Accidents In Brazil Research Articles

Residues from the Fundão Dam Accident in Brazil and their Effects on Photosynthetic Efficiency of Two Restinga Plant Species.

In 2015, a breach in the Fundão Dam in Mariana (Minas Gerais State, Brazil) resulted in the release of contaminated tailings into the Doce River basin. This accident increased the concentrations of arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), vanadium (V), and manganese (Mn) in the soil, posing a potential hazard to the physiology of native species. The purpose of this study was to assess whether chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF) in Allagoptera arenaria and Guapira pernambucensis changed following this accident when tested under different precipitation regimes in relation to soil properties and metal(loid) absorption. Our research was conducted in two sites located in the state of Espírito Santo in southeastern Brazil. Five independent biological replicates of A. arenaria and G. pernambucensis were selected at each site for nutritional and chlorophyll a fluorescence analysis. Five years after the dam rupture, A. arenaria and G. pernambucensis had absorbed As, Pb, and V. The increased amounts of metal(loid)s absorbed did not significantly impair the OJIP curve configuration for either species during the evaluated periods. However, A. arenaria at Biological Reserve of Comboios (RBC) during the rainy season showed increases in the values of maximum quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (φP0) and total performance index on absorption basis (PITOTAL). These changes indicated more efficient tolerance mechanisms for increases in the concentrations of As, Pb, and V than those observed in G. pernambucensis. It was concluded that A. arenaria and G. pernambucensis exhibited an acclimation strategy in response to increased absorption of metal(loid)s.

Scorpion envenomation in Brazil and its relationship with the social determinants of health: A population-based ecological study

This study comprehensively analyzed cases of scorpion envenomation in Brazil, exploring the temporal trends and geographic patterns of such incidents between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2022. Simultaneously, we assessed the correlation between scorpion envenomation and social determinants of health and social vulnerability. We conducted a population-based ecological study, gathering information on the number of scorpion envenomation cases in Brazil, as well as socioeconomic data and social vulnerability indicators across the 5,570 Brazilian municipalities. The season-trend model, based on the classical additive decomposition method, informed estimations of scorpion envenomation variations over time. The spatial correlation of scorpion envenomation with socioeconomic and vulnerability indicators was assessed using the Bivariate Moran's I. A total of 1,343,224 cases of scorpion envenomation were recorded in Brazil from Jan 2012 to Dec 2022. A single increasing time trend was observed for the entire country for this period (APC 8.94, P < 0.001). The seasonal analysis was significant for Brazil as a whole and all regions (p < 0.001), with peaks evident between October and November. The spatial distribution of cases was heterogeneous, with spatial clusters concentrated in the high-risk Southeast and Northeast regions. There was a high incidence of scorpion envenomation in municipalities facing social vulnerability, and, paradoxically, in those with better sanitation and waste collection. Our study revealed a heterogeneous geographical distribution of scorpion accidents in Brazil. Municipalities with higher social vulnerability exhibited a high incidence of scorpion envenomation.

Analysis of the temporal trend of locomotor system injuries in the pediatric population caused by traffic accidents in Brazil

Goal: to analyze the temporal trend and factors associated with locomotor system injuries in the pediatric population by traffic accidents in Brazil, through epidemiological, statistical and bibliographic evaluation. Methods: It is an epidemiological, retrospective, qualitative/quantitative study with secondary data analysis and cross-sectional typology in the public databases of the Brazilian Ministry of Labor and Social Security, made available by the Federal Government. Health sciences descriptors: "musculoskeletal injuries", "multiple trauma", "traffic accidents" and "pediatrics". Results: Between 2013 and 2022, 358.821 cases of children and teenagers with injuries of the locomotor system caused by traffic accidents were registered. Motorcycle accidents were the main responsible for this scenario (42.2%). Conclusion: Musculoskeletal injuries caused by traffic accidents in children are important causes of morbidity and mortality. In this context, the insertion of public policies directed to the awareness of the population about the seriousness of the case and the exposure of data such the ones in this study, can provide improvement of this scenario.

