Aveiro Region Research Articles

How to compute long-term averages for air quality assessment at urban areas?

This paper proposes two innovative time-effective approaches to retrieve annual averaged concentrations for air quality assessment in the framework of the AQD. In addition, a traditional method (M1) was applied through numerical simulations for an entire year on an hourly basis to compare the performance of the proposed approaches. The first time-effective approach (M2) is based on the calculation of pollutant concentrations for the full year on an hourly basis through the combination of a set of numerical simulations for 4 typical days weighted by hourly factors obtained from air quality monitoring data. While the second time-effective approach (M3) considers the numerical simulation of pollutant concentrations for a set of typical meteorological conditions. For all the methods, air quality simulations were performed with the second-generation Gaussian model URBAIR. The three methods are applied over two distinct European urban areas, the Aveiro region in Portugal and Bristol in the United Kingdom, for the simulation of NO2 and PM10 annual concentrations.The main results highlight an underestimation of the NO2 annual concentrations by M2 and an overestimation of those concentrations by M3 for the Aveiro region, when compared to M1 as the reference method. While, for Bristol the main differences between methods were found for NO2 concentrations when using M3. M2 underestimates PM10 annual concentrations in the Aveiro Region, while M3 points out underestimation or overestimation of those concentrations for distinct areas of the domain. This study aims to foster the knowledge on air quality assessment under the European policy context, supporting air quality management and urban planning. The innovative nature of this study relies on the proposed time-effective tools, suitable for the fast simulation of complex urban areas applying high spatial resolution. Additionally, these modelling tools may provide key information on air quality to population, particularly where it is not readily available.

Active Aging Governance and Challenges at the Local Level.

International and national guidelines have been promoting active aging while creating the necessary means for decision-makers and other relevant actors to work together (governance mechanisms) to implement local and active aging policies. This is especially important in the present COVID-19 pandemic context, posing greater challenges on older people who tend to be self-isolated. How are local actors conceptualizing active aging? What are their priorities related to a healthy life for older people? Which governance mechanisms are used to implement such policies? These are some of the questions addressed in this paper, targeting Portugal, a southern European country. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design combining a survey conducted at a national level and interviews with key actors in the NUTS III Aveiro Region was employed to identify and understand the underpinning governance mechanisms. Findings confirm the ‘passive organization type’ in which European politico-territorial studies tend to place Portugal, as there are gaps in the way policies are formulated, implemented and evaluated, as well as a lack of coordination. Results of this study have important impacts on the way local governments and other stakeholders will prepare themselves in the post-pandemic period to design and implement policies addressing active aging.

Viability of Creating an Offshore Wind Energy Cluster: A Case Study

Considering the advantages associated with the port sector concerning the potential of offshore wind energy, several international ports are aiming to achieve a solid integration in offshore wind energy clusters. This article performs an analysis of several seaports and offshore wind energy clusters in Europe to assess the feasibility of implementing an offshore wind energy cluster in the Port of Aveiro, Portugal. A deep literature review and a case study methodology were performed. Based on the analysis of the offshore energy market, and of the value chain of the company case study (ASM Offshore), it was concluded that the Portuguese market in this sector is not competitive, compared with other international markets. Nevertheless, the development of an offshore wind energy cluster could increase the included companie’s prospects, as well as dispute the growth of other companies associated with this sector. This research is relevant, because there is a lack of research that links the importance of seaports in offshore wind energy projects, in particular with a cluster structure, and because it contributes to knowledge for the development of the Aveiro region and Portugal, based on the exploitation of the renewable energy market and to the increase of related activities.

Multiscale Modelling Approach Targeting Optimisation of PCM into Constructive Solutions for Overheating Mitigation in Buildings

Nowadays, the rising gap between the global energy supply and demand is a well-known circumstance in society. Exploring the solution to invert this tendency leads to several different scenarios of energy demand saving strategies that can be improved using phase change materials (PCM), especially in cold-formed steel-framed buildings. The present research reports the overheating (indoor air temperature above 26 °C expressed as an annualized percentage rate) reduction in south-oriented compartments and energy performance of a detached house located in the Aveiro region, in Portugal. An optimisation study was performed incorporating different phase change materials (PCMs) solutions and their position in the exterior envelope focusing overheating rate reduction and heating demand. The optimisations were managed by using a hybrid evolutionary algorithm coupled with EnergyPlus® simulation software. The overheating risk was reduced by up to 24% in the cooling season, for the case of the building compartments with south orientation. Thus, the use of construction solutions using PCMs with different melting temperatures revealed to be a good strategy to maximise PCM efficiency as a passive solution.

