The Challenge | Health Makes Wealth

Integrate NASA Earth science data and citizen science data to learn more about the connections between human, animal, and environmental health.

ecco dibre

compartilhar informações e gerar conhecimentos

D'dibre

NASA SPACE APPS CHALLENGE SALVADOR

ECCO DIBRE

SALVADOR, 21 DE OUTUBRO DE 2018

TEAM:

Anthony Silva

Augusto Neves

Felipe Messias

Kelvin Ribeiro

Priscila Brito

Academic article prepared for nasa space apps challenge Salvador. For the purpose of discussing Health makes Wealth.

Salvador, 21 outubro de 2018

1. INTRODUCTION

The process of biodiversity in agriculture, environmental change, water regimes and health conditions will be affected as species will have to adapt to new climate regimes and use migration to seek out more suitable sites or even to extinguish them. This will lead to the loss of ecosystem services, such as an imbalance in the food chain and the natural habitat of species, as well as genetic heritage and traditional knowledge, leading to damage to the environment. (CONRADO, 2003. P.2 ADAPTED)

Biodiversity is constantly adapting to a number of environmental conditions such as: seasonal variations, extreme weather patterns and unexpected natural hazards. These changes, however, may not be easily observed or appreciated in real-time accounts by the human eye. Based on this, data on environmental problems affecting human and animal health and the environment will be informed on this interactive platform, providing sufficient data and correlating animal and human health with environmental changes. what is happening in the world on these issues.

2 PROBLEMS

2.1 CLIMATE PROBLEMS

2.1.1 GLOBAL HEATING

With regard to global warming, in the health aspect, climate change will cause the increase and migration of vectors, increased epidemics and diseases, reduced productivity and increased spending on medicines and health care.

According to Confalonieri (2002), the climatic fluctuations can lead to extreme meteorological events and consequently to accidents and traumas. The same extreme events, such as floods, can also lead to the transmission of infectious diseases, such as leptospirosis. Changes in temperature and rainfall can lead to greater abundance and dissemination of vectors and pathogens. According to the author, the relationship between, for example, the incidence of cholera and the rising sea temperature in Bangladesh, in a study done in 1994, also between malaria in Venezuela and the El Niño 1935, also between air temperature and Ciclospora Cayetanensis infection in Lima, Peru, between 1992 and 1994.

Confalonieri warns, however, that different ecosystems can behave in different ways in relation to certain vectors. In the case of very intense rainfall, there will be a surface runoff in the rainforest, with mosquito larvae being dragged, leading to a decrease in malaria. Already in the semi-arid, the same precipitations will lead to the formation of pools of water, which will serve as a breeding ground for the vectors, thus increasing the incidence of the disease. In the semi-arid also, the rains of greater intensity than usual will cause an increase in ecosystem productivity, causing an increase in the population of rodent reservoirs, causing outbreaks of bubonic plague. On the other hand, in the urban favelas, due to poor garbage collection and poor drainage, leptospirosis outbreaks may occur. (GOMES, 2009. P.1)

2.1.2 MELTING MELTING

The global sea level has risen about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. It is expected to rise another 1 to 4 feet by 2100. This is the result of the addition of water from the melting of the Earth's ice and expansion of seawater as it warms up.

In the coming decades, storms and high tides may combine with rising sea levels and subsidence to further increase floods in many regions. The rise in sea level will continue after 2100 because the oceans take a long time to respond to warmer conditions on the Earth's surface. Ocean waters will continue to warm up and sea levels will continue to rise for many centuries at rates equal to or greater than those of the current century.

According to the team of researcher Jerry Mitrovica of Harvard University in the United States, it was discovered that the great glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland have a strong gravitational pull on the sea. This force pulls the mass of water towards the glacier, raising the sea level at the poles. When the glacier melts, gravitational attraction weakens and sea level decreases in that region.

