Health-risk assessment of Portuguese man-of-war (Physalia physalis) envenomations on urban beaches in São Luís city, in the state of Maranhão, Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: The Portuguese man-of-war (Physalia physalis) is a cosmopolitan species, with a widespread distribution and responsible for a great number of injuries caused by cnidarians worldwide, including Brazil. Geoprocessing technology, however, has never been used to assess the spatial distribution of these animals on beaches. The aim of this study was to carry out a health risk assessment of Portuguese man-of-war (P. physalis) envenomations on the São Marcos and Calhau beaches in São Luís city, in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. METHODS: This is a descriptive and quantitative study concerning primary data on the occurrence of the Portuguese man-of-war (P. physalis) and human envenomations in the studied places, conducted over a two-year period in São Luís, Maranhão, northeastern Brazil. RESULTS: Envenomations mainly occurred on beaches presenting high density of P. physalis during the dry period. Vinegar has been incorporated as a first aid, according to recommendations set by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. CONCLUSIONS: In order to improve prevention and control actions of human envenomation, risk areas for this type of envenomation should be clearly indicated as alert areas. Inclusion of the geographical location of the envenomation in the Notification/Investigation SINAN Form was suggested for allowing the continuity of studies involving this public health issue.

Health-risk assessment of Portuguese man-of-war (Physalia physalis) envenomations on urban beaches in São Luís city, in the state of Maranhão, Brazil

Abstract INTRODUCTION: The Portuguese man-of-war (Physalia physalis) is a cosmopolitan species, with a widespread distribution and responsible for a great number of injuries caused by cnidarians worldwide, including Brazil. Geoprocessing technology, however, has never been used to assess the spatial distribution of these animals on beaches. The aim of this study was to carry out a health risk assessment of Portuguese man-of-war (P. physalis) envenomations on the São Marcos and Calhau beaches in São Luís city, in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. METHODS: This is a descriptive and quantitative study concerning primary data on the occurrence of the Portuguese man-of-war (P. physalis) and human envenomations in the studied places, conducted over a two-year period in São Luís, Maranhão, northeastern Brazil. RESULTS: Envenomations mainly occurred on beaches presenting high density of P. physalis during the dry period. Vinegar has been incorporated as a first aid, according to recommendations set by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. CONCLUSIONS: In order to improve prevention and control actions of human envenomation, risk areas for this type of envenomation should be clearly indicated as alert areas. Inclusion of the geographical location of the envenomation in the Notification/Investigation SINAN Form was suggested for allowing the continuity of studies involving this public health issue.

An assessment of PCB and PBDE contamination in two tropical dolphin species from the Southeastern Brazilian coast.

PCBs and PBDEs were determined in two dolphin species, Sotalia guianensis and Steno bredanensis, from an upwelling system off the Central-northern coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. PCB levels varied from 0.040 to 0.75 µg g(-1) lw in muscles and from 0.022 to 1.32 µg g(-1)lw in liver samples from S. guianensis. In S. bredanensis, values varied from 0.085 to 11.3 µg g(-1) lw in muscles and from 0.024 to 18.6 µg g(-1) lw in livers. PCB-138, -153 and -180 were the major PCB congeners detected in both species, while BDE-47 was the predominant PBDE congener found in both species. Higher concentrations in S. bredanensis were possibly related to the different feeding habits for both delphinid species. These results contribute to extend the database on organic contamination in cetaceans from the southern hemisphere, understanding their distribution and environmental fate in Southeastern Brazil.

Assessment of trace elements, POPs, (210)Po and stable isotopes ((15)N and (13)C) in a rare filter-feeding shark: The megamouth.

With less than 60 records being reported worldwide, the megamouth (Megachasma pelagios) is today one of the least known shark species inhabiting our oceans. Therefore, information concerning the biology and ecology of this enigmatic organism is very scarce and limited to feeding behaviour and preferred habitat. The present work reports new data on the concentrations of trace elements, organic mercury, POPs and (210)Po in hepatic and muscular tissues of a specimen found stranded in the southeastern coast of Brazil. Additionally, we provide new evidence based on stable isotope analysis (δ(15)N and δ(13)C) confirming the preference for the pelagic habitat and the zooplanktivorous feeding behaviour of the megamouth. These results are consistent with the low concentrations of organic pollutant compounds and other elements measured in our samples.