Submerged and reused: An archaeometric approach to the early Modern ceramics from Aveiro (Portugal)

Aveiro, a city located in northern Portugal that lies next to the Atlantic Ocean, has a long potting tradition. Indeed, during the 15th–17th centuries, this region played an important role in the maritime trade between the north of Europe, the Iberian Peninsula and the Atlantic. Historical records reflect regular trade contacts between ship-owners and masters of Aveiro with English, Irish, Flemish, Galician and Basque entrepreneurs, in Europe and overseas.The archaeological research carried out on the Ria de Aveiro A (RAVA) shipwreck collection (16th – beginning 17th centuries), revealed a large amount of ceramics as cargo, tentatively produced in Aveiro Region. That was compared to a collection from Santo António church, in Aveiro, which includes ceramics used to fill the upper choir dome, with an exact chronology (1524), also manufactured in Aveiro. Such set of pottery enabled the establishment of a typology divided in three groups, used in everyday life at that time in Aveiro (tableware, long-distance storage and transportation and sugar moulds) and combining red and black pastes and shiny and matte black finished surfaces.With a view to characterize and to assess the provenance of local or regional origin of this Post-Medieval pottery assemblage from the two sites, an archaeometric approach of 25 unglazed ceramics showing red and black pastes has been performed. In this way, chemical and mineralogical analyses have been carried out by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and microstructural analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) analytical techniques. The results show that ceramics from RAVA have a compatible chemical fingerprint with those from the church, forming the A-1 local production reference group. Moreover, the A-1 reference group has been further assessed by comparing against the main reference groups from the Iberian Peninsula.

Food safety in canteens: a public health programme in Aveiro region (Portugal) in 2018 and 2019

Abstract Background Each year, 23 million people get ill from unsafe food in Europe. Food safety refers to the absence or safe acceptable levels of hazards in food that may harm the health of consumers. The Public Health Unit of Baixo Vouga Primary Healthcare Cluster (Aveiro region) developed a programme to identify hazards and promote implementation of corrective measures in community canteens that serve children and elderly. It has three fields of action: qualitative evaluation of the installation and operating conditions, based on the legislation; microbiological surveillance of food and utensils; training of food handlers and managers. This study aims to describe the results of such programme in 2018 and 2019. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from qualitative evaluation and microbiological results for a descriptive analysis. Additionally, an assess of the compliance of the critical points was performed to identify the main barriers in achieving the proposed targets. Results From a total of 420 registered canteens, 211 and 294 were evaluated in 2018 and 2019, respectively. For these years, only 87 (41.2%) and 124 (33.3%) fully complied with all critical points. The main problems were the lack of non-manual activation system in wash basins and faucets and inadequately instructed food handlers about required hygiene measures. Microbiological surveillance results of 371 and 393 samples had a proportion of satisfactory or acceptable results of: 93.5% and 91.3% for the main dish; 56.1% and 46.6% for the salads and 82.4% and 79.8% for the utensils. Coliform bacteria were the most common agent. Conclusions The compliances with critical points were low, accounting for the fact they are legislation-based. The microbiological results were worst for the salads' samples. Deviations give us hints of what should be reinforced. Education of the food handlers and consulting with companies to improve procedures and equipment could be of great use. Key messages Community canteens’ compliances with legislated criteria were low. This programme is useful in identifying vulnerabilities and may lead to the implementation of corrective measures.

Medical certificate of disability: a descriptive analysis of Aveiro region, from 2010 to 2016

