Comparison of air quality standards between Brazil and countries from the five continents

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18472/SustDeb.v14n3.2023.50459

Keywords:

Environmental pollution, Atmospheric emissions, Air quality standards

Abstract

This article presents a comparative study of air quality regulations. The main objective was to compare Brazil’s current technical air quality standards with international standards. The air quality standards defined by Brazil for PM2.5, PM10, lead, SO2, NO2, and O3 have higher values than international norms, and Brazil lacks standards for important pollutants like mercury, cadmium, nickel, toluene, and PAHs. The use of more permissive air quality standards significantly distorts the perception of potential exposure for the population, downplaying the actual impact on public health, leading to inadequate public health planning, and resulting in avoidable hospitalisations, premature deaths, and other intangible costs like reduced quality of life for the population.

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Author Biographies

Carlos Henrique Cordeiro de Amaral, Master’s in Health, Environment, and Work, Safety Engineer, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil

Bachelor in Chemical Engineering from the Universidade Federal da Bahia – UFBA, Postgraduate in Occupational Safety Engineering from the Occupational Safety Engineering Specialization Course – CEEST/UFBA, Master's in Health, Environment, and Work from the Postgraduate Program in Health, Environment, and Work – PPGSAT/UFBA, PhD candidate in Geochemistry, Petroleum, and Environment – POSPETRO/UFBA.

Rita de Cássia Franco Rêgo, Doctor in Public Health, Professor, Universidade Federal da Bahia. Salvador, BA, Brazil

She holds a degree in Medicine from the Federal University of Bahia - UFBA, a master's degree in Collective Health, and a Ph.D. in Public Health / Epidemiology (2002), both from ISC-UFBA. She completed his postdoctoral research at the Department of Epidemiology at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), United States. Professor at the School of Medicine of the Federal University of Bahia, a permanent professor of the Graduate Program in Health, Environment, and Work (PPGSAT), and the Graduate Program in Ecology and Biomonitoring, working in the professional master's program in Applied Ecology for Environmental Management.

Amanda Laura Northcross, Doctor of Engineering and Environmental Science, Professor, University of North Carolina, USA

Education Bachelor in Science (BS) of Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Master of Science (MS) in Environmental Engineering from Drexel University, Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Environmental Engineering and Science from the University of North Carolina, Post Doctoral Training conducted at the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health Division of Environmental and Occupational Health. Director of Undergraduate Studies - Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (2022-current).

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Published

2023-12-11

How to Cite

Amaral, C. H. C. de, Rêgo, R. de C. F., & Northcross, A. L. (2023). Comparison of air quality standards between Brazil and countries from the five continents. Sustainability in Debate, 14(3), 234–258. https://doi.org/10.18472/SustDeb.v14n3.2023.50459

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 3 (2023): Sustainability in Debate / Sustentabilidade em Debate

Section

Articles - Varia

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