Brazilian Regulations Research Articles

Metal Content of Nutritional and Toxic Value in Different Types of Brazilian Propolis.

Brazilian raw propolis samples (brown, green, red, and yellow) were investigated to evaluate the content of three elements of nutritional value (Cu, K, and Se) and three toxic metals (As, Cd, and Pb). The propolis samples (n = 19) were obtained from different regions of Brazil and analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry after microwave-assisted digestion. A descriptive analysis of the variables was carried out, and nonparametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis or Mann–Whitney) were performed to verify the differences in metal contents. The elemental concentrations of the Brazilian propolis were in the following ranges: As < 0.048–8.47 μg·g−1, Pb < 0.006–0.72 μg·g−1, Cu 0.57–11.60 μg·g−1, Se < 0.041–0.54 μg·g−1, and K 0.23–7.94 mg·g−1; Cd was below LOD (0.008 μg·g−1) in all samples, except one. Seven samples exceeded the limits defined for As or Pb by the Brazilian regulation.

Linseed oil: Characterization and study of its oxidative degradation

This paper proposes to characterize and monitor the degradation of linseed oil under two oxidation conditions using some traditional oxidative and quality parameters. The experimental section of this study was divided into 2 stages. In the first one, three commercial linseed oil samples (OL1, OL2, and OL3) were characterized according to oxidative stability (90 °C) and fatty acid composition. In the second stage, the OL1 sample, selected due to its availability, was subjected to the following oxidation procedures: storage at room temperature conditions with exposure to light and air (temperature ranging from 7 to 35 °C) for 140 days and accelerated oxidation at 100 °C for 7h. Samples were collected at different time intervals and analyzed for oxidative stability (90 °C), peroxide value, and acid value. The results showed that all the samples presented a similar fatty acid profile and that the OL3 sample showed a higher induction period (p &lt; 0.05). Regarding the oxidative degradation, the induction period of the OL1 sample reduced from 9.7 to 5.7 and 9.7 to 6.3 during 140 days of storage under room temperature and 7 h of accelerated oxidation, respectively. The end of induction period of the OL1 sample is expected to occur within 229 days according to an exponential mathematical model fitted to the induction period values at different temperatures. In addition, the OL1 sample met the limits proposed by Codex and Brazilian regulations for peroxide and acid values during the oxidation time intervals.

Comparative analysis of policies regulating clinical trialsAnálisis comparativo de las políticas de reglamentación de los ensayos clínicos

RESUMOO presente trabalho comparou as regulamentações relativas à realização de ensaios clínicos no Brasil, Índia, Canadá e União Europeia, com objetivo de oferecer subsídios para uma avaliação da política regulatória brasileira. Para tanto, foi realizada uma análise documental em quatro etapas: estudo preliminar exploratório; estudo descritivo; categorização das informações; comparação dos conteúdos. Quanto às distinções entre a regulamentação brasileira e as dos demais casos, merecem destaque a existência de várias resoluções brasileiras sobre o tema, enquanto os demais países concentraram as informações em uma única regulamentação nacional; a não exigência de rastreabilidade dos medicamentos e de recolhimento e descarte dos medicamentos não utilizados quando um estudo é suspenso ou cancelado; e um tempo de aprovação para início do ensaio de 180 dias no Brasil (versus 30 dias na União e no Canadá, por exemplo). Isso sugere oportunidades para melhorias e atualização da regulamentação brasileira frente ao cenário internacional.

Milk quality in small farms from Southern Region of Brazil

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to evaluates some physical chemical aspects of chilled raw milk that meet Brazilian quality standards in smallholder farms from southern Region of Brazil. The fat content, crude protein (CP), total solids (TS), somatic cell count (SCC), and total plate count (TPC) of the chilled raw milk from 78 smallholder farms was analyzed between Oct 2014 and Feb 2017. It was found that 96% of the samples met the Brazilian regulations for fat content, 87% for CP, and 91% for TS. The mean values of TPC and SCC were higher than the maximum limits established by Brazilian regulations. Smallholder farms from Southern Region of Brazil produce milk with an adequate standard for the main chemical indicators. However, there is an important gap in compliance with hygienic-sanitary practices, leading to high levels of chilled raw milk that does not meet the limits of Brazilian regulations.