Abstract Background In Portugal, Public Health Physicians attribute the medical certificate of disability (MCD). This document is mainly used for fiscal benefits or from other kind, as priority parking card and non-medical public services are increasing its requirement. The threshold to determine benefits is 60% of incapacity by law. Oncological, musculoskeletal and psychiatric diseases account for most of the cases. This activity is highly time-consuming and is not part of the Essential Public Health Operations or the competences of Public Health Physicians according to the Medical Professional Order. The aim of this study is to characterize the evolution of this procedure and the obtained incapacity values from 2010 to 2016 in the Public Health Unit of Baixo Vouga Primary Healthcare Cluster. Methods A descriptive analysis was made with the registers of production of MCD in four municipalities of the Aveiro Region from 2010 to 2016. Results An increase in the number of MCD was verified, going from 274 in 2010 to 550 in 2016, in a total of 3087. Two thousand and fifteen was the year with the greatest frequencies, with 632 certificates. The median value of incapacity was 60% (64% of total MCDs), with an interquartile amplitude of 12, varying from 6% to 99%. Incapacity values have an increasing tendency over the years, showing a cohort effect. Conclusions The increase of MCD reflects an enormous burden for the Public Health Services that consequently have fewer resources to deal with Essential Public Health Operations. Human resources or task distribution should be rethought in order to respond to population's needs. Cohort effects might be explained by the law-fixed re-evaluation, required every 5 years for oncological cases. In fact, this incapacity is the main cause of requirement of the MCD. Further studies should address this problematic in order to better organize the health services and understand the effectiveness of this procedure. Key messages The number of issued MCD is growing, overloading Health Services. The median incapacity is 60%, which is the threshold to attribute benefits. Further investigation is needed to address this issue.

Effects of scale on the assessment of fish biodiversity in the marine strategy framework directive context

Abstract The Marine Strategy Framework Directive is undergoing its second implementation cycle while work is ongoing to promote further harmonization, especially regarding the European Commission standards on datasets, metrics, and thresholds. Even though spatial scales for Biodiversity descriptor criteria concerning fish are set by the Directive at subdivision of region, subregion or region level (depending on the fish species group), the scales of the assessment have never been confirmed across the multiple metrics, taxons and regions. In this work, Descriptor 1 – Biodiversity and Criterion 2 – Population abundance of the species (D1C2) was evaluated and compared for six non-commercial fish species, at five geographical scales in the Portuguese Continental waters, to understand if scales used in the assessment affect species group status and hinder the establishment of adequate monitoring or management measures. For comparability purposes, the methods used were identical to the MSFD; a Breakpoint analysis combined with a Trend analysis of the last five years. Results showed that assessments at Portuguese continental Economic Exclusive Zone level mask local population patterns that were visible when smaller size scales were used, and that each species had different scale requirements. Argentyna sphyraena had low biomass index in the northern region of Aveiro, and species analysed in the Algarve region presented distinct patterns. Downsizing scales revealed that Microchirus variegatus was not in good status – i.e., below threshold - in the southern coastal area, requiring further attention to understand how pressures are impacting populations locally. Although the overall status of the species was maintained, when species assessment was integrated, smaller sized assessment scales are required to understand how populations respond to pressures locally and therefore how monitoring and management of status and pressures should be implemented. Results highlight the need to consider species biology, ecology and population dynamics to define precise scales of assessment and to identify areas of risk at locally relevant scales.

Integrated Care and Governance: Missing and Available Indicators

Integrated care emerged as a possible answer of the healthcare systems to the challenges related to demographic ageing along with financial constraints. Integrated care can be achieved by formal integration or from the combination and coordination of existing healthcare services. Irrespective of the possible approaches, integrated care demands efficient governance strategies in terms of planning and organizing care provision. Therefore, it is essential the existence of information (i.e., indicators) providing a comprehensive picture of the existing healthcare services, namely in terms of the quality of care integration. In this respect, the study reported by this paper aimed to assess the existing information indicators to support the governance of integrated care provision of the NUTS 3 Region of Aveiro, Portugal, by comparing their availability with other healthcare provision indicators of the same region. The results show that the indicators that are lacking focus mainly on continuous care, which means that the authorities do not have mechanisms to monitor, evaluate and improve the care integration, despite the respective emphasis in the political agenda.

