Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “BRAZIL”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Differential trends in mortality from AIDS in men and women in Brazil (1984-1995).

OBJECTIVE: To analyse trends in AIDS mortality in men and women in Brazil, for the period 1984-1995. DESIGN AND METHODS: National statistics on yearly numbers of reported deaths by cause, in conjunction with census population counts and inter-censory estimates, were used to calculate age- and sex-specific AIDS mortality rates for Brazil as a whole and for São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the two largest cities in Brazil, and those most affected by the AIDS epidemic to date. RESULTS: Numbers of reported deaths from AIDS have increased yearly in Brazil since 1984, to approximately 15,000 in 1995. The data suggest that after a very dramatic rise in mortality rates, the epidemic may have started to slow even before the introduction of freely available highly-active anti-retroviral therapy, although unequally in terms of both geographical and sex distributions. Women also tended to die at relatively younger ages than men in all areas studied, and by 1995 the impact of AIDS on overall mortality was practically the same for men and women aged 25-34 years (21% in São Paulo). CONCLUSIONS: Trends in mortality from AIDS in Brazil reflect both the geographical expansion of the epidemic outwards from its original epicentres, and the fact that women are becoming increasingly affected by the AIDS epidemic.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2004

Primary HIV-1 drug resistance in Brazil.

In this report we reviewed primary HIV-1 drug resistance in Brazil and compared it with that of other developed countries. An extensive survey was conducted in published studies on primary HIV-1 drug resistance in Brazil and in several developed countries in North America and Western Europe. Overall and genomic region-specific (protease or reverse transcriptase) rates were compared between countries and over time in some countries (whenever available) to detect their trend over time and in different groups of individuals (acutely or chronically infected patients). Brazil has shown primary drug resistance rates that were on average lower than in most developed countries analysed. There were no reports in Brazil showing the occurrence of multidrug-resistant HIV-1 strains circulating in drug-naive patients, in contrast to some countries. Rates of protease secondary mutations observed in Rio de Janeiro (the second largest city affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Brazil) did not show evidence of increase, but rather mutation-specific steady state equilibria. Despite the universal access to antiretroviral treatment in the country, rates of primary drug resistance are still low when compared with those of developed nations, arguing against the need for genotyping in patients before initiating therapy. The lower rates of primary drug resistance reported show that resistance should not be of concern in promoting expanded access to antiretroviral treatment in developing settings.

Brazil↗
PubMed1990

Comparison of clinical significance and allergenic cross-reactivity of storage mites Blomia kulagini and Lepidoglyphus destructor in Sweden and Brazil.

Comparison of the clinical significance and allergenic cross-reactivity of Blomia kulagini (B. kulagini) and Lepidoglyphus destructor (L. destructor) was made on sera from Sweden and Brazil using the radio-allergo-sorbent test (RAST) and the RAST inhibition technique. RAST-positive sera were obtained from 53 allergic Swedish farmers and 31 allergic subjects from Brazil who were positive to B. kulagini and/or L. destructor. B. kulagini was shown to be a common cause of sensitization especially in Brazil. There was a fairly high correlation between positive RAST results to L. destructor and B. kulagini based on sera from both Sweden and Brazil. The highest RAST scores were found against L. destructor in Swedish sera and against B. kulagini in Brazilian sera. The RAST inhibition studies showed that the L. destructor extract was able to inhibit the B. kulagini system (a positive RAST to B. kulagini allergen disc) in Swedish but not in Brazilian sera. In contrast, the B. kulagini extract was only able to inhibit the L. destructor system in sera from Brazil and not in sera from Sweden. This study shows that results obtained with RAST inhibition are not entirely dependent on the overall specificity of the IgE antibodies in the patient's sera, since the more subtle specificity of the primarily sensitizing allergen will dominate. Thus, conclusions drawn regarding allergenic cross-reactivity are dependent on the populations tested, and conclusions on the existence or absence of cross-reactivity, e.g. between two species of mites may be contradictory.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Charcot and Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relationship between Professor Charcot and Brazil. BACKGROUND: During the XIX century, French Neurology and its most prominent figure, Professor Charcot, dominated the area of nervous system diseases in the world. METHOD: We have reviewed some of the main publications about Charcot's life, the biography of Dom Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil and the development of Neurology in Brazil. RESULTS: Among the most important patients in Charcot's practice was the Emperor of Brazil. Dom Pedro II became a close friend of Charcot and he was a distinguished guest at Charcot's house, particularly at Tuesday soirées on boulevard St. Germain. In 1887, during the visit of Dom Pedro II to France, Charcot evaluated him and made the diagnosis of surmenage. In 1889, Dom Pedro II was disposed and went to Paris, where he lived until his death in 1891. Charcot signed the death certificate and gave the diagnosis of pneumonitis. Charcot had a passionate affection for animals, a feeling shared by Dom Pedro II. Dom Pedro II was affiliated to the French Society for the Protection of Animals. It is conceivable that Charcot's little monkey, from South America, was given to him by Dom Pedro II. The Brazilian Neurological School was founded by Professor A. Austregésilo in 1911, in Rio de Janeiro. At the time, of Charcot's death in 1893, his influence was still very important in the whole world. He and his pupils played a major role in the development of Brazilian Neurology. CONCLUSION: Professor Charcot had a close relationship with the Emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro II. He was his private physician and they were close friends. The neurological school, created by professor Charcot, contributed significantly, albeit in an indirect way, to the development of Brazilian Neurology, starting in 1911, in Rio de Janeiro, by Professor A. Austregésilo.