Incorporation of international risk management standards into federal regulations

Abstract The issue of risk management has gained attention in the field of administration due to the dissemination of international frameworks. In Brazilian federal public administration, risk management is a recent and expanding practice. This research analyzes how international corporate risk management frameworks have been adopted by the federal government through regulations and guidelines. The study adopts the concepts of coercive, normative, and mimetic forces from the neo-institutional theory, and examines the presence of international norms in the Brazilian regulations. Through a qualitative approach, content analysis in documents, norms, interviews, and seminars was used to identify traits of the COSO ERM and ISO 31000/2009 frameworks, which were chosen based on relevance. Results identify important actors pushing for the use of international frameworks, such as international organizations, professional associations, and public agencies, especially those related to government audits. Despite the strong international influence, the Brazilian norms are adapted to the organizations’ context and allowing the maintenance of national autonomy.

Determination of harpagoside in Harpagophytum procumbens DC tablet’s using analytical method by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

The species Harpagophytum procumbens DC. is popularly known as devil’s claw and is widely used because of its anti-inflammatory properties that are attributed to an iridoid glycoside, the harpagoside. This medicinal plant is part of the Brazilian List of Essential Medicines, that is, it was selected and standardized for the resolution of diseases in the Brazilian public health system, SUS, and can be found in several brands. Due to the importance of quality monitoring, the objective of this study was to create and validate a method for identification and quantification of harpagoside in tablets of the devil’s claw, as well as to evaluate the content of this iridoid glycoside in three commercially available brands in Brasília, DF, Brazil. The evaluated parameters in the validation by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were linearity, limits of detection and quantification, precision, selectivity, accuracy and robustness, as required by the Brazilian regulation. The developed and validated method proved satisfactory for the quality control of commercial products that present in this composition the medicinal plant. All the devil’s claw brands presented divergences regarding the quality that can interfere with therapeutics and with safety and efficacy.

Incorporation of international risk management standards into federal regulations

Abstract The issue of risk management has gained attention in the field of administration due to the dissemination of international frameworks. In Brazilian federal public administration, risk management is a recent and expanding practice. This research analyzes how international corporate risk management frameworks have been adopted by the federal government through regulations and guidelines. The study adopts the concepts of coercive, normative, and mimetic forces from the neo-institutional theory, and examines the presence of international norms in the Brazilian regulations. Through a qualitative approach, content analysis in documents, norms, interviews, and seminars was used to identify traits of the COSO ERM and ISO 31000/2009 frameworks, which were chosen based on relevance. Results identify important actors pushing for the use of international frameworks, such as international organizations, professional associations, and public agencies, especially those related to government audits. Despite the strong international influence, the Brazilian norms are adapted to the organizations’ context and allowing the maintenance of national autonomy.

PCR-based detection of Helicobacter spp. in animal facilities of a University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Pathogenic microbial detection and control in laboratory animal facilities is essential to guarantee animal welfare, data validity and reproducibility. Helicobacter spp. are known to affect mice health, what may interfere with experimental outcomes. This study aimed to screen for Helicobacter spp. in mice from animal facilities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil using a PCR-based method. Primers designed to specifically identify Helicobacter spp. were used to amplify feces or intestine DNA extracted of mice from four different animal facilities. The expected 375 base pairs (bp) amplicon was purified, sequenced and a similarity of 95% was observed when compared to deposited sequences of H. hepaticus and H. bilis. In our screening, Helicobacter spp. was detected in ~59% of fecal and ~70% of intestine samples. Our study is the first to screen for Helicobacter spp. in mouse facilities of a Rio de Janeiro University using a low cost, rapid molecular diagnostic test. Although Helicobacter spp. screening is not mandatory according to Brazilian animal welfare regulation it is recommended by institutional animal health monitoring programs guidelines worldwide, including ARRIVE, AAALAC and FELASA.

Determination of 17α-ethinylestradiol and toxic metals in surface waters, and estimation of daily intake.

