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Pathogen Pollution: Viral Diseases Associated with Poor Sanitation in Brazil
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This opinion article discusses the wide range of pollution challenges facing Brazil, including microplastics, heavy metals, pesticides, and pathogen contamination linked to poor sanitation. Researchers examine how anthropogenic activities drive pathogen pollution in water and terrestrial ecosystems, with significant public health implications. The study highlights the interconnected nature of environmental contamination and disease transmission in developing regions.
Brazil faces many types of pollution, including atmospheric CO2 pollution due to Amazon deforestation, pollution by heavy metals, microplastics, pesticides, pathogens, and other classes of environmental contaminants. Pathogen pollution refers to (I) the introduction of a pathogen to a new host species or population and (II) a concept used in the study of pathogenic organisms in water or terrestrial ecosystems. Anthropogenic activities are the leading forces of pathogen pollution in both contexts previously cited. In this Opinion article, we discuss the impacts of pathogen pollution on public health, infectious diseases emergence, and ecosystems using mosquito- and water-borne viral diseases in Brazil as case studies. Finally, we advocate improvements and expansion in sanitation systems, considering sewage treatment and soil waste management, as an umbrella factor to minimize risks and spreading of pathogen pollution in Brazil.
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This Portuguese-language review examines how enteric viruses interact with environmental pollutants including heavy metals, microplastics, and organic contaminants found in soil, water, and air. The presence of these pollutants can alter viral survival, persistence, transport, and spread through contaminated water and food pathways.
How natural and anthropogenic factors should drive microplastic behavior and fate: The scenario of Brazilian urban freshwater
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This review examines the factors driving microplastic contamination in Brazilian freshwater systems, including the country's massive plastic production and limited recycling infrastructure. Researchers highlight that more than half of post-consumer plastic packaging in Brazil goes unmonitored, and most microplastic research has focused on marine environments while freshwater data remains scarce. The study calls for more systematic monitoring of Brazilian rivers and lakes, especially given the country's continental-scale waterways and diverse ecosystems.
Contamination by plastics and microplastics: (re)knowing the lived reality.
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This Brazilian literature review examines the environmental impact of plastics and microplastics across different pollution scenarios, discussing the history of plastic production and consumption, relevant environmental legislation, and the importance of recycling in addressing plastic contamination.
An ecotoxicological approach for criteria and standards of sanitary effluent control in Brazil
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A review of ecotoxicological criteria for effluent release in Brazil found only six states have more protective legislation than federal standards, with emerging contaminants including microplastics not addressed by conventional sewage treatment or most current regulations.
Integrated occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern, including microplastics, in urban and agricultural watersheds in the State of São Paulo, Brazil
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Researchers measured contamination from microplastics and other emerging pollutants in both urban and agricultural watersheds in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. They found microplastics in all sampled locations, along with pesticides, caffeine, and other chemicals, with pollution patterns differing between urban and farming areas. The study shows that microplastic contamination is widespread in Brazilian water systems used for drinking and irrigation, contributing to human exposure through multiple pathways.
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