Monitoring plasma protein aggregation during aging using conformation-specific antibodies and FTIR spectroscopy

The loss of proteostasis during aging has been well described using different models, however little is known with respect to protein aggregation levels in biofluids with aging. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the pattern of age-related protein aggregation in human plasma using two distinct approaches: analysis with conformation-specific antibodies and FTIR spectroscopy. The latter has been widely used in biomedical research to study protein conformational changes in health and disease.Samples from a primary care based-cohort from the Aveiro region, Portugal, were used for slot-blot analyses followed by immunodetection with conformation-specific antibodies and for the acquisition of FTIR spectra. Immunoblot analyses revealed an age-dependent evolution of the protein conformational profile in human plasma, towards a decrease in prefibrillar oligomers and an increase in fibrillar structures. This finding was also supported by PLS-R multivariate analysis of FTIR data, where a positive correlation between the age of the donors and secondary structure of plasma proteins could be observed. Samples from younger donors are characterized by antiparallel β-sheet-containing structures while intermolecular β-sheets characterized older samples. Exclusion of age-associated co-morbidities improved the correlation between protein conformational profiles and aging. The results reveal structural changes in human plasma proteins from middle to old age, confirming the age-associated changes in protein aggregation, and support the applicability of FTIR as a reliable approach to study proteostasis during aging.

Innovation and internationalization as development strategies for coastal tourism destinations: The role of organizational networks

Since the mid-twentieth century that several coastal areas in southern Europe began their tourism development, attracting unprecedented numbers of tourists, and culminating in the emergence of mass tourism. Henceforth, several negative impacts occurred, leading to the loss of attractiveness and competitiveness in the face of emerging tourism destinations. Therefore, there is a need for greater diversification of products and markets that underpin the tourism economy of seaside territories and enhance their competitiveness, which should be based on innovation. Recent territorial innovation models rely on networks, considering that the relationships established among organizations play an important role in the development of new products and services. This research aims at identifying the international dynamics that coastal tourism destinations should adopt within tourism innovation networks, that most contribute to regional-level innovation. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is applied to tourism stakeholders located in the coastal region of Aveiro, being possible to identify the structure and the processes underlying the international ties established towards the development of tourism innovation. The results bring important contributions to coastal tourism policymakers and governance, as it allows to (i) design innovation strategies based on international networks that increase competitiveness; (ii) acknowledge the most important type of organizations in coastal tourism innovation; and (iii) promote the geographical diversity of stakeholders in the network in order to capture new knowledge leading to innovation and to avoid the “lock-in effect”.

Estimation of the nearshore bathymetry from high temporal resolution Sentinel-1A C-band SAR data - A case study

The study of the changes in swell properties in the nearshore domain due to interaction with the sea-bottom to infer the bathymetry has deserved some attention in the last few years. Satellite Remote Sensing images, in particular Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), have been used to produce a directional wave spectrum by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), from which the wavelength and wave direction of the ocean surface waves can be retrieved. These wave properties can be directly used in the linear dispersion relation to estimate the water depth.The present work takes advantages from the very short revisit times of the Sentinel-1A with C-band (5.405 GHz) SAR images with 10 m of spatial resolution to study the repeatability of this methodology for deriving the nearshore sea-bottom morphology, using a case study in the Aveiro region, located in the Portuguese West Coast. This site is exposed to high energetic wave climate of the North Atlantic Ocean. Overall, a set of four images were selected for the analysis.The robustness of the FFT methodology to calculate the wavelength and wave direction from SAR images was analysed through calculating their standard deviations. The errors of estimating the local bathymetry from these quantities was accessed which allowed to quantify the water depth limits of application of this methodology.The set of images was used to establish a bathymetric estimation that merges the derived bathymetry of each image. The computed bathymetry was quantitatively compared with the measurements made in 2013 and available at RAIA Observatory. The relative error of the water depth ranges between 6% and 10%, but increases for the higher depths and depends on the accuracy of the computed wavelength at deep-waters. The merged derived bathymetry also provides a better approximation for the measured bathymetry than those derived from the individual images.

Designing regional development? Exploring the University of Aveiro's role in the innovation policy process

ABSTRACTWith growing pressure to contribute to their region's development, universities are increasingly called upon to engage dynamically in innovation policy-making and governance activities. Previous studies suggest in their collaboration with local and regional government that universities can emerge as animateurs, providing guidance, consolidating networks, and ultimately activating institutional and human agency. This is especially important in the context of less-developed regions, where the unlocking of innovative potential may rest on those factors. This paper provides an extended perspective on universities’ engagement in innovation policy processes and, in a broader sense, on the collaboration between these higher education institutions and local and regional government. Through an analysis of the partnership between two Portuguese institutions, the University of Aveiro and the intermunicipal community of the region of Aveiro, this study explores the potential implications on regional innovation policy and the activation of institutional agency in a less-developed context. Policy documents, reports and interview data from 18 academics, top managers, policy-makers and other stakeholders show that while institutional expectations differ, collaborative interplays have boosted the formation and growing effectiveness of regional innovation networks, crucial for the development of less-developed regions.