The presence of substances such as hormones and toxic metal in aquatic ecosystem is interesting to the scientific community due to their adverse effects. We quantified 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) and toxic metals in the surface waters from Sorocaba and Pirajibu Rivers, in São Paulo State, and we estimated the daily intake for hormone, based on the amount of water consumed. EE2, Cd, Hg, As, Pb, and Mn were seasonally quantified in six different locations along the rivers. EE2 was evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography. Toxic metals were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Considering the entire sample year, EE2 concentrations ranged from 4.5 to 48.2μgL-1. Comparing Sorocaba and Pirajibu rivers, the sample point in the entrance of the Pirajibu River through the city of Itu, São Paulo State, had higher amounts of EE2. Regarding metals, all results are according to the Brazilian and World Health Organization guidelines for drinking-water quality, except for Mn levels, which were higher than the limits in Autumn season in two locations. The estimated daily intake ranged from 13.45 to 40.9μg/day/person. In conclusion, concentrations of EE2 in the Sorocaba and Pirajibu Rivers were higher than in other countries. The levels were as high as an intake of one pill for each person every day (considering an oral contraceptive has 0.03mg of ethinylestradiol). Even though concentrations of toxic elements are in accordance with the Brazilian Regulation and World Health Organization, legislation for hormones and drugs needs to advance.

Analysis of operational risk disclosure level: a study in commercial banks based on Brazilian regulations

Este estudo busca analisar o nivel de divulgacao do risco operacional em bancos com carteira comercial, baseado na regulamentacao brasileira. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva, com abordagem qualitativa e quantitativa. A amostra contemplou 30 bancos selecionados a partir do Relatorio ‘Dados Selecionados de Entidades Supervisionadas – IF.data’ divulgado pelo Banco Central do Brasil para data-base dezembro de 2015. Coletaram-se dados semestrais nos relatorios de risco disponibilizados pelos bancos da amostra, de julho de 2014 a dezembro de 2015. Trataram-se dados empregando analise de conteudo, considerando 20 subcategorias distribuidas em 4 categorias baseadas em regulamentacao do Conselho Monetario Nacional e do Banco Central do Brasil. Utilizaram-se estatisticas descritiva e inferencial nas analises dos dados. Os resultados indicaram diferencas significativas entre o percentual de subcategorias presentes em cada uma das categorias. Adicionalmente, verificaram-se diferencas entre o percentual de subcategorias presentes quando agrupadas por categoria. No 2o semestre de 2014 e nos 1o e 2o semestres de 2015 foram divulgadas, 58,50% 59,50% e 60,00% do total de subcategorias analisadas, respectivamente. O estudo contribui para reflexoes de partes interessadas sobre estrategias de divulgacao do risco operacional adotadas por bancos no Pais.

Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) fruit as a new source of milk-clotting cysteine proteases.

This work reports the characterisation of caseinolytic and milk-clotting activities of proteases extracted from ripe fruits of Morinda citrifolia L., as a potential of their use in cheese production. Noni puree extract (NPE) was obtained by homogenising the fresh puree in 150 mM NaCl/50 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The resulting protein concentration was of 0.367 ± 0.006 mg/mL, and an electrophoretic profile of the extract revealed protein bands ranging from 14 to 55 kDa. The proteolytic activity of NPE was higher when the extract had been previously incubated at pH 6.0 (8.859 ± 0.216 U/mg), whereas the optimum caseinolytic activity was observed at 50 °C. Noni puree proteases were strongly (98%) inhibited by iodoacetamide and E-64, suggesting the presence of only cysteine proteases in the crude extract. NPE proteases showed a milk-clotting activity (MCA) of 238.80 ± 5.29 U/mL, a specific milk-clotting activity (SMCA) of 9950.17 ± 220.74 U/mg, and an SMCA/PA ratio of 1124.31 ± 24.94, this last being comparable to those of commercial calf rennet. The cheese manufactured using NPE presented brittle and soft texture, high humidity, and showed sanitary conditions compatible with current Brazilian regulations. The product showed a slightly bitter taste, but still good acceptability, rating between 6 and 7 in the hedonic scale for flavour, texture, and overall acceptance. Lastly, there was 60% of positive purchase intent, demonstrating that noni fruit is a promising source of milk-clotting enzymes for the dairy industry.

