Unidade de Investigação UFP em Energia, Ambiente e Saúde

Funder

Organizational Unit

Publications

Impactos do ambiente na saúde da população portuguesa: uma perspectiva territorial

Publication . Maia, Rui Leandro; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Barreira, Maria Esmeralda; Oliveira, Gisela; Pontes, Manuela; Estrada, Rui

A qualidade do ambiente é fundamental para a saúde e bem-estar das populações, sendo, por isso, uma questão de cariz social e político muito importante. O projeto WeGIx -Wellbeing Global Index, indicador complexo composto por dados de população, de ambiente e de energia, de saúde, de emprego, de mercado de trabalho e da educação, visa traçar o mapeamento epidemiológico do território e definir políticas públicas. Esta comunicação faz um retrato, preliminar, da população portuguesa traçado a partir da associação limitada de indicadores ambientais e de saúde.

2020-12-16Journal article

Open access

Environmental and biological monitoring of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) exposure in residents living near gas stations

Publication . Barros, Nelson; Carvalho, Márcia; Silva, Cláudia; Fontes, Tânia; Prata, Joana C.; Sousa, André; Manso, M. Conceição

The volatile organic compounds benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) are emitted into the atmosphere at gas stations (GS) leading to chronic exposure of nearby residents, which raises public health concerns. This study aimes at determining the contribution of GS emissions to BTEX exposure in nearby residents. Three Control and Exposed areas to BTEX emissions from GS were defined in a medium-sized European city (Porto, Portugal). BTEX atmospheric levels were determined in Control and Exposed areas using passive samplers deployed outdoors (n = 48) and indoors (n = 36), and human exposure was estimated for 119 non-smoking residents using the first urine of the day. Results showed that median BTEX outdoor and indoor concentrations were significantly higher for Exposed than Control areas, with exception of ethylbenzene and xylene indoor concentrations, where no marked differences were found. Comparison of urinary concentrations between Exposed and Control residents demonstrated no significant differences for benzene and ethylbenzene, whereas levels of toluene and xylene were significantly higher in Exposed residents. No marked correlation was obtained between atmospheric BTEX concentrations and urinary concentrations. Data indicate the potential impact on air quality of BTEX emissions from GS, which confirms the importance of these findings in urban planning in order to minimize the impact on health and well-being of surrounding populations.

2019Journal article

Restricted access

Measuring the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals at a Local Level: The WeGIx Index

Publication . Oliveira, Gisela; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Maia, Rui Leandro

The broadness and ambition of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for commitment and effort from all society sectors. Either at national or local level, where the action of communities and governance is of the utmost importance for the implementation and operationalization of such an interconnected and transformative agenda, adequate means for monitoring, measurement and accountability of plans and actions are also required. Academia, being one of the strongest pillars of the contemporary societies, should embrace its role as both a promoter and supporter of this universal Agenda, not only by developing fundamental scientific knowledge and educational resources but by also acting as advisers for governmental decisions and the establishment of proper and tailored public policies. This work describes the design and application processes of WeGIx—a composite indicator aiming to be a global objective measure of communities’ quality of life, at municipality level. WeGIx quantifies a combination of forty-three variables contributing to tackle municipalities’ global progress, in an integrated manner, on SDGs 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15 and 16. Results of the WeGIx application on Portugal demonstrate development asymmetries in municipalities and help to identify implementation gaps and improvement opportunities.

2020Book part

Restricted access