The lower sea at the poles can help slow down the melting of the glaciers themselves. With less water in the sea, the glaciers are less exposed to hot water currents. With this, they can melt at a slower speed than expected. This water goes somewhere. If the sea level decreases at the poles, it should increase further in other parts of the globe. The models show that the melting of Greenland may decrease sea level in northeastern Canada, Iceland and Scotland. In compensation, the waters will increase more in South America, including in the south of Brazil. (CALIXTO. Revista. 2003. ADAPTADO)

2.1.3 CYANOBACTERIA PROLIFERATION

Cyanobacteria, prokaryotic microorganisms with a cell structure similar to that of a bacterium, produce neurotoxins that can affect human health, according to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The result surprised the group of researchers.

Scientists already knew that cyanobacteria produced some types of toxic substances. One of these, which may affect the functioning of the liver in mammals, however, has been detected to date only in a single genus of this group of microorganisms.

Substances that may be related to the onset of degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, in addition to Lou Gehrig's disease, appeared in 95% of the 30 genera analyzed by the research. As the cyanobacteria analyzed live in several environments and in different parts of the world, the amount of different species detected by the research has attracted the attention of the researchers.

With the cyanobacteria group being one of the most abundant and geographically dispersed of all living things, the chance of humans being more exposed to this type of toxin is statistically greater, say researchers. In addition, as global warming has caused peaks of growth of this microorganism, the discovery now has important ecological and evolutionary implications.

Contact with the toxins produced by the analyzed microorganisms can mainly be by feeding. Being the primary producer of cyanobacteria in the seas and freshwater, these toxic substances can accumulate along the food chain until they reach humans. (Revista FAPESP AGENCIA. 2005)

2.2 DEFORESTATIONS

Deforestation is one of the most serious environmental problems of our time, as it devastates forests and natural resources, compromising the balance of the planet in its various elements, including ecosystems, seriously affecting the economy and society.

The causes of deforestation are diverse, and for the most part, composed of human activities that provoke or intensify the occurrence of this problem, such as: agricultural expansion (opening of areas for agriculture, grazing or rural areas waiting for financial valorization), mining activity (areas that are devastated for the installation of equipment and activities of exploration of gold, silver, bauxite / aluminum, iron, zinc, etc.), intense and increasing exploitation of natural resources due to the demand for raw materials, of the urbanization and increase of the fires, be they accidental or intentional.

The consequences and impacts of deforestation are devastating. And the first one affected is the local biodiversity, since once the forests are destroyed, the natural habitat of many species is lost, contributing to the death of many animals and even the extinction of the endemic types, causing problems for the food chain and local ecosystems. This loss can impact even economic activities such as hunting and fishing. (Revista Ecycle. 2013)

The consequences of deforestation can lead to the extinction of species of animals and plants, causes serious imbalance in the ecosystem, contributes to the increase of pollution mainly from fires, and leads to soil erosion, which becomes unprotected by the cutting of trees . Another problem is the reduction of rainfall in areas that have suffered destruction of forests, directly affecting the species. Throughout the world, 150,000 square kilometers of rainforest are felled every year, and in Brazil this number is around 20,000 square kilometers. (SILVA. Revista 2016)

2.2.1 AFFECTED HABITATS

Habitat destruction contributes 36% of extinctions. This can be caused by man or by natural phenomena, such as occurred in the Cretaceous-Tertiary period 65 million years ago when a meteor struck Earth and swept 90 percent of Earth's biodiversity in the period.

Another factor of habitat change is agriculture, unbridled deforestation by modifying the original structure of the habitat, because the plants grown in a certain region are those chosen by man to compose their diet and not the vegetables that already existed originally. Even a region that is totally covered by agricultural vegetation is much altered in relation to the original characteristics that there was in that place. (SILVA. Revista 2016)

2.3 MARITIME POLLUTION

2.3.1 MAIN TYPES OF MARITIME GARBAGE

2.3.1.1 AGRICULTURAL FERTILIZERS

The use of inorganic fertilizers causes problems in the contamination of groundwater, rivers and lakes. Many inorganic fertilizers carry persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as dioxins and heavy metals in their composition, which contaminate animals and plants that live in water. Other animals or humans themselves may become contaminated by drinking water or eating intoxicated animals.