[The interface of public healthcare with the health of the oceans: proliferation of disease, socio-economic impacts and beneficial relationships]. / A interface da saúde pública com a saúde dos oceanos: produção de doenças, impactos socioeconômicos e relações benéficas.

Over the past decades, human activities have had a heavy impact on the marine environment, causing alterations in ecological processes. The relationship between the health of the oceans, human activities and public healthcare is already generally accepted, though the mechanisms involved are still under scientific scrutiny. These relationships include a focus on climate change, toxic algal blooms, microbial and chemical contamination in marine waters and bioinvasion by exotic species. Moreover, there is the beneficial effect of the oceans on human health and wellbeing, such as natural products for the human diet, the development of biomedicine, or simply the satisfaction derived from human recreation, sports and other interactions of humans with oceans. The importance of appreciating the link between public healthcare and the health of the oceans is especially important due to the growing number of people living in coastal areas, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. The backcloth to this is risk-related human activities that pose a danger to marine environmental health and the increase in the vulnerability of humans and biodiversity and socio-environmental iniquity.

A interface da saúde pública com a saúde dos oceanos: produção de doenças, impactos socioeconômicos e relações benéficas / The interface of public healthcare with the health of the oceans: proliferation of disease, socio-economic impacts and beneficial relationships

Nas últimas décadas, as atividades humanas têm causado forte impacto sobre o ambiente marinho, provocando alterações no seu processo ecológico. A relação entre a saúde dos oceanos, as atividades antropogênicas e a saúde pública já é consenso, entretanto, seus mecanismos ainda estão sob os olhares da ciência. Essas relações incluem o foco sobre as mudanças climáticas, florações de algas tóxicas, contaminação microbiológica e química nas águas marinhas e bioinvasão de espécies exóticas. Além disso, existe a relação dos valores benéficos que os oceanos proporcionam à saúde e bem-estar da humanidade, tais como produtos naturais relevantes para a alimentação humana, o desenvolvimento da biomedicina, ou simplesmente, a satisfação humana derivada da recreação, esportes e outras interações dos seres humanos com os oceanos. A importância de se conhecer a relação entre saúde pública e a saúde dos oceanos dá-se, principalmente, devido ao crescente número de pessoas vivendo em zonas costeiras, nas regiões tropicais e subtropicais, tendo como pano de fundo as atividades antropogênicas produtoras de risco para a saúde do ambiente marinho, aumento da vulnerabilidade do homem, da biodiversidade e da iniquidade socioambiental.

Over the past decades, human activities have had a heavy impact on the marine environment, causing alterations in ecological processes. The relationship between the health of the oceans, human activities and public healthcare is already generally accepted, though the mechanisms involved are still under scientific scrutiny. These relationships include a focus on climate change, toxic algal blooms, microbial and chemical contamination in marine waters and bioinvasion by exotic species. Moreover, there is the beneficial effect of the oceans on human health and wellbeing, such as natural products for the human diet, the development of biomedicine, or simply the satisfaction derived from human recreation, sports and other interactions of humans with oceans. The importance of appreciating the link between public healthcare and the health of the oceans is especially important due to the growing number of people living in coastal areas, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. The backcloth to this is risk-related human activities that pose a danger to marine environmental health and the increase in the vulnerability of humans and biodiversity and socio-environmental iniquity.

Avaliação de risco para a saúde humana: uma contribuição para a gestão integrada de saúde e ambiente / Human health risk assessment: a contribution for integrated manegement of health and the environment

As metodologias de avaliação de risco têm sido usadas para medir e caracterizar os riscos para a saúde humana e para construir propostas de gerenciamento integrado de saúde e ambiente. O uso desta abordagem tem crescido em países em desenvolvimento, principalmente devido à existência de extensas áreas contaminadas por produtos químicos. Entretanto, poucos são os profissionais que dominam o uso desta metodologia de avaliação de risco. A proposta deste artigo é apresentar, de forma simplificada, a abordagem metodológica da Agência Americana de Proteção Ambiental (USEPA), como subsídio ao gerenciamento integrado de saúde e ambiente. A principal proposta da avaliação de saúde como um resultado da avaliação de risco ambiental é indicar ações ao tomador de decisão para mitigar e prevenir riscos identificados durante a avaliação. Esta avaliação deve incluir as vantagens e desvantagens associadas com a seleção de uma dentre várias alternativas de ação.