Brazil↗
PubMed2001

Translation, adaptation and validation of the Roland-Morris questionnaire--Brazil Roland-Morris.

The purpose of the present study was to translate the Roland-Morris (RM) questionnaire into Brazilian-Portuguese and adapt and validate it. First 3 English teachers independently translated the original questionnaire into Brazilian-Portuguese and a consensus version was generated. Later, 3 other translators, blind to the original questionnaire, performed a back translation. This version was then compared with the original English questionnaire. Discrepancies were discussed and solved by a panel of 3 rheumatologists and the final Brazilian version was established (Brazil-RM). This version was then pretested on 30 chronic low back pain patients consecutively selected from the spine disorders outpatient clinic. In addition to the traditional clinical outcome measures, the Brazil-RM, a 6-point pain scale (from no pain to unbearable pain), and its numerical pain rating scale (PS) (0 to 5) and a visual analog scale (VAS) (0 to 10) were administered twice by one interviewer (1 week apart) and once by one independent interviewer. Spearman's correlation coefficient (SCC) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were computed to assess test-retest and interobserver reliability. Cross-sectional construct validity was evaluated using the SCC. In the pretesting session, all questions were well understood by the patients. The mean time of questionnaire administration was 4 min and 53 s. The SCC and ICC were 0.88 (P<0.01) and 0.94, respectively, for the test-retest reliability and 0.86 (P<0.01) and 0.95, respectively, for interobserver reliability. The correlation coefficient was 0.80 (P<0.01) between the PS and Brazil-RM score and 0.79 (P<0.01) between the VAS and Brazil-RM score. We conclude that the Brazil-RM was successfully translated and adapted for application to Brazilian patients, with satisfactory reliability and cross-sectional construct validity.

Brazil↗
PubMed2003

[Indicators of the effectiveness of epidemiological surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis in Brazil from 1990 through 2000].