Contamination of water can also lead to its eutrophication. This is a process in which, according to studies, nitrogen or phosphate compounds, when they reach the rivers, lakes and coastal areas, favor the growth and increase of algae, which in turn lead to a decrease in oxygen and death organisms. (AIRES. Revista Ecycle. 2013)

2.3.1.2 AGROTOXICS

One of the most common problems is contamination of soil, groundwater and rivers and lakes. When the pesticide is used, it reaches the soil, and the rain or the irrigation system itself facilitates the arrival of the pesticides to the bodies of water, polluting them and intoxicating all the life there. (AIRES. Revis. Ecycle. 2013)

2.3.1.3 DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL SEWAGE WASTE

Sanitary sewage is the term used to characterize wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industries, institutions or any buildings that contain toilets and / or kitchens, disposed in tanks or tanks of accumulation. They are basically composed of liquids of hygienic habits and of the physiological necessities like: urine, feces, rest of food, washing of common areas, etc. (Revista TERA. 2013)

Types of domestic effluents: grease box, septic tank and sanitary effluent.

Types of industrial effluents: washing water, wastewater, effluent, liquid sludge and slurry of class II landfills.

2.3.1.4 PLASTICS

When improperly disposed of, plastic trash can cause clogging of ditches and manholes, which generate floods and homeless people, especially those living in peripheries. Visual pollution is also another evil caused by plastic waste. Not to mention the impact of plastics on the marine ecosystem.

Research has shown that plastic in the marine environment undergoes environmental actions (sun, high temperatures, different levels of oxygen, wave energy and the presence of abrasive factors such as sand, gravel or rock), fragments and has an appearance of food for many of the marine animals, causing their death and interfering with the reproductive cycle of many species. (CERRI. Revis. ecycle. 2013)

A study, co-ordinated by the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), reviewed the world literature on marine pollution estimated that at least 25 million tonnes of waste is dumped annually into the oceans. And most of this - 80% - originates in cities, due to poor management of solid waste. Each ton of waste not collected in riparian areas represents the equivalent of more than 1,500 plastic bottles that go into the sea. (GIRARDI. Jornal O Estadão. 2018)

Located in the Pacific Ocean, a garbage patch resulting from the accumulation of debris - mainly plastic - was considered one of the environmental catastrophes produced by mankind. It turns out that the extent of the damage is worse than previously thought: the region lying between the coast of the US state of California and Hawaii is 16 times larger than estimated, with 80,000 tons of plastic garbage that make up an area of 1.6 million square kilometers.

The study, published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports, indicates that the extent of garbage - which became known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - has an area of about twice the territory of France.

The study was conducted thanks to the exploration of the region by ships of the organization Ocean Cleanup Foundation, which collected garbage samples and mapped the portion of the ocean affected by the debris. With this, it was possible to recalculate the extent of the problem.

At the site, micro plastics up to five millimeters in size accumulate alongside pieces of garbage that can reach almost two tons. Debris from different countries dumped into the sea and flowing into the sea will end in the region: the incidence of ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean favors the accumulation of waste in this region of the planet, in a trend that only increases.

A report released by the UK government's science department revealed an unappealing trend: by 2025, the planet's oceans will be three times more polluted with plastic. The problem is that, according to estimates, there are currently at least 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic with an average size of five millimeters that foul the sea. (Revista GALILEU. 2018)

3 SOME DISEASES CAUSED BY ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Pollution has severe implications for sustainable development, exacerbates the cycle of poverty, causes damage to the environment and biodiversity, causes lasting damage, and leaves economic growth stagnant.