Temporal trend and magnitude of previdenciary benefits for workplace accidents in Brazil.

To analyze the temporal trend and magnitude of national indicators of previdenciary benefits for workplace accidents issued and granted by the Social Security of Brazil. Secondary data from Social Security from 2008 to 2019 were used. The trend and percentage variation of the indicators were estimated through Prais-Winsten generalized linear regression. A total of 9,220,372 previdenciary benefits for workplace accidents were issued by the Social Security of Brazil in the period, costing approximately R$ 8.4 billion and representing about 2.0% of the net value of all benefits paid. None of the categories of previdenciary benefits for workplace accidents showed an increasing trend. The highest variation in the benefits granted and issued for workplace accidents occurred in temporary disability benefit (B91), with an annual percentage variation of -54.00% and -29.29%, respectively. A reduction in magnitude and an overall decreasing trend were observed in the historical series of national indicators of benefits granted and benefits issued related to workplace accidents in Brazil from 2008 to 2019.

Investigation of work accidents in Brazil: A decade-long ecological study (2012-2022)

Investigation of work accidents in Brazil: A decade-long ecological study (2012-2022)

Impact of the program life in traffic and new zero-tolerance drinking and driving law on the prevalence of driving after alcohol abuse in Brazilian capitals: An interrupted time series analysis.

Driving under the influence of alcohol is one of the main factors for morbidity and mortality from traffic accidents. In 2010 and 2013, the Program Life in Traffic was implemented in Brazil, including the international initiative "Road Safety in Ten Countries", which established actions to reduce one of the main risk factors for road traffic injuries, the driving under the influence of alcohol. In 2012, a new zero-tolerance drinking and driving law (new dry law) was implemented, establishing a zero-tolerance limit for the drivers' blood alcohol concentration, and increasing punitive measures. This study aimed at analyzing the impact of these measures on the prevalence of driving under the influence of alcohol abuse in Brazilian capitals. An interrupted time series study was conducted using the models of autoregressive integrated moving average or seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average. The main outcome was the prevalence of driving after alcohol abuse in the adult population (≥ 18 years). The model's predictors were the interventions "Program Life in Traffic" and "New Dry Law". The former was implemented in the first quarter of 2011, initially in five capitals: Belo Horizonte, Campo Grande, Palmas, Teresina, and Curitiba, being expanded to the other capitals in the first quarter of 2013. The latter was implemented in the country on the first quarter of 2013. Data source for the study was the records of the surveillance system for risk and protection factors of chronic diseases through telephone survey (Vigitel) from 2007 to 2016. The time intervals considered in the study were the quarters. Thirty-eight units were considered in the analysis, corresponding to time series points. It was found that after the implementation of the Program Life in Traffic, in the first quarter of 2011, there was a reduction in the prevalence in Belo Horizonte and Curitiba. Because the introduction of the New Dry Law and the Program Life in Traffic took place in similar periods in the other cities, there was a significant reduction in the outcome prevalence in the cities of Aracaju, Belo Horizonte, Boa Vista, Fortaleza, João Pessoa, Maceió, Manaus, Palmas, Porto Alegre, Recife, Teresina, Rio Branco, and Vitória following the law application. The present study identified an immediate impact of the Program Life in Traffic in two capitals (Belo Horizonte and Curitiba) and a joint impact of the New Dry Law in 13 capitals. The results of this study have implications for strengthening interventions aimed at reducing the burden of morbidity and mortality from traffic accidents in Brazil.

