Saúde ambiental na microrregião Borborema Potiguar: vulnerabilidades humanas e potencialidades educacionais

Abstract

Environmental health is a field of public health that focuses on the interconnections between the spheres of human health and the environmental panorama that surrounds us. Because it presents an eminently ecological relationship with the health-disease process, the need to address the issue at various levels of knowledge has been highlighted, ranging from basic education to higher education. In this context, the city of Lajes Pintadas, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, is an example that deserves to be highlighted when it comes to environmental health. Since 2009, the city has been the subject of interdisciplinary scientific research due to a unique characteristic in the environmental, educational and public health dimensions. This particularity refers to exposure to radon gas, naturally emitted by rocks that contain uranium (U) in their composition, a phenomenon known as natural radioactivity. In order to broaden the understanding of the socio-environmental factors linked to the presence of radioactivity, scholars emphasize the need to collect additional information, covering both the environmental impacts and possible related diseases. Furthermore, they highlight the relevance of exploring the educational potential of the topic in the field of environmental health. In light of these considerations, this thesis aimed to evaluate the socio-environmental conditions related to the emission of natural radioactivity in the municipality of Lajes Pintadas/RN, including the potential risks to human health, and the challenges and educational potential of the topic of environmental health in the context of basic education. To achieve this objective, the following methodologies were adopted, organized in the four chapters of this thesis: conducting new analyses on the perception of risk by the exposed population, through the application of questionnaires and the evaluation of the effects at the genetic level, using genotoxicity tests with a chronic approach and comparing the results with previous studies carried out in Lajes Pintadas/RN between 2014 and 2016; content analysis on the approach to health and environmental topics, in addition to their interconnection described as environmental health in the main guiding documents of basic education; development, application and validation of socio-educational and formative actions in environmental health, with an emphasis on local topics. The results of the first chapter indicate that factors such as occupation, lifestyle, and exposure to chemical agents may be associated with the observed cellular changes, highlighting the relevance of integrated approaches for the analysis of these correlations. Additionally, a statistically significant association was identified between exposure to radon gas and the increase in the frequency of micronuclei, a key biomarker of DNA damage. These findings suggest that prolonged exposure to natural radiation may contribute to cytogenetic changes, reinforcing the need for monitoring and mitigation measures. Regarding the educational panorama explored, the results related to the second chapter indicate difficulties in the search for and clarity in the articulation of health and environment themes in the main guiding document for basic education, the BNCC, as well as in their integration, characterized as environmental health. Guided by these weaknesses, the third chapter showed that the implementation of socio-educational and training initiatives in the area of environmental health, using an approach based on local reality, presents educational potential. These results represent an unprecedented record of collaborative integration between the fields of teaching, research, and extension, aiming at the promotion and didactic exploration of topics related to environmental health in situ. However, despite the benefits emphasized, it was observed in the literature that the didactic-pedagogical exploration and the availability of educational resources for the thematic scope are limited. This research gap supported the fourth chapter, culminating in the proposal of strategies for the construction and validation of a didactic sequence for teaching environmental health topics. In summary, the consolidation of the four chapters of this thesis presented innovative contributions to the understanding of the impacts of natural radioactivity on human health and to the formulation of materials, reflections, and positions on the relevance of the theme of environmental health in the context of basic education.