OBJECTIVES: To describe and compare indicators of the quality of epidemiological surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) before Brazil's certification as a poliomyelitis-free area (1990 through 1994) and after that certification (1995 through 2000). METHODS: The following variables were studied: minimum prevalence (reporting annually at least 1 case of AFP per 100 000 individuals younger than 15 years), negative reporting (weekly reporting of the absence of AFP cases by at least 80% of the reporting units in each region), time of investigation (investigating at least 80% of the AFP cases within 48 hours of their being reported), and diagnostic investigation (collection of two stool samples for viral culture in the 2 weeks following the onset of paralysis in 80% or more of the AFP cases). The results were categorized as adequate if they were equal to or higher than the value considered as being effective, or as inadequate if they were below this value. The percentage rate of adequate values was calculated for each of Brazil's 27 federal political divisions (26 states plus the Federal District) in each year, for each of the two periods studied. The final means per period, per federal political division, and per region were also calculated. RESULTS: For Brazil overall, minimum prevalence decreased from 1.3 per 100 000 individuals younger than 15 years in the precertification period to 0.9 per 100 000 in the postcertification period, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.08). While negative reporting was adequate in both periods (87% and 84%, respectively), the percentage rate of effectiveness was 6.6% lower in the postcertification period (P > 0.21). The effectiveness in the time required to investigate AFP cases increased from 60.7% to 71.6% (P > 0.06). The collection of stool samples was inadequate both before and after certification (54% and 52%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the absence of indigenous wild virus poliomyelitis cases in Brazil in the postcertification period, the quality of epidemiological surveillance indicators is still less than desirable. This may delay the detection and investigation of AFP cases and compromise the global poliomyelitis eradication effort. New information strategies that are being made available for the health system in Brazil may improve the effectiveness of the national poliomyelitis control program.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Highly active antiretroviral therapy in Brazil: the challenge of universal access in a context of social inequality.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate trends in AIDS mortality and incidence in Brazil over the period of 1984 to 2000 and to assess the impact of the introduction of universal access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the country in 1996. METHODS: Data from the Brazilian disease notification system and the national mortality information system were used to calculate annual region-specific and sex-specific AIDS incidence and mortality rates. We also calculated sex- and region-specific ratios of the number of AIDS deaths in one year to the number of AIDS cases notified two years earlier. RESULTS: AIDS mortality rates for both men and women and in all five of the geographic regions of Brazil declined following introduction of HAART, despite continued growth in AIDS incidence. The ratio of the number of AIDS deaths in one year to the number of AIDS cases notified two years earlier for men equalized rapidly with the ratio for women following introduction of HAART. More recently, AIDS incidence declined for both sexes and in most of the regions of Brazil. CONCLUSIONS: Despite Brazil's resource limitations and disparities in wealth between men and women and among the country's regions, the introduction of universal access to HAART in Brazil has helped achieve impressive declines in AIDS mortality, and it may also be contributing to declines in AIDS incidence.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2001

Epidemiological aspects of rotavirus infections in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

In order to develop good polices regarding public health measures and vaccine use to prevent rotavirus induced gastroenteritis, the epidemiology of the illness in various regions of Brazil is necessary. Accordingly, this study was to detect the frequency and types of rotavirus in one city in a tropical part of Brazil. This is an epidemiological survey of pediatric gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus conducted in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. We analyzed 656 in-patient (190) and out-patient (466) stool samples from children ages 0 to 5 years during 1998. Rotavirus detection was performed using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Rotavirus was isolated from 62/190 stool samples (32.6%) from hospitalized children and 16/466 (3.4%) from out-patients. The overall rotavirus frequency in this population was 11.9%. The highest rotavirus detection was found in hospitalized children ages 6 to 24 months. Rotaviruses were detected from March to September, with a peak incidence in June (33.3%), the coldest and driest month in the region. Electrophoretic analysis identified 10 different profiles, all long and compatible with group A rotavirus, termed L(A) through LJ. The L(B) and L(D) profiles circulated throughout most of the study period. However, in June, when the highest detection rate occurred, the vast majority (92.5%) of the positive samples displayed the L(B) profile, thus suggesting an outbreak caused by this rotavirus profile. Rotavirus induced gastroenteritis is common in one tropical region of Brazil, it is an important cause of diarrhea in hospitalized children ages 6 to 24 months, it is most common during dry, cold months of the year, and it may occur in electrophoretype restricted epidemics. Such analyses throughout Brazil will assist in developing sound guidelines regarding its prevention.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1991