The impact on poverty comes from the fact that most, if not all, toxic areas tend to be in poorer neighborhoods. The WHO estimates that 98% of adults and 99% of children affected by lead exposure reside in low- or middle-income countries. People living and working in contaminated areas, such as battery and electronics recycling, artisanal gold miners, and workers in polluting industries - do so out of necessity, not out of choice. They often know that they are exposing themselves and exposing their families to deadly pollutants, but short-term survival overcomes the long-term consequences.

Figure 1 – Deaths caused by pollution

Source: WHO. 2018

According to WHO, in 2016 polluted air abroad killed 4.2 million people. Indoor pollution, for example with the use of technology or polluting energy sources in the kitchen, will have caused 3.8 million deaths. (LUSA. Revista 2018)

The first symptoms of air pollution in humans are burning eyes, itchy nose and throat irritation. Dust particles and carbon dioxide present in air pollution can also cause nausea, vomiting and fainting.

Prolonged exposure to pollution can lead to more serious complications such as pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases that can lead to death and weaken the immune system. (INEAM. 2016)

4 POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

4.1 CONTROL OF CYANOBACTERIA

Strategies for controlling cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins using advanced water treatment processes. A special focus is given to technologies essentially based on physical separations and / or biodegradation, ie with lower reagent consumption and by-product formation compared to other technological options. Results of studies developed at the UQTA, LNEC, involving biofiltration with activated carbon (BAC filters), membrane technology and hybrid processes of adsorption to powder activated carbon / low pressure membrane (PAC / ultrafiltration) are presented. (Elsa, MESQUITA. 2016, P.1)

4.2 MONITORING OF DEFORESTATION

In a variable that denotes the presence of a monitoring body that is demonstrated to be effective of the environment by increasing the probability of the municipalities endowed with this public action to attain levels of deforestation assimilated to that of developed countries. We conclude from the need for an expansion of state health surveillance secretariats in the region. (RONALDO. Arres. 2012. P.13)NASA SPACE APPS CHALLENGE SALVADOR

ECCO DIBRE

SALVADOR, 21 DE OUTUBRO DE 2018

TEAM:

Anthony Silva

Augusto Neves

Felipe Messias

Kelvin Ribeiro

Priscila Brito

Academic article prepared for nasa space apps challenge Salvador. For the purpose of discussing Health makes Wealth.

Salvador, 21 outubro de 2018

1. INTRODUCTION

The process of biodiversity in agriculture, environmental change, water regimes and health conditions will be affected as species will have to adapt to new climate regimes and use migration to seek out more suitable sites or even to extinguish them. This will lead to the loss of ecosystem services, such as an imbalance in the food chain and the natural habitat of species, as well as genetic heritage and traditional knowledge, leading to damage to the environment. (CONRADO, 2003. P.2 ADAPTED)

Biodiversity is constantly adapting to a number of environmental conditions such as: seasonal variations, extreme weather patterns and unexpected natural hazards. These changes, however, may not be easily observed or appreciated in real-time accounts by the human eye. Based on this, data on environmental problems affecting human and animal health and the environment will be informed on this interactive platform, providing sufficient data and correlating animal and human health with environmental changes. what is happening in the world on these issues.

2 PROBLEMS

2.1 CLIMATE PROBLEMS

2.1.1 GLOBAL HEATING

With regard to global warming, in the health aspect, climate change will cause the increase and migration of vectors, increased epidemics and diseases, reduced productivity and increased spending on medicines and health care.

According to Confalonieri (2002), the climatic fluctuations can lead to extreme meteorological events and consequently to accidents and traumas. The same extreme events, such as floods, can also lead to the transmission of infectious diseases, such as leptospirosis. Changes in temperature and rainfall can lead to greater abundance and dissemination of vectors and pathogens. According to the author, the relationship between, for example, the incidence of cholera and the rising sea temperature in Bangladesh, in a study done in 1994, also between malaria in Venezuela and the El Niño 1935, also between air temperature and Ciclospora Cayetanensis infection in Lima, Peru, between 1992 and 1994.

