A cross-disciplinary approach to global environmental health: the case of contaminated sites

Cross-disciplinary approaches to Global Environmental Health are essential to address environmental health threats within and beyond national boundaries, taking into account the links among health, environment and socio-economic development. The aim of this study is to present a cross-disciplinary approach where knowledge and findings from environmental epidemiology and social research are integrated in studying environmental health issues, focusing on environmental health inequities, public and environmental health literacy, and international scientific cooperation. In the case of contaminated sites, environmental epidemiology can contribute investigating the ultidimensionality of equity for sustainable development practices. These practices entail a better understanding of environmental contamination, health effects pathways and improved capacities of different stakeholders to identify policy options for environmental risk prevention, remediation and management that will foster informed participation in decisions influencing communities. International scientific cooperation frameworks adopting equity principles shared by scientific community, populations and decision-makers may be of valuable support to this task

Occupational Burden of Asbestos-related Cancer in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico

Background: An estimate at the national level of the occupational cancer burden brought about by the industrial use of asbestos requires detailed routine information on such uses as well as on vital statistics of good quality. A causal association with asbestos exposure has been established for mesothelioma and cancers of the lung, larynx, and ovary. Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide estimates of the occupational burden of asbestos-related cancer for the Latin American countries that are or have been the highest asbestos consumers in the region: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. Methods: The burden of multifactorial cancers has been estimated through the approach suggested for the World Health Organization using the population attributable fraction. The following data were used: • Proportion of workforce employed in each economic sector • Proportion of workers exposed to asbestos in each sector • Occupational turnover • Levels of exposure • Proportion of the population in the workforce • Relative risk for each considered disease for 1 or more levels of exposure Data on the proportion of workers exposed to asbestos in each sector are not available for Latin American countries; therefore, data from the European CAREX database (carcinogen exposure database) were used. Findings: Using mortality data of the World Health Organization Health Statistics database for the year 2009 and applying the estimated values for population attributable fractions, the number of estimated deaths in 5 years for mesothelioma and for lung, larynx, and ovary cancers attributable to occupational asbestos exposures, were respectively 735, 233, 29, and 14 for Argentina; 340, 611, 68, and 43 for Brazil; 255, 97, 14, and 9 for Colombia, and 1075, 219, 18, and 22 for Mexico. Conclusions: The limitations in compiling the estimates highlight the need for improvement in the quality of asbestos-related environmental and health data. Nevertheless, the figures are already usable to promote a ban on asbestos use

International scientific cooperation on asbestos-related disease prevention in Latin America.

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Epidemiological research as a driver of prevention: the Sibaté study

Although asbestos exposure and risks can be prevented, only five countries in Latin America have banned asbestos, including Colombia. Beginning in 2011, a collaboration between the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Italy and Universidad de los Andes in Colombia was established, bringing together relevant expertise aiming to improve our understanding of the asbestos problem. An important result of this collaboration was a recently published study conducted in Sibaté, Colombia, a municipality where an asbestos-cement facility has operated since 1942. The evidence collected suggests the presence of a mesothelioma cluster in Sibaté. Landfilled zones with an underground layer of friable asbestos were also discovered in the urban area of the municipality. The importance of this type of collaboration can go beyond understanding the impact of asbestos at the local level, which is crucial, and may also contribute in solving unanswered questions of the problem in countries that banned asbestos decades ago

Towards integration of epidemiological and social sciences approaches in the study of communities affected by asbestos exposure. Preface

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NECOBELAC, a European project to promote the diffusion of scientific information in public health

NECOBELAC is a three-year Project started on February 1st 2009 and funded by the European Commission within the 7th Framework Program. NECOBELAC stands for Network of Collaboration Between Europe, Latin American and Caribbean Countries, and aims at enhancing the production and dissemination of quality scientific information in the field of public health. More precisely it focuses on two main objectives: 1) the promotion of training initiatives intended to improve the scientific writing skills of all professionals working in the health-related areas and 2) the implementation of scholarly communication systems based on the concept of immediate, open and permanent access to research results. The six partners involved in the Project are represented by academic and scientific institutions (from Italy (project coordinator), UK, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, and Colombia) which have gained sound experience in providing information services and outputs through networked initiatives. In this respect, the Project intends to raise awareness on shared principles of good practice among all stakeholders (authors, editors, publishers, information professionals, funding agencies, institutions, learning societies) of the scientific information chain and to promote a cultural change in the information production and dissemination process. The impact of the Project will be measured also by considering the outputs of the activities undertaken by the Project

Environmental health literacy within the Italian Asbestos project: experience in Italy and Latin American contexts

The adoption of multidisciplinary approaches to foster scientific research in public health and strengthen its impact on society is nowadays unavoidable. Environmental health literacy (EHL) may be defined as the ability to search for, understand, evaluate, and use environmental health information to promote the adoption of informed choices, the reduction of health risks, the improvement of quality of life and the protection of the environment. Both public health and environmental health literacy involve access to and dissemination of scientific information (including research findings), individual and collective decision-making and critical thinking. Specific experiences in environmental health literacy have been developed within the Italian National Asbestos Project (Pro-getto Amianto) in Latin American countries where the use of asbestos is still permitted, and in Italy where a specific effort in EHL has been dedicated to the risks caused by the presence of fluoro-edenite fibers in the town of Biancavilla (Sicily). Taking into account the different geographical and socio-economic contexts, both public health and environ-mental health literacy were addressed to a wide range of stakeholders, within and outside the health domain

Fostering public health awareness on risks in contaminated sites. Capacity building and dissemination of scientific evidence

 The article focuses on the multidisciplinary nature of public health and the need to develop target oriented capacity building and dissemination plans taking into account both scientific evidence and the information needs of the different stakeholders. In particular, issues regarding stakeholders’ involvement in epidemiological studies in contaminated sites, considering their different levels of awareness on risk characterization and management, are discussed. In a public health perspective, the main stakeholders in ntaminated sites re researchers and public health officers, risk managers and policy makers, population esiding in the contaminated areas, environmental associations, patient’s organizations. The different components of a dissemination strategy addressed to different stakeholders are analyzed with the objective to create awareness and preparedness to facilitate management in contaminated sites, foster scientific knowledge and informed decisions to consolidate risk perception through science-driven information.