PIT7 THE PROFILE OF FIREARMS INJURIES IN BRAZIL BETWEEN 2009 AND 2016

Main factors related to high violence levels in Latin America countries are possession and use of firearms. In early 2019, the Brazilian government published a new regulation about firearms possession that may increase access to this type of weapon, which could potentially rise the frequency of firearms injuries. Thus, the present study aims to describe the profile of this injuries in Brazil according to records of compulsory notification of violence, between 2009-2016. In this descriptive research, secondary data of firearms lesions were collected and analyzed. For data collection, the VIVA/SINAN database was used as a research source. The variables considered for the analysis were geographic region, gender, age, place and race. The evaluation of this variables was conducted by descriptive statistics. A total of 54,414 firearms injuries were notified between 2009-2016, with most occurrences reported at the Northeast and Southeast regions (20,973 and 16,816 cases, respectively; 69.4% of all cases). An increasing number was observed, with a total of 2,452 and 9,605 cases in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Between 2015 and 2016, a reduction in the number of firearms lesions was noted (9,605 and 9,380, respectively). Injuries were mostly reported in male, with a total of 31,185 (57.3%) cases. Most victims (62%) were adolescents and adults, aging from 15-29 years. Public highway (42%) and victims dwelling (22.7%) were the main places of occurrence and, considering racial classification, brown people were the most affected group (40.5%), followed by white people (27.7%) and black people (8.9%). The increased number of firearms injuries, with brown male being the most affected profile, shows a potential issue for Brazilian society with the new firearms regulation. Furthermore, these results corroborate with the importance of future discussions on the new Brazilian regulation on firearms possession.

Design of experiments to analyze the influence of water content and meter factor on the uncertainty of oil flow measurement with ultrasonic meters

This work aims to evaluate the influences of the water content dissolved in crude oil and of the meter factor on the uncertainty of the fiscal oil measuring system using ultrasonic flow meters, considering that the overall uncertainty of the measuring system shall not exceed 0.3%. The development of this work was motivated by the fact that the Brazilian Technical Regulation for the Measurement of Oil and Natural Gas (RTM) limits which methodologies can be used for water analysis and defines the maximum permissible uncertainty for the oil flow meter in which this analysis is inserted. However, the RTM does not define the uncertainty required for the water analysis. There is a risk of adopting one of the permitted methods of analysis and, even so, the measurement uncertainty of the flow meter exceeding the values defined by the legislation. In addition, the RTM adopts a repeatability criterion when validating the calibration of ultrasonic meters, thus the influence of this aspect on the oil uncertainty is also evaluated. The methodology used is the design of experiments and response surfaces. The results demonstrate that it is possible to simulate the influence of the water content and of the meter factor uncertainties on the overall uncertainty of the oil flow measuring system. Finally, the conclusions show that the average uncertainties currently observed for the water content are adequate to keep the oil measuring system uncertainty within the range allowed by the RTM, but small variations may cause this limit to be exceeded. The influence of the meter factor uncertainty was less than or similar to the influence of the water content. Finally, adoption of an acceptance criterion for the ultrasonic meters based on the uncertainty instead of repeatability is suggested.

Source and background threshold values of potentially toxic elements in soils by multivariate statistics and GIS-based mapping: a high density sampling survey in the Parauapebas basin, Brazilian Amazon.

A high-density regional-scale soil geochemical survey comprising 727 samples (one sample per each 5 × 5km grid) was carried out in the Parauapebas sub-basin of the Brazilian Amazonia, under the Itacaiúnas Basin Geochemical Mapping and Background Project. Samples were taken from two depths at each site: surface soil, 0-20cm and deep soil, 30-50cm. The ground and sieved (< 75µm) fraction was digested using aqua regia and analyzed for 51 elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). All data were used here, but the principal focus was on the potential toxic elements (PTEs) and Fe and Mn to evaluate the spatial distribution patterns and to establish their geochemical background concentrations in soils. Geochemical maps as well as principal component analysis (PCA) show that the distribution patterns of the elements are very similar between surface and deep soils. The PCA, applied on clr-transformed data, identified four major associations: Fe-Ti-V-Sc-Cu-Cr-Ni (Gp-1); Zr-Hf-U-Nb-Th-Al-P-Mo-Ga (Gp-2); K-Na-Ca-Mg-Ba-Rb-Sr (Gp-3); and La-Ce-Co-Mn-Y-Zn-Cd (Gp-4). Moreover, the distribution patterns of elements varied significantly among the three major geological domains. The whole data indicate a strong imprint of local geological setting in the geochemical associations and point to a dominant geogenic origin for the analyzed elements. Copper and Fe in Gp-1 were enriched in the Carajás basin and are associated with metavolcanic rocks and banded-iron formations, respectively. However, the spatial distribution of Cu is also highly influenced by two hydrothermal mineralized copper belts. Ni-Cr in Gp-1 are highly correlated and spatially associated with mafic and ultramafic units. The Gp-2 is partially composed of high field strength elements (Zr, Hf, Nb, U, Th) that could be linked to occurrences of A-type Neoarchean granites. The Gp-3 elements are mobile elements which are commonly found in feldspars and other rock-forming minerals being liberated by chemical weathering. The background threshold values (BTV) were estimated separately for surface and deep soils using different methods. The '75th percentile', which commonly used for the estimation of the quality reference values (QRVs) following the Brazilian regulation, gave more restrictive or conservative (low) BTVs, while the 'MMAD' was more realistic to define high BTVs that can better represent the so-called mineralized/normal background. Compared with CONAMA Resolution (No. 420/2009), the conservative BTVs of most of the toxic elements were below the prevention limits (PV), except Cu, but when the high BTVs are considered, Cu, Co, Cr and Ni exceeded the PV limits. The degree of contamination (Cdeg), based on the conservative BTVs, indicates low contamination, except in the Carajás basin, which shows many anomalies and had high contamination mainly from Cu, Cr and Ni, but this is similar between surface and deep soils indicating that the observed high anomalies are strictly related to geogenic control. This is supported when the Cdeg is calculated using the high BTVs, which indicates low contamination. This suggests that the use of only conservative BTVs for the entire region might overestimate the significance of anthropogenic contamination; thus, we suggest the use of high BTVs for effective assessment of soil contamination in this region. The methodology and results of this study may help developing strategies for geochemical mapping in other Carajás soils or in other Amazonian soils with similar characteristics.

