Análise da influência de fatores ambientais e antrópicos sobre a saúde ambiental no estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

Environmental Health covers all aspects of human health that are determined by environmental factors. Unbalanced, degraded or polluted environments exert their impacts in different ways, including depending on geographic regions and are related, for example, to numerous socioeconomic variables that describe human development itself. In this sense, the complexity of the environment and its relationships with anthropogenic factors pose a challenge in the analysis of environmental quality, recognizing the diversity of approaches and the lack of a universal methodological standard. Therefore, it is important to select methods that suit the particularities of the object of study which, in this case, was the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), whose majority of the population faces challenges arising from living with droughts in the semiarid northeastern region. and that, with socioeconomic development, emerges the need to deal with dynamics linked to growth, especially those with the potential to generate health and environmental impacts. Thus, environmental health emerges as a crucial factor for development from a macro view of natural characteristics and anthropogenic impacts on different environmental matrices. The research was based on the premise that environmental deterioration affects the health profile of the population, proposing to characterize environmental quality and its relationship with health. The objectives covered the analysis of water quality, human exposure to natural radiation and integration of environmental, social and economic data with the health profile. The thesis sought to contribute to the discussion about the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to health and sanitation. In the first chapter, the analysis of water quality in municipalities in RN revealed a relationship between pollution and waterborne diseases, highlighting priority areas for interventions. In the second chapter, the association between the occurrence of cancer and exposure to natural radioactivity was examined, highlighting the need for additional studies to understand and mitigate the impacts. The third chapter adopted a multidisciplinary approach, using the FPSEEA Model to build the theoretical framework underlying the concept of environmental health. Based on this model, environmental quality was analyzed at municipal and micro-regional levels and its relationship with outcomes of regional interest. The study highlighted the association of environmental degradation with the prevalence of different health problems at a regional level, such as snakebites, arboviruses, and the occurrence of respiratory diseases and cancer. This research also highlighted the relevance of monitoring water quality and understanding the impacts of natural radioactivity on public health, regarding the occurrence of diseases linked to the loss of environmental quality, linking socioeconomic data with the mitigation of potential environmental impacts, promoting health and sustainability in RN. It is expected that the results presented here will contribute to the formulation of effective environmental and health policies, in addition to providing support for the planning of sanitation and health surveillance actions.