Site selection for nature-based solutions for stormwater management in urban areas: An approach combining GIS and multi-criteria analysis.

In recent years, particularly following the definition of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) have gained considerable attention, capturing the interest of both the scientific community and policymakers committed to addressing urban environmental issues. However, the need for studies to guide decision-makers in identifying suitable locations for NBS implementation within urban stormwater management is evident. To address this gap, the present study employs a methodological approach grounded in multi-criteria analysis integrated with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to identify areas with potential for NBS implementation. In this process, ten NBS were proposed and tested in the drainage area of a shallow tropical urban lake in Londrina, southern Brazil. Additionally, the study investigates areas hosting lower-income populations, a relevant aspect for public managers given the diverse economic subsidies required to implement NBS. Furthermore, the study incorporates a preliminary analysis that evaluates the potential ecosystem benefits to determine the most suitable NBS for a specific site. The result shows that all the ten analyzed NBS were deemed suitable for the study area. Rain barrels had the highest percentage coverage in the study area (37.1%), followed by tree pits (27.9%), and rain gardens (25.4%). Despite having the highest distribution in the basin area, rain barrels exhibited only moderate ecosystem benefits, prompting the prioritization of other NBS with more significant ecological advantages in the final integrated map. In summary, the methodology proposed showed to be a robust approach to selecting optimal solutions in densely populated urban areas.

How socio-economic and atmospheric variables impact COVID-19 and influenza outbreaks in tropical and subtropical regions of Brazil.

COVID-19 has been disturbing human society with an intensity never seen since the Influenza epidemic (Spanish flu). COVID-19 and Influenza are both respiratory viruses and, in this study, we explore the relations of COVID-19 and Influenza with atmospheric variables and socio-economic conditions for tropical and subtropical climates in Brazil. Atmospheric variables, mobility, socio-economic conditions and population information were analyzed using a generalized additive model for daily COVID-19 cases from March 1st to May 15th, 2020, and for daily Influenza hospitalizations (2017-2019) in Brazilian states representing tropical and subtropical climates. Our results indicate that temperature combined with humidity are risk factors for COVID-19 and Influenza in both climate regimes, and the minimum temperature was also a risk factor for subtropical climate. Social distancing is a risk factor for COVID-19 in all regions. For Influenza and COVID-19, the highest Relative Risks (RR) generally occurred in 3 days (lag = 3). Altogether among the studied regions, the most important risk factor is the Human Development Index (HDI), with a mean RR of 1.2492 (95% CI: 1.0926-1.6706) for COVID-19, followed by the elderly fraction for both diseases. The risk factor associated with socio-economic inequalities for Influenza is probably smoothed by Influenza vaccination, which is offered free of charge to the entire Brazilian population. Finally, the findings of this study call attention to the influence of socio-economic inequalities on human health.

Development of a spatialized atmospheric emission inventory for the main industrial sources in Brazil.

In this work, atmospheric pollutant emissions of NOx, SOx, CO, particulate matter (PM), total organic compounds (TOC), and CO2 from larger stationary sources of pollutants in Brazil were inventoried and spatialized over the whole Brazilian territory for the base year 2011. The developed inventory comprises a total of 16 refining units, 1730 thermoelectric power plants (TPPs), 96 cement industries, and 64 paper and cellulose industries. To obtain the dataset, some strategies were used, including mail contact, official datasets, personal requesting, web maps usage, and official industry websites. The emission factors were based on lower and upper limits proposed by the AP-42 standards of the US Environmental Protection Agency - USEPA, as well as, emission factors provided by air pollution control agencies, industries, and those identified in the scientific literature. The results show values of 857 ± 415 Gg/year for NOx, 1.51 ± 1.23 Tg/year for SOx, 21.2 ± 13.7 Tg/year for CO, 10.4 ± 10.1 Tg/year for PM, 1.14 ± 0.95 Tg/year for TOC, and 476 ± 142 Tg/year for CO2. In comparison with the official vehicular emission inventory provided by the Ministry of Environment for the year 2011, the total NOx emissions estimated in this work were slightly lower than vehicular emissions, while SOx was 300 times greater than vehicular emissions. For CO, the stationary emissions inventoried were around 17 times greater than vehicular emissions, while PM was approximately 360 times greater than those from vehicles. In terms of comparison with existing global databases, the estimates of this work showed a good level of agreement with the pollutants estimated by the Global Emissions EDGAR v4.3.1, except for PM and CO, which were higher in our estimates. The major contribution of the proposed inventory lies in its improved spatialized distribution, higher resolution, and greater distinctness about the high level of uncertainty associated with the emission inventories for the region.

