Determination of settled dust sources by analytical techniques and chemical mass balance receptor model.

The identification of sources that produce particulate atmospheric matter (PM) can be of paramount importance for the reduction of air pollution and the development of environmental policies. In order to identify the environmental impact resulting from industrial metallurgical activities in the Metropolitan Region of Vitória, ES, Brazil, it was investigated the contribution to PM that result from industrial activities and from local natural sources. For this purpose, analytical techniques were used to identify the apportionment of sources that contribute to the formation of insoluble settled dust collected at two points near the city of Vitória. Samples of soil, iron ore, limestone, coal, iron ore pellets, sinter, coke, slag, environmental samples of settled dust, and samples representative of the actual flows of materials used in an integrated steel mill were analyzed. Physicochemical characterizations, based on X-ray diffraction and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy of ferruginous compounds found in sources and receptor samples, revealed the presence of highly crystallized hematite and low crystallized hematite. The latter is primarily found in soil samples, while well-crystallized hematite is found in natural samples from iron ores or after thermo-chemical processes applied during the industrial transformation of raw materials, as it happens during the production of pellets. Ferrous crystallographic forms α-FeOOH and Fe5HO8·4H2O, observed in environmental and soil samples, were also found in samples from industrial sources. Source apportionment of carbon based on the IMPROVE_A protocol for thermal/optical carbon analysis showed the participation of the elementary carbon fractions, separating contributions originated from coke and coal sources in the environmental samples. These results allowed a significant reduction of collinearity between source profiles in the application of the chemical mass balance receptor model "EPA-CMB8.2" receptor model. Consequently, it was possible to distinguish sources that process mainly ferrous and carbonaceous materials, identifying the contribution of different sources to the settled dust collected.

Gestão integrada em biossegurança: um programa para o Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou / Management integrated in biosafety: program for the Center of Research René Rachou

Este trabalho apresenta um programa que sistematiza as ações de biossegurança no Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, uma unidade da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, e que se estrutura nas áreas de educação, comunicação, ambiente e saúde do trabalhador. Discute a associação da Biossegurança com a Saúde do Trabalhador e com a questão ambiental, enquanto campo de conhecimentos e práticas que se constrói com um caráter multidisciplinar e transversal, numa perspectiva da complexidade, e a necessidade de buscar uma integração prática entre estas três áreas. Enfoca as atividades de gestão enquanto um sistema complexo e salienta a necessidade de desenvolver uma dinâmica baseada na interação, na intersetorialidade, e na complementaridade. Apresenta as tendências atuais de desenvolvimento de sistemas de gestão integrada para Qualidade, Saúde e Segurança do Trabalho e Ambiente, e racionaliza sobre a necessidade de incluir a gestão da Biossegurança nesta integração. Propõe, dentro da perspectiva apresentada, e como forma de viabilizar o Programa de Biossegurança, o desenvolvimento de um sistema que permita a integração da gestão da Biossegurança, Qualidade, Saúde do Trabalhador, e Ambiente.

Implante percutâneo de endopróteses nas artérias carótidas / Percutaneous implantation of endoprostheses in the carotid arteries

OBJECTIVE: To assess the in-hospital evolution of patients undergoing percutaneous stent placement in the carotid arteries. METHODS: From August 1996 to April 2001, we studied 86 patients with carotid arterial obliterative lesions > 70 percent who were treated with percutaneous stent placement in the carotid arteries. We assessed the rate of success of the implantation and of the procedure, the types of stents used, mortality rate, and neurological complications. RESULTS: Successful implantation was obtained in 98.9 percent of the cases, and the procedure was successful in 91.8 percent. The Wallstent was the most frequently used stent (73 patients - 77 percent). Cerebral strokes occurred as follows: 3 (3.2 percent) transient ischemic attacks, 1 (1.1 percent) minor stroke, and 3 (3.1 percent) major strokes. One (1.1 percent) patient died during hospitalization. CONCLUSION: The high rate of success of stent implantation (98.9 percent) in addition to the low rate of cerebral stroke/death (4.2 percent) showed the efficiency and safety of percutaneous stent placement in carotid arteries

Screening of Asteraceae (Compositae) plant extracts for larvicidal activity against Aedes fluviatilis (Diptera: Culicidae)

Ethanol extracts of 83 plants species belonging to the Asteraceae (Compositae) family, collectes in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, were tested for larvicidal activity against the mosquito Aedes fluviatilis - Diptera: Culicidae). The extract from Tagetes minuta was the most active with LC90 of 1.5 mg/l and LC50 of 1.0 mg/l. This plant been the object of several studies by other groups and its active components have already been identified as thiophene derivates, a class of compounds present in many Asteraceae species. The extract of Eclipta paniculata was also significantly active, with a LC90 of 17.2 mg/l and LC50 of 3.3 mg/l and no previous studies on its larvicidal activity or chemical composition could be found in the literature. Extracts of Achryrocline satureoides, Gnaphalium spicatum, Senecio brasiliensis, Trixis vauthieri, Tagetes patula and Vernonia ammophila were less active, killing more than 50 per cent of the larvae only at the higher dose tested (100 mg/l)