Confalonieri warns, however, that different ecosystems can behave in different ways in relation to certain vectors. In the case of very intense rainfall, there will be a surface runoff in the rainforest, with mosquito larvae being dragged, leading to a decrease in malaria. Already in the semi-arid, the same precipitations will lead to the formation of pools of water, which will serve as a breeding ground for the vectors, thus increasing the incidence of the disease. In the semi-arid also, the rains of greater intensity than usual will cause an increase in ecosystem productivity, causing an increase in the population of rodent reservoirs, causing outbreaks of bubonic plague. On the other hand, in the urban favelas, due to poor garbage collection and poor drainage, leptospirosis outbreaks may occur. (GOMES, 2009. P.1)

2.1.2 MELTING MELTING

The global sea level has risen about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. It is expected to rise another 1 to 4 feet by 2100. This is the result of the addition of water from the melting of the Earth's ice and expansion of seawater as it warms up.

In the coming decades, storms and high tides may combine with rising sea levels and subsidence to further increase floods in many regions. The rise in sea level will continue after 2100 because the oceans take a long time to respond to warmer conditions on the Earth's surface. Ocean waters will continue to warm up and sea levels will continue to rise for many centuries at rates equal to or greater than those of the current century.

According to the team of researcher Jerry Mitrovica of Harvard University in the United States, it was discovered that the great glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland have a strong gravitational pull on the sea. This force pulls the mass of water towards the glacier, raising the sea level at the poles. When the glacier melts, gravitational attraction weakens and sea level decreases in that region.

The lower sea at the poles can help slow down the melting of the glaciers themselves. With less water in the sea, the glaciers are less exposed to hot water currents. With this, they can melt at a slower speed than expected. This water goes somewhere. If the sea level decreases at the poles, it should increase further in other parts of the globe. The models show that the melting of Greenland may decrease sea level in northeastern Canada, Iceland and Scotland. In compensation, the waters will increase more in South America, including in the south of Brazil. (CALIXTO. Revista. 2003. ADAPTADO)

2.1.3 CYANOBACTERIA PROLIFERATION

Cyanobacteria, prokaryotic microorganisms with a cell structure similar to that of a bacterium, produce neurotoxins that can affect human health, according to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The result surprised the group of researchers.

Scientists already knew that cyanobacteria produced some types of toxic substances. One of these, which may affect the functioning of the liver in mammals, however, has been detected to date only in a single genus of this group of microorganisms.

Substances that may be related to the onset of degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, in addition to Lou Gehrig's disease, appeared in 95% of the 30 genera analyzed by the research. As the cyanobacteria analyzed live in several environments and in different parts of the world, the amount of different species detected by the research has attracted the attention of the researchers.

With the cyanobacteria group being one of the most abundant and geographically dispersed of all living things, the chance of humans being more exposed to this type of toxin is statistically greater, say researchers. In addition, as global warming has caused peaks of growth of this microorganism, the discovery now has important ecological and evolutionary implications.

Contact with the toxins produced by the analyzed microorganisms can mainly be by feeding. Being the primary producer of cyanobacteria in the seas and freshwater, these toxic substances can accumulate along the food chain until they reach humans. (Revista FAPESP AGENCIA. 2005)

2.2 DEFORESTATIONS

Deforestation is one of the most serious environmental problems of our time, as it devastates forests and natural resources, compromising the balance of the planet in its various elements, including ecosystems, seriously affecting the economy and society.

The causes of deforestation are diverse, and for the most part, composed of human activities that provoke or intensify the occurrence of this problem, such as: agricultural expansion (opening of areas for agriculture, grazing or rural areas waiting for financial valorization), mining activity (areas that are devastated for the installation of equipment and activities of exploration of gold, silver, bauxite / aluminum, iron, zinc, etc.), intense and increasing exploitation of natural resources due to the demand for raw materials, of the urbanization and increase of the fires, be they accidental or intentional.