Impact of mining activities on areas of environmental protection in the southwest of the Amazon: A GIS- and remote sensing-based assessment.

The southwest Brazilian Amazon state of Rondônia has a relatively recent non-indigenous occupation, which subsequently develops a variety of human pressures and conflicts of interest presently identified in the region. Given such framework, it is worthwhile to note that there are 57 Conservation Units that must guarantee the biodiversity protection of Amazonia biome. However, due to the need for electricity and the international high demand for minerals, the highlighted scenario has dramatically changed in recent years. Official data from mining processes in the studied area demonstrated the existence of high interest for minerals, especially cassiterite and gold. Mining is indeed an essential activity for the nation mainly due to the generation of jobs and income. On the other hand, it produces several environmental and social impacts that vary accordingly to the peculiarities of the mining and with respect to the type of ore. Therefore, this research work investigated the concentration of mining projects in the state of Rondônia and complementarily evaluated the impact of such activities on areas of environmental protection. Landsat 8 OLI imageries were employed to map the diversity of land covers across the study area and also to evaluate the corresponding impact of mining activities. More than 500 processes have been identified within the Conservation Units. A significant part of the mining areas, covering about 26 km2, was observed inside one of the three types of evaluated areas (Integral Protection Sustainable Use Conservation Units and Damping Zone), clearly showing the development of the illegal activity, as defined in terms of the National System of Conservation Units. If deforestation is considered in this analysis, the area increases to about 6110 km2, representing more than 5.2% of the Conservation Units. In addition, we proposed the creation of the Mining Pressure Index (MPI), which allows classifying a Conservation Unit by the degree of pressure from mining activities. The proposed index revealed to be very efficient since it predicted high values over Conservation Units where it was expected a greater vulnerability. The index is a promising tool for public policy formulation and management of protected areas, as well as for enforcement action. The results provide a new horizon in terms of the perspective of importance and applicability of geotechnologies in the evaluation of environmental impacts, not restricted to mining activity.

A two decades study on ozone variability and trend over the main urban areas of the São Paulo state, Brazil.

In this paper, we analyze the variability of the ozone concentration over São Paulo Macrometropolis, as well the factors, which determined the tendency observed in the last two decades. Time series of hourly ozone concentrations measured at 16 automated stations from an air quality network from 1996 to 2017 were analyzed. The temporal variability of ozone concentrations exhibits well-defined daily and seasonal patterns. Ozone presents a significant positive correlation between the number of cases (thresholds of 100-160 µg m-3) and the fuel sales of gasohol and diesel. The ozone concentrations do not exhibit significant long-term trends, but some sites present positive trends that occurs in sites in the proximity of busy roads and negative trends that occurs in sites located in residential areas or next to trees. The effect of atmospheric process of transport and ozone formation was analyzed using a quantile regression model (QRM). This statistical model can deal with the nonlinearities that appear in the relationship of ozone and other variables and is applicable to time series with non-normal distribution. The resulting model explains 0.76% of the ozone concentration variability (with global coefficient of determination R1 = 0.76) providing a better representation than an ordinary least square regression model (with coefficient of determination R2 = 0.52); the effect of radiation and temperature are the most critical in determining the highest ozone quantiles.

Doenças profissionais causadas por poeiras: "silicose" / Diseases caused by dust: \"silicosis\"

No presente trabalho o autor faz uma revisão bibliográfica da literatura médica e análise das publicações científicas sobe a silicose existente nos últimos anos, tendo em vista ser a mesma, uma das afecções mais relevantes entre as pneumoconioses. É apresentada uma revisão sobre a doença, suas manifestações respiratórias e complicações, sua epidemiologia,estudo clínico, exames complementares e correlações radiológicas e fucionais, demonstrando ser essencial uma boa história ocpacional e radilógica de bom padrão, para que se proceda o diagnóstico. Destaca a importância da prevenção, e, principalmente, o tratamento.