Analysis of antibodies avidity for Tityus serrulatus scorpion venom in antivenom production and its potential for application as a potency test

Antivenoms are the only specific medication for neutralizing toxins present in venom of animals such scorpions and snakes through antigen-antibody binding. Several analyses are carried out throughout its production in order to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the antivenom that will be administered to the patient. One of these is the potency assay, which is performed to assess the ability of antivenoms to neutralize the toxic effects of the venom injected in mice. The substitution of in vivo for in vitro assays such as ELISA has been presented by other authors, bringing several advantages such as the reduction in the use of animals, in costs and in the duration of the assays. However, the avidity index of antivenom antibodies determined by ELISA has not yet been applied for this purpose. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the avidity of sera from hyperimmunized horses with crude Tityus serrulatus venom, a scorpion species associated with the most serious accidents in Brazil, and its potential for application as a potency test replacing the in vivo assay. The avidity ELISA proved to be interesting for monitoring the binding strength of antibodies produced by horses in hyperimmune plasma production programs. It was possible to verify oscillations in antibody avidity that occurred along the immunization cycles, differences between novice and veteran horses, maturation of antibody avidity, and correlation between avidity index and antibody titre. Similar results were obtained for crude venom and purified Ts1 toxin. In addition, the avidity ELISA apparently demonstrated potential for application as a potency test in the initial stage of antivenom production. However, more studies are necessary.

Identifying the most informative variables to discriminate between fatal and non-fatal road accidents

Road accidents account for millions of fatal and non-fatal victims worldwide each year, causing losses for victims and their families in many ways. Understanding the causes that differentiate fatal from non-fatal accidents is an essential topic in the area of traffic safety. In this way, this paper proposes a framework to identify the most informative variables for discriminating road accidents as fatal and non-fatal. The proposed framework is comprised of three operational steps: (i) Preprocess the data describing road accidents; (ii) Iteratively classify accident events into fatal or non-fatal and eliminate the less relevant variables using the omit-one-variable-at-a-time (O1AT) technique; and (iii) Qualitatively assess the selected variables. For that matter, data reporting accidents in rural and urban areas of Brazil (BR) and Great Britain (GB) in 2018 were analyzed. The proposed framework substantially increased the accuracy of event classification into fatal and non-fatal categories, and reduced the number of variables required for analysis. Frontal collision and pedestrian run over were deemed the most informative variables to describe fatal accidents in Brazil. As for events in Great Britain, variables associated to the period of the day the accident took place, number of vehicles involved, and whether the police attended the accident scene were deemed statistically significant in distinguishing fatal from non-fatal accidents.

Spatial Analysis of Scorpion Accidents in Brazil: Its Relation to Climate and Urbanization

Abstract. This essay has the objective of performing a spatial analysis and of identifying spatial pattern configurations of scorpion accidents, in order to assist in the implementation of projects and interventions for the prevention and control of areas infested by venomous animals. Between the data surveys and statistical data bank organizations we can quote the Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde - DATASUS (Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System), agency of the Secretaria de Gestão Estratégica e Participativa do Ministério da Saúde (Office of Strategic and Participatory Management at the Ministry of Health), in the years of 2019 and 2020, for the Brazilian territory. The modeling and data collection were developed, and organized into a geographic database, exploratory data analysis, spatial analysis, as well as the production of thematic maps, with identified spatial patterns. As a result a systematized set of thematic maps was obtained which presents the distribution of scorpion-caused accidents. Finally, a geographic analysis was conducted in order to analyze the data and results found, as well as the information conveyed in terms of demographic factors. It was found then a certain concentration of cases, which can generate a relationship between tropical climates and with the distribution of urbanized areas.

