Comparative environmental performance of pavement structures considering recycled materials and regional differences.

The construction of pavements incorporating reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is taking place around the world, implying the necessity to quantify their net environmental impacts. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a popular method to analyze the environmental impacts of a product along the whole value chain, providing guidance to practices and technologies from environmental perspectives. However, the LCA research of RAP-modified pavement is seldom performed in Brazil. In addition, as an important source of uncertainties, there is also need of discussion regarding the geographical and technological characteristics in the LCA of pavements. For these motivations, this paper performs a cradle-to-gate LCA to compare the environmental performance of asphalt pavement in Brazil and Switzerland, using the practical rates of RAP use. The functional unit was defined based on the same traffic volume and service life of asphalt pavements, where the mix design and pavement structures follow the standards of the two countries. The results showed that RAP recycling can improve the environmental performance of hot asphalt mixtures in both countries. Binder amount has a high environmental burden and its reduced use by adding RAP has a positive environmental effect. Type of fuel also plays an important role in LCA. In Brazil, it is not recommended to use heavy oils as fuel during the mixing process if other options such as methane gas is available. The results show that the Swiss production of asphalt mixture had lower environmental impact. Nevertheless, a strategic location of material suppliers and mixing plants could lower the transportation distances, improving its environmental performance.

Incidence of childhood cancer in Costa Rica, 2000-2014: An international perspective.

BACKGROUND: Estimating childhood cancer incidence globally is hampered by a lack of reliable data from low- and middle-income countries. Costa Rica is one of the few middle-income countries (MIC) with a long-term high quality nationwide population-based cancer registry. METHODS: Data on incident cancers in children aged under 15 years reported to the Costa Rica National Cancer Registry between 2000 and 2014 were analyzed by diagnostic group, age, sex, and geographical region and compared with incidence data for Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White (NHW) children in California, USA. RESULTS: During the 15-year period, 2396 cases of childhood cancer were reported in Costa Rica, resulting in an overall age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) of 140/million. Most frequent cancer types were leukemias (40.5%), malignant central nervous system (CNS) tumors (13.9%), and lymphomas (12.7%). The observed ASR of lymphoid leukemia (46.9/million) ranked high globally. Low rates were found for most solid tumors including malignant CNS tumors, sympathetic nervous system tumors, and soft tissue sarcomas. There was almost no change in incidence rates over time, while geographical variations were observed within Costa Rica. The overall cancer rate in Costa Rica was lower compared to NHW (176.1/million) and Hispanic (161.7/million) children in California. CONCLUSION: Based on the longstanding registration system, the childhood cancer incidence rates were similar to those observed in other Latin American countries. While a degree of under-ascertainment of cases cannot be excluded, the markedly high leukemia rates, in particular of the lymphoid sub-type deserves further study in this population.

Congenital transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi in central Brazil. A study of 1,211 individuals born to infected mothers

Transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi during pregnancy is estimated to occur in less than 20% of infected mothers; however, the etiopathogenesis is not completely understood. The Centre for Studies on Chagas Disease provides confirmation of T. cruzi infection for individuals living in central Brazil. In this retrospective hospital-based study, all requests for diagnosis of T. cruzi infection in individuals less than 21 years old from 1994-2014 were searched. We end with 1,211 individuals and their respective infected mothers. Congenital transmission of infection was confirmed in 24 individuals (2%) in central Brazil, an area where the main T. cruzi lineage circulating in humans is TcII. This low prevalence of congenital Chagas disease is discussed in relation to recent findings in the south region of Brazil, where TcV is the main lineage and congenital transmission has a higher prevalence (approximately 5%), similar to frequencies reported in Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. This is the first report to show geographical differences in the rates of congenital transmission of T. cruzi and the relationship between the prevalence of congenital transmission and the type of Tc prevalent in each region.