HIV testing among 50+ year-old people in primary healthcare settings in Aveiro Region (Portugal)

HIV testing among 50+ year-old people in primary healthcare settings in Aveiro Region (Portugal)

Influence of Moisture on the Mechanical Properties of Load-Bearing Adobe Masonry Walls

ABSTRACTAdobe is one of the oldest and most widely used building materials in the World. In the region of Aveiro, Portugal, traditional adobe construction represents about one-third of the existing buildings, some of which are of great architectural and patrimonial value. There is, however, a significant deterioration of several of these buildings, which need to be refurbished. A major difficulty for those involved in the process of structural assessment is the almost absence of references to adobe masonry mechanical properties. In this context, it is important to carry out the mechanical characterization of adobe masonry. Therefore, compression and shear tests were performed on adobe specimens from Aveiro’s region load-bearing adobe walls. Tests were carried out for two moisture contents (saturated and unsaturated) in order to analyze the influence of the frequent moisture conditions in the mechanical behaviour of the adobe masonries and their components. Experimental results allowed determining mechanical properties of adobe load-bearing walls, whose reference values can be used in their safety conditions assessment. It was also possible to formulate corrected equations of the Eurocode 6 for compressive and shear strength.

Seismic behavior of two Portuguese adobe buildings: part II —numerical modeling and fragility assessment

ABSTRACTConsidering the likely unfavorable behavior under seismic action of adobe construction, this article aims at providing a seismic fragility characterization of two adobe Portuguese traditional buildings, using numerical models calibrated over experimental results. The study of such two case-study buildings in the region of Aveiro contributes to the understanding of the seismic fragility of adobe construction in the region in general. The buildings were numerically modeled to estimate their structural behavior under seismic loading using adobe material properties that were calibrated based on the experimental results of a cyclic in-plane test of a full-scale double-Tshaped adobe wall. The method chosen to characterize adobe masonry and model its nonlinear behavior followed a total strain crack-based macro-modeling (TSCM) approach, whereas pushover analysis was carried out to reproduce the pseudo-static experimental test in order to enable a refined calibration of adobe masonry mechanical properties. Fragility functions were then derived, based on the above-mentioned numerical models, using nonlinear static analysis, bringing further insight on the seismic fragility of traditional Portuguese adobe construction.

Introducing a Regulatory Policy Framework of Bait Fishing in European Coastal Lagoons: The Case of Ria de Aveiro in Portugal

The harvesting of bait through digging in coastal mudflats is practiced for recreational and commercial purposes in European coastal systems including the Ria de Aveiro coastal lagoon on the northwest Atlantic coast of Portugal. The scale of harvesting in the Ria de Aveiro has recently increased due to the current economic climate in Portugal, with targeting of the polychaete, Diopatra neapolitana species or “casulo” as it is widely known in the Aveiro region. The national authorities have attempted to control casulo digging by issuing a regulation (Ordinance) in 2014 on the maximum daily catch limit to be caught by each individual. The daily catch limit is intended to represent the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) for casulo beyond which overfishing will occur. The monitoring of the regulatory measures is expected to be conducted through on-site inspections in the digging areas. However, weak law enforcement was noticed, while there is also controversy over the daily catch limit (quota) stipulated by the Ordinance. To this end, the current study attempted to assess digging activities through remote monitoring and random inspections for a better policy enforcement of the national regulation. In addition, different harvesting scenarios were employed through a simplified bioeconomic model to attribute the current and future harvesting trends of bait digging in Aveiro coastal lagoon. The study findings indicate that remote monitoring coupled with some onsite interviews could be a more effective approach for the implementation of the current bait digging policy. Further, the results point to a distinctive discrepancy between the daily catch amount (MSY) introduced by the national legislation and the study findings which should be further scrutinized. The diggers seem to have reached the sustainable harvest identified by the present research. The current economic hardship in Portugal and the low profitability in similar employment sectors will possibly attract more diggers and increase harvesting in the near future. An increased harvest would likely trigger overfishing of D. neapolitana with unknown consequences for the population of the species as well as the aquatic ecosystem. The socio-economic and environmental effects are yet to be further clarified with more detailed data and advanced modeling techniques to ensure the sustainability of the activity.