Canned sardines commercialized in Brazil: Packaging and inorganic contaminants evaluation

• Al, As, Cd, Cr, Fe, Pb, Sn were evaluated in canned sardines commercialized in Brazil. • High As, Cd and Cr levels were found in canned sardine. • 13% PTMI for Cd can be achieved by daily consumption of one portion (84 g) of canned sardine. • Quality parameters of ECCS packaging were completely satisfied. The main objectives of this work were to study electrolytic chromium/chromium oxide coated steel (ECCS) packaging used in canned sardines commercialized in Brazil and to determine the presence of inorganic contaminants in this food with two different conserves. Aluminum(Al), arsenic(As), cadmium(Cd), chromium(Cr), iron(Fe), lead(Pb) and tin(Sn) were determined by ICP OES. The packaging analysis revealed that the quality parameters established for ECCS packaging were satisfied. Element levels varied between (mg kg −1 ): Al (not detected (ND) and 13.24); As (0.66 and 6.44); Cd (ND and 0.43); Cr (ND and 0.13); Pb (ND and 0.09); Sn (ND and 0.26); Fe (14.0 and 42.0). For inorganic contaminants, levels above the Brazilian and MERCOSUR regulation thresholds were found in sardine samples: As, Cd and Cr in 78%, 12% and 8%, respectively. Daily sardine can consumption may also contribute up to 9.3% of BMDL 0.5 for inorganic arsenic and 13% of PTMI for cadmium.

Good practices systematization for medical equipment development and certification process: A Brazilian case study

Medical equipment development requires from manufacturers a clear definition of the processes to the core team in order to achieve the user safety. Therefore, considering the lack of a specific product development framework for medical equipment that meets the Brazilian scenario, this work proposes a good practices systematization for medical equipment development. It covers the main Brazilian regulations that impact on development process of these products. Based on the stage-gates process, the systematization proposed divides the development process activities into five phases and nine functional groups. To each functional group is presented the activities expected to be practiced in each phase, tools that could be used, and the regulations that could guide the execution of the activities. The case study method was used to validate the systematization. Three companies of medical devices were presented to the model and their realities of the development process were compared to the proposed systematic. From the results was possible to conclude the potential use of the good practices as a guide for the process development of health equipment. Besides that, the model allows to follow up the regulations that should be used and can be used as training material.

Radiation hazard indices in the application of phosphogypsum mixtures as a building material: proposal for a Brazilian regulation

Phosphogypsum (PG), a by-product from the phosphoric acid industry, is being worldwide stockpiled, posing environmental problems. Viability of the PG safe re-use in civil construction has been studied, as PG can contain natural radionuclides in significant concentrations. We propose a policy for using PG as a building material, limiting the total concentration of 226Ra plus 228Ra by mixing PG with natural gypsum. It was concluded that PG from the largest Brazilian deposits could be used without any dilution, when the sum of the activity concentrations of 226Ra and 228Ra does not exceed 150 Bq kg-1. For higher values, the approach is to mix PG with increasing amounts of natural gypsum, so that the final concentration does not exceed 1000 Bq kg-1. We show that PG re-use in such a way is feasible in terms of radiological protection and recommended to minimize PG piles environmental impact