Impact of rising temperatures on occupational accidents in Brazil in the period 2006 to 2019: A multiple correspondence analysis

Work accidents result in consequences to the employment of the population and increasing public spendings. Caused by workplace and work activity characteristics, occupational accidents may also derive from ergonomics and comfort issues. Heat stress is a discomfort factor that affects workers when exposed to temperatures above the body limits, resulting in exhaustion, dizziness, reduced cognitive performance and, eventually, injuries and accidents. Under the current climate change scenario characterized by increase of temperature projections all around the world, the heat stress issue becomes even more significant. However, in Brazil, this topic is yet little explored, especially regarding the investigation of historical data on occupational accidents considering the climatic variables. This paper aims at filling a part of this gap by presenting a new database that unifies a work accident database - recording from 2006 to 2019 - with meteorological data of the place and time of the accident. We investigate the relationship between these two datasets through the application of Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) in the R Software. Our results show some association between accident variables and heat stress variables. We identify some of the more critical workers' characteristics in this context and the most exposed regions of Brazil. Our database allows the continuity and expansion of this type of research in Brazil, and the MCA results point to a positive association between the occurrence of accidents with climatic variables. It may pave a new path for research that can detail and deepen the discussion on the behavior of these variables.

Investigating the relationship between road geometry and severe bus accidents in Brazil

The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between road geometry and severe bus accidents in Brazil, based on an adaptation of the Umbrella Handle Model (UHM) and emphasizing the influence of unbalanced centripetal acceleration in the occurrence of these events. Three accidents of this type were selected for study, all of them recorded along or close to horizontal curves of Brazilian highways (Trindade Access, RJ 155 and SP 125 roads). The variation in centripetal acceleration of vehicles traveling under operating speed along each “smoothed tangent” was measured using the Keuwlsoft Accelerometer Counter app for smartphone. Transverse and longitudinal acceleration peaks were highlighted for each study section, and, in the first case, the critical variations refer precisely to the locations of the RJ 155 and SP 125 roads where bus accidents were recorded. With regard to the Road Risk Index (RRI), with the exception of the RJ 155 road, the highest RRI values among all combinations between a tangent and a sequential horizontal curve were also observed for the places of occurrence of the investigated accidents.

Daylight Saving Time and road accidents in Brazil

Daylight Saving Time and road accidents in Brazil

Acidente botrópico em paciente pediátrico: relato de caso

Botropic accidents are the most common among snake accidents in Brazil. The species Bothrops jararaca, the popular jararaca, predominantly inhabits the south and southeast regions, and thus is the most relevant venomous snake in the region, being responsible for most accidents. Its poison causes important clinical repercussions, with proteolytic, coagulant and hemorrhagic actions, which cause an exuberant clinical picture. In addition to the pain, local manifestations and coagulation disorders, the jararaca sting can present complications such as infections and tissue necrosis. Thus, this case report aims to describe the approach and evolution of a botropic accident involving a previously healthy 5-year-old pediatric patient.

Botropic accident in a pediatric patient: case report

Botropic accidents are the most common among snake accidents in Brazil. The species Bothrops jararaca, the popular jararaca, predominantly inhabits the sout h and southeast regions, and thus is the most relevant venomous snake in the r egion, being responsible for most accidents. Its poison causes important clinical repercussions, with proteolytic, coagulant and hemorrhagic actions, which cause an exuberant clinical picture. In addition to the pain, local manifestations and co agulation disorders, the jararaca sting can present complications such as infecti ons and tissue necrosis. Thus, this case report aims to describe the approach a nd evolution of a botropic accident involving a previously healthy 5-year-old pedi atric patient.

The First Bills on Work Accidents in Brazil: from Civil Liability to Professional Risk Theory (1904-1919)

The First Bills on Work Accidents in Brazil: from Civil Liability to Professional Risk Theory (1904-1919)

Assessment of safety culture maturity in a food industry: a comparison between manufacturing and administration sector

Occupational safety and health are ongoing concerns for many organizations, especially for economic sectors that are leaders in work-related accidents, such as the food industry. An established safety culture is essential to support the development and successful progress of any safety management program. Therefore, monitoring the maturity of a company's safety culture is required for change planning and continuous improvement to ensure a safe workplace. This paper aims to assess the maturity degree of the safety culture of a multinational food industry, representing one of the segments with more occupational accidents in Brazil. An exploratory and descriptive research was developed, with a quantitative approach and based on a case study strategy. The manufacturing sector showed a mature safety culture, with a predominance of the sustainable level (58%), while the administration segment presented a high dispersion of data, incurring in a safety culture between the bureaucratic (23%), proactive (29%), and sustainable (33%) degrees. Safety at work was found to be associated with variables of different natures and the diagnosis carried out in this paper points out that the implementation of an organizational culture focused on safety requires a holistic view that goes beyond the technical aspects of the activity or the employees’ attributes, encompassing social and organizational elements, as well as the characteristics of each sector that must be considered by leaders for safety management to be effective