The consequences and impacts of deforestation are devastating. And the first one affected is the local biodiversity, since once the forests are destroyed, the natural habitat of many species is lost, contributing to the death of many animals and even the extinction of the endemic types, causing problems for the food chain and local ecosystems. This loss can impact even economic activities such as hunting and fishing. (Revista Ecycle. 2013)

The consequences of deforestation can lead to the extinction of species of animals and plants, causes serious imbalance in the ecosystem, contributes to the increase of pollution mainly from fires, and leads to soil erosion, which becomes unprotected by the cutting of trees . Another problem is the reduction of rainfall in areas that have suffered destruction of forests, directly affecting the species. Throughout the world, 150,000 square kilometers of rainforest are felled every year, and in Brazil this number is around 20,000 square kilometers. (SILVA. Revista 2016)

2.2.1 AFFECTED HABITATS

Habitat destruction contributes 36% of extinctions. This can be caused by man or by natural phenomena, such as occurred in the Cretaceous-Tertiary period 65 million years ago when a meteor struck Earth and swept 90 percent of Earth's biodiversity in the period.

Another factor of habitat change is agriculture, unbridled deforestation by modifying the original structure of the habitat, because the plants grown in a certain region are those chosen by man to compose their diet and not the vegetables that already existed originally. Even a region that is totally covered by agricultural vegetation is much altered in relation to the original characteristics that there was in that place. (SILVA. Revista 2016)

2.3 MARITIME POLLUTION

2.3.1 MAIN TYPES OF MARITIME GARBAGE

2.3.1.1 AGRICULTURAL FERTILIZERS

The use of inorganic fertilizers causes problems in the contamination of groundwater, rivers and lakes. Many inorganic fertilizers carry persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as dioxins and heavy metals in their composition, which contaminate animals and plants that live in water. Other animals or humans themselves may become contaminated by drinking water or eating intoxicated animals.

Contamination of water can also lead to its eutrophication. This is a process in which, according to studies, nitrogen or phosphate compounds, when they reach the rivers, lakes and coastal areas, favor the growth and increase of algae, which in turn lead to a decrease in oxygen and death organisms. (AIRES. Revista Ecycle. 2013)

2.3.1.2 AGROTOXICS

One of the most common problems is contamination of soil, groundwater and rivers and lakes. When the pesticide is used, it reaches the soil, and the rain or the irrigation system itself facilitates the arrival of the pesticides to the bodies of water, polluting them and intoxicating all the life there. (AIRES. Revis. Ecycle. 2013)

2.3.1.3 DOMESTIC AND INDUSTRIAL SEWAGE WASTE

Sanitary sewage is the term used to characterize wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industries, institutions or any buildings that contain toilets and / or kitchens, disposed in tanks or tanks of accumulation. They are basically composed of liquids of hygienic habits and of the physiological necessities like: urine, feces, rest of food, washing of common areas, etc. (Revista TERA. 2013)

Types of domestic effluents: grease box, septic tank and sanitary effluent.

Types of industrial effluents: washing water, wastewater, effluent, liquid sludge and slurry of class II landfills.

2.3.1.4 PLASTICS

When improperly disposed of, plastic trash can cause clogging of ditches and manholes, which generate floods and homeless people, especially those living in peripheries. Visual pollution is also another evil caused by plastic waste. Not to mention the impact of plastics on the marine ecosystem.

