Abstract
Introduction: There are few studies about children’s environmental exposure to arsenic (As) in Brazil, being the majority of them in the mining regions. This study aimed to analyze the levels of total arsenic in capillary blood, nail and urine from 8-10 years schoolchildren in two municipal schools of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Southeast region of Brazil, for the establishment of reference levels in an urban area. Methodology: The study was conducted in two steps. In the first step were collected samples of the nail and the capillary blood of children from two schools located in two different districts of the city, (E1) and (E2). In the second step were collected urine samples only in the E2 School. In both studies, a health education activity was developed as a strategy to discuss environmental pollution by chemicals and its relationship to human health. This study respected the ethical procedures of the Helsinki Declaration and the Brazilian Legislation. Results: The results are showed in the table attached. The correlation between the concentrations of arsenic in capillary blood and nail was weak and not-significant (r=0,004; p=0,95). Conclusions: The arsenic concentrations in urine were compatible with the values found in environmental exposure international surveys and national studies.
Published Version
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