Using systems theory for additional risk detection in boiler explosions in Brazil

Recent technological advances have allowed some human activities, including those related to safety, to be automated. However, these advances increased the complexity of sociotechnical systems, representing exponential growth of interactions between humans, computers, machines, and the environment. Moreover, growing productive and economic pressures demand safer and more reliable products and projects, at lower costs and time than those practised by competitors. To cope with this complexity and set of conflicting objectives, the STAMP (Systems-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes) emerged as a novel approach to analyse processes and accidents. In this study, an overview of boiler accidents in Brazil is presented and a causal analysis based on STAMP (CAST) is conducted to revisit one of the worst boiler accidents in the Brazilian scenario. Even without direct participation in the investigations, additional and more relevant risk factors are evidenced. Furthermore, it was found that government agencies generally refrain from reviewing their own control actions contributing to the hazard, limiting their potential improvements. This suggests a need for companies and government agencies to adopt new paradigms of risk and accident analysis and to work together for a systemic safety improvement approach.

Tendências da mortalidade em decorrência de traumas de trânsito no Brasil e nas unidades federativas entre os anos de 1997 e 2015 na população masculina

Abstract Background Traffic accidents are one of the main causes of death in Brazil and the increase in the mortality rate is concerning. Objective The study aims to perform a temporal analysis of mortality trends related to traffic accidents in Brazil and its states. Method This is an ecological study of time series of mortality from traffic accidents in Brazil and its Federative Units. Data was obtained from the Information System for Mortality (SIM), processed by Datasus and classified under the headings V01 to V89 (CID-10). Specific mortality rates were calculated and adjusted by age. The temporal tendency analysis was run on the Joinpoint Regression Program. Results The Brazilian male population showed no change in the average annual percentage for the mortality rate (-0.8%; CI 95% -1.7;0.1). Ten states showed increased mortality rates; nine presented a decline, and eight remained constant throughout the period. Conclusion The male population showed no change in the rates, but the mortality rate for the general Brazilian population decreased by 1% per year from 1997 to 2015. Both general and male populations had a decrease of 4.6% and 4.9% per year during the last years, respectively (2012-2015).

Impact of Rising Temperatures on Occupational Accidents in Brazil in the Period 2006 to 2019: A Multiple Correspondence Analysis

Impact of Rising Temperatures on Occupational Accidents in Brazil in the Period 2006 to 2019: A Multiple Correspondence Analysis

Distribution and spatial density of viral hepatitis cases in Brazil due to occupational accidents.

IntroductionViral hepatitis, an infectious disease endemic to Brazil, can be transmitted by occupational accident.ObjectivesTo analyze the distribution and spatial density of viral hepatitis due to occupational accidents in Brazil from 2007 to 2014.MethodsThis ecological study of multiple groups used data from the Brazilian Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (Disease Information Notification System). Spatial analysis of cluster detection and point density was performed using kernel techniques and estimates.ResultsThe recorded cases were concentrated in the southeastern (40.6%) and southern regions (28.1%), and a small increase occurred between 2011 and 2014 (53.9%). The etiological classification was predominantly hepatitis C virus (45.3%) and B virus (45.1%).ConclusionsReports of viral hepatitis due to occupational accidents have increased in Brazil in recent years, with a higher density in the southeastern and southern regions, especially viruses B and C. Thus, occupational health surveillance must be intensified, including vaccination cards for worker admission to the public or private companies.