Research has shown that plastic in the marine environment undergoes environmental actions (sun, high temperatures, different levels of oxygen, wave energy and the presence of abrasive factors such as sand, gravel or rock), fragments and has an appearance of food for many of the marine animals, causing their death and interfering with the reproductive cycle of many species. (CERRI. Revis. ecycle. 2013)

A study, co-ordinated by the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), reviewed the world literature on marine pollution estimated that at least 25 million tonnes of waste is dumped annually into the oceans. And most of this - 80% - originates in cities, due to poor management of solid waste. Each ton of waste not collected in riparian areas represents the equivalent of more than 1,500 plastic bottles that go into the sea. (GIRARDI. Jornal O Estadão. 2018)

Located in the Pacific Ocean, a garbage patch resulting from the accumulation of debris - mainly plastic - was considered one of the environmental catastrophes produced by mankind. It turns out that the extent of the damage is worse than previously thought: the region lying between the coast of the US state of California and Hawaii is 16 times larger than estimated, with 80,000 tons of plastic garbage that make up an area of 1.6 million square kilometers.

The study, published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports, indicates that the extent of garbage - which became known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - has an area of about twice the territory of France.

The study was conducted thanks to the exploration of the region by ships of the organization Ocean Cleanup Foundation, which collected garbage samples and mapped the portion of the ocean affected by the debris. With this, it was possible to recalculate the extent of the problem.

At the site, micro plastics up to five millimeters in size accumulate alongside pieces of garbage that can reach almost two tons. Debris from different countries dumped into the sea and flowing into the sea will end in the region: the incidence of ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean favors the accumulation of waste in this region of the planet, in a trend that only increases.

A report released by the UK government's science department revealed an unappealing trend: by 2025, the planet's oceans will be three times more polluted with plastic. The problem is that, according to estimates, there are currently at least 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic with an average size of five millimeters that foul the sea. (Revista GALILEU. 2018)

3 SOME DISEASES CAUSED BY ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Pollution has severe implications for sustainable development, exacerbates the cycle of poverty, causes damage to the environment and biodiversity, causes lasting damage, and leaves economic growth stagnant.

The impact on poverty comes from the fact that most, if not all, toxic areas tend to be in poorer neighborhoods. The WHO estimates that 98% of adults and 99% of children affected by lead exposure reside in low- or middle-income countries. People living and working in contaminated areas, such as battery and electronics recycling, artisanal gold miners, and workers in polluting industries - do so out of necessity, not out of choice. They often know that they are exposing themselves and exposing their families to deadly pollutants, but short-term survival overcomes the long-term consequences.

Figure 1 – Deaths caused by pollution

Source: WHO. 2018

According to WHO, in 2016 polluted air abroad killed 4.2 million people. Indoor pollution, for example with the use of technology or polluting energy sources in the kitchen, will have caused 3.8 million deaths. (LUSA. Revista 2018)

The first symptoms of air pollution in humans are burning eyes, itchy nose and throat irritation. Dust particles and carbon dioxide present in air pollution can also cause nausea, vomiting and fainting.

Prolonged exposure to pollution can lead to more serious complications such as pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases that can lead to death and weaken the immune system. (INEAM. 2016)

4 POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

4.1 CONTROL OF CYANOBACTERIA

Strategies for controlling cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins using advanced water treatment processes. A special focus is given to technologies essentially based on physical separations and / or biodegradation, ie with lower reagent consumption and by-product formation compared to other technological options. Results of studies developed at the UQTA, LNEC, involving biofiltration with activated carbon (BAC filters), membrane technology and hybrid processes of adsorption to powder activated carbon / low pressure membrane (PAC / ultrafiltration) are presented. (Elsa, MESQUITA. 2016, P.1)

4.2 MONITORING OF DEFORESTATION

In a variable that denotes the presence of a monitoring body that is demonstrated to be effective of the environment by increasing the probability of the municipalities endowed with this public action to attain levels of deforestation assimilated to that of developed countries. We conclude from the need for an expansion of state health surveillance secretariats in the region. (RONALDO. Arres. 2012. P.13)Detalhes

NASA Logo

SpaceApps is a NASA incubator innovation program.