The effect of different food grade additives on the quality of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) after two freeze-thaw cycles

Fresh shrimp were treated to immersions in the following individual solutions (5ᵒC, 60 min): distilled water; 5% NaCl; 5% STPP; 5% CARNAL 961; 5% NP-30; 5% BRIFISOL 450; and 5% BRIFISOL S2; and submitted to two freeze-thaw cycles. Yield (%) and analyzes of moisture, protein, sodium, phosphate, pH, and water holding capacity were performed. All additives tested showed the efficacy in weight gain and limiting weight loss. A single immersion of the samples in food additives was associated to higher values of WHC, moisture, and protein, while two immersions were associated with the highest M/Pr, pH, phosphate and sodium values. Even using all additives at the concentration and time in this study, an increase in the M/Pr for frozen shrimp meat was observed but could not be used as an indicator of economic fraud by water addition, since the M/Pr was below the limits set by Brazilian regulation.

Study of optimal locations for new sugarcane mills in Brazil: Application of a MINLP network equilibrium model

After the 2010 to 2015 crisis in Brazil's sugarcane sector, mainly caused by government mandated fuel price ceilings, the sector has entered a new growth cycle spurred by implementation of the “RenovaBio” program in 2017. The government created RenovaBio to achieve two overarching goals: increase 2028 ethanol output by roughly 53% and incrementally increase this biofuel's share in the national energy matrix to meet GHG reduction targets established at the Paris Climate Conference - COP21. The study presented in this paper addresses the expansion of mill output to meet expected future demand by 2028 through application of a mixed-integer linear optimization model to (1) determine the amount of additional sugarcane production and mill processing capacity required to meet expected 2028 Brazilian ethanol and sugar demand and (2) optimize the location of this additional capacity to minimize production and transportation costs through the multimodal transportation network. Modeling results estimate that 151,106 t of additional sugarcane processing capacity is needed to meet forecast 2028 Brazilian demand for 41,106 m³ of sugarcane ethanol and 49,106 t of sugar. Expanded mill output will require that sugarcane cultivation increase over an additional 6% of the area defined by Brazilian Sugarcane Agroecological Zoning regulations as suitable for sugarcane cultivation. Following the model's recommended optimal spatial distribution of 2028 mill processing capacity, their output can be produced and transported at a total cost of US$ 458.65/m³ of ethanol and US$ 304.27/t of sugar, slightly below 2016 minimum total costs.

Potential for Forest Restoration and Deficit Compensation in Itacaiúnas Watershed, Southeastern Brazilian Amazon

The conservation and restoration of native vegetation is vital for providing key hydrological services (i.e., maintaining high water quality, atmospheric humidity, and precipitation patterns). However, this research area lacks fine-scale studies at the watershed level to evaluate opportunities for forest restoration and deficit (the shortfall of forest required to be restored or compensated), as well as the implications for watershed management. We provide the first fine-scale estimation of forest and deficit distribution, integrating permanent preservation areas (APPs, in Portuguese) and legal reserves (RL, in Portuguese), according to Brazilian environmental law, for the 41,300 km2 Itacaiúnas watershed in the Brazilian state of Pará, which has lost 50% of its vegetation cover. Using 30 m- and 10 m-resolution imagery, a multi-temporal land use classification was performed by geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA). The results were combined with a set of Brazilian regulations on the conservation and restoration of APPs and RL to assess patterns of forest cover and legal compliance. We found that the total RL deficit (4383 km2) was higher than the total forest surplus (above legal obligation) (3241 km2). However, most of this deficit (56%) could be compensated by protecting a forest area in another property within the Amazon biome, while 44% must be legally restored. Only 4% of the total forest surplus can be legally deforested, and the remaining 96% is already protected by law but can be used to compensate for areas under the deficit. We also found that, despite 57% (3017 km2) of the total APP being forested, only 26% (1356 km2) of the APP must be restored and 17% (881 km2) can remain deforested (consolidated areas). The 2012 law revision reduced the obligation to restore RL and APPs. This change could affect hydrological and ecological services. Compensation mechanisms could be used to protect forest within the Itacaiúnas watershed, rather than in the biome, to reduce further deforestation pressure.