atuar no seu combate devem possuir conhecimentos a respeito dos mecanismos de ação e de disseminação desses patógenos, bem como a adequada forma de sua neutralização e eliminação; além de saber escolher os equipamentos de proteção, tanto de uso individual quanto coletivo, adequados. Diante disso, tais equipes de ação necessitam ser bem capacitadas e treinadas. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar, na literatura, os modos de treinamentos existentes no mundo para os profissionais de primeira resposta aos ataques envolvendo agentes Químico, Biológico, Radiológico ou Nuclear (QBRN). A partir de uma revisão integrativa, encontraram-se três artigos, em um período de 20 anos. Conclui-se que são muito escassos os estudos nessa área e que mais pesquisas e treinamentos para este tipo de evento devem ser realizados no mundo inteiro.

ABSTRACT The use of biological agents for the purpose of terrorizing enemies dates back many centuries. This terror action with the use of biological agents became popularized as Bioterrorism. Bioterrorist attacks are dangerous due to various factors involved, such as the silent way in which it may occur, or the type of biological agent that can be used depending on the purpose of the attack. To prevent contamination by these agents, the professionals who will act to combat these events should have knowledge about the varieties of mechanisms of actions and dissemination of the pathogens, as well the best way to neutralize and eliminate them; besides, they should have known how to choose appropriates protection equipment, both for individual and collective protection. Thus, it is necessary that such action teams be well empowered and trained. The purpose of this paper is to analyze, in the existing literature, what are the training modes in the world for first responders to attacks involving Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear (CBRN) agents. Thus, an integrative review was made based on 3 articles found in a period of 20 years. It is concluded that studies in this field are minimals and that more research and training for this kind of event should be carried out worldwide.