The use of Geographical Information Systems for Tourism Marketing purposes in Aveiro region (Portugal)

Geographical Information Systems are tools that allow a better decision making process, accessing politicians and managers in tourism development and providing integrated touristic information. Furthermore, these are powerful tools for the development of destination marketing strategies. Aveiro web-based Geographical Information System was developed, with the purpose of integrating tourism resources in a common platform. Aveiro region is an important coastal wetland of Portugal that presents unique features which allow the development of a sustainable tourism activity, based on natural and cultural characteristics. Despite the diversified resources, it is observed that the Aveiro region needs a strong improvement regarding tourism development and marketing strategies. In this paper, it will be presented the methodology used for the implementation of the first step of this GIS (inventory of resources and creation of the database) and the potential of this tool for the development of a sustainable tourism marketing strategy.

Beliefs on the local effects of climate change: Causal attribution of flooding and shoreline retreat

Adaptation to climate change is a process that should engage different participants, including not only researchers and technicians but also other stakeholders and local individuals and, therefore, it is important to understand their beliefs on the local effects of climate change. Recent studies illustrate a linear relation between coastal distance and scepticism, which is lower in coastal zones than in inland. A possible explanation is that people living inland do not experience (or do not perceive) particular natural hazards as being caused by climate change, or attribute the natural hazards to other causes, apart from climate change. This might influence the relative importance of dealing with direct anthropogenic effects and planning adaptation to climate change. Therefore, the goal of this work was to explore this effect by comparing beliefs on the local effects of climate change in Aveiro region (Portugal), specifically in Baixo Vouga Lagunar (BVL, located in the inner side of Ria de Aveiro Coastal Lagoon, 10 km distance from the coast) with the nearby coastal zone between Esmoriz and Vagueira settlements. Stakeholders were interviewed and local individuals were surveyed in order to explore causal attributions towards relevant local environmental problems and compare with data available from the coastal zone. Natural hazards concerned flooding in BVL and shoreline retreat in the coastal zone. Results suggest that in BVL both stakeholders and local residents did not attribute local natural hazards to climate change. However, in the coastal zone, local natural hazards were indeed mostly attributed to climate change. This attribution to climate change was further correlated to a higher risk perception of natural hazards in the coastal zone but not in BVL. Thereby, it is important to consider distance from the shoreline in order to promote local processes of adaptation to climate change.

Mercury levels in parturient and newborns from Aveiro region, Portugal

ABSTRACTSince the outbreak of methylmercury (MeHg) poisoning in Japan and Iraq, mercury (Hg) is classified as well-established teratogen. The Portuguese region of Aveiro faced some decades ago an environmental Hg contamination due to activities from a chlor-alkali plant. Until now, no apparent evaluation was conducted regarding prenatal exposure to Hg in this area. The main objectives of this study were to: i) assess maternal and fetal exposure to Hg in the Aveiro region using noninvasive biological matrices; ii) examine the influence of variables that may contribute to Hg exposure during pregnancy; and iii) improve knowledge regarding metal accumulation and distribution over the maternal–fetal–placental unit. This study was performed in 50 mother–newborn pairs from the Aveiro district. Total Hg (THg) was quantified in maternal scalp hair, placenta, amniotic membrane, and umbilical cord. Maternal hair presented THg levels with a mean value of 900 ng/g, which is lower than the USEPA and WHO acceptable threshold. Regarding THg levels in placenta and umbilical cord, mean values were similar (decidua basalis: 32.84 ng/g; chorionic plate: 30.18 ng/g; umbilical cord: 30.67 ng/g). The amniotic membrane presented the highest THg levels with a mean concentration of 42.35 ng/g, reaching a maximum of 134.1 ng/g. Further, a significant positive correlation was noted between THg levels found in hair, and all matrices analyzed reinforcing the use of hair in biomonitoring studies with respect to maternal exposure to Hg. In general, levels of THg found in our study were lower than those in previous studies performed in Europe. Consumption of fish rich in selenium and bottled water was negatively correlated with THg levels. Finally, data demonstrated that Hg is capable of crossing the placental barrier and accumulate in placental tissues. Amniotic membrane seemed to play a role in metal detoxification, but further investigations are necessary to examine whether this catabolic process affects Hg accumulation.