Occupational health and safety in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Brazil is the world's fifth largest and sixth most populous nation. Its economy is varied, with strong manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and service sectors. Therefore, a wide variety of workplace hazards confronts its work force. This paper describes Brazil's occupational safety and health regulatory scheme, workers' compensation system, plant-level practices, training, and data collection. METHODS: We reviewed and analyzed Brazilian regulatory legislation and government and non-governmental organization (NGO) activity in occupational safety and health, as well as the structure and function of the workers' compensation system. We also reviewed available data on injuries and diseases from major sources, including the now-defunct Instituto Nacional do Previdencia Social (INPS) and the workers' compensation scheme, Seguro de Acidente de Trabalho (SAT). RESULTS: The incidence of workplace injuries has decreased in recent years and is now reported to be about 5 per 100 workers per year. The case fatality rate has been constant at about 5 fatalities per 1000 injuries. Less than 6% of reported injuries are classified as "diseases." Brazil's rates are comparable to those of Mexico and Zimbabwe, and two to four times higher than in most industrialized countries. CONCLUSIONS: Brazil has a high incidence of occupational injuries and diseases; these injuries and diseases are underreported; there is a large informal sector at special risk; and Brazil illustrates the disparity that exists in many countries between legislation on the books and legislation that is actually implemented.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1998

Children in the streets of Brazil: drug use, crime, violence, and HIV risks.

The presence of vast numbers of unsupervised and unprotected children is a phenomenon that is common throughout Latin America, and in few places are the street children more visible, and reviled, than in Brazil. Estimates of their numbers in Brazil have ranged from 7 to 17 million, but more informed assessments suggest that between 7 and 8 million children, ages 5 to 18, live and/or work on the streets of urban Brazil. Accounts of drug misuse among street youths in Brazil are commonplace. Numerous scientific studies and media stories have reported the widespread use of inhalants, marijuana and cocaine, and Valium among street children. Also common is the use of coca paste and Rohypnol. Risk of exposure to HIV is rapidly becoming an area of concern because of the large number of street youths engaging in unprotected sexual acts, both renumerated and nonrenumerated. Moreover, Brazil's street children are targets of fear. Because of their drug use, predatory crimes, and general unacceptability on urban thoroughfares, they are frequently the targets of local vigilante groups, drug gangs, and police "death squads." Although there have been many proposals and programs for addressing the problems of Brazilian street youth, it would appear that only minimal headway has been achieved.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Diversity in the immunodominant determinants of the circumsporozoite protein of Plasmodium falciparum parasites from malaria-endemic regions of Papua New Guinea and Brazil.

To determine the nature and extent of variation in the T cell sites of the Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite (CS) protein, a candidate antigen in the development of a malaria vaccine, we cloned and sequenced 69 recombinant clones of the CS protein gene representing 18 and 17 P. falciparum isolates from infected individuals from Madang, Papua New Guinea (PNG), a holoendemic malaria region, and Paragaminos and Jacunda, Brazil, relatively low endemic regions, respectively. As previously known, the amino acid sequence polymorphism was restricted to the three immunodominant regions of the protein, Th1R-N1, Th2R, and Th3R. While some of the observed nonsilent mutations in the T cell determinants of the CS protein were similar to those previously identified, we have found new amino acid changes in each of the polymorphic sequences in parasites from PNG and Brazil. A comparison of the CS epitope sequences of parasites from PNG and Brazil with the previously known CS epitope sequences of parasites from Brazil and The Gambia showed the following: 1) polymorphism was found in the Th1R-N1, Th2R, and Th3R region; however, while amino acid substitutions in the Th1R-N1 and Th2R region tended to be conservative, the substitutions found in the Th3R region were not, suggesting that the Th3R epitope may be rapidly evolving to allow parasites to escape host antiparasite cytotoxic T cell-enforced immune responses, and 2) the CS proteins of P. falciparum from high malaria-transmission regions (PNG and The Gambia) appear more polymorphic than the CS proteins of parasites from relatively low malaria-endemic regions in Brazil, where P. falciparum infection has been recently established.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Production and characterization of clones of the Brazil strain of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Six clones and 4 subclones were isolated from the Brazil strain of Trypanosoma cruzi and were passaged in C3H(He) mice. Parasitemia levels and survival times of mice infected with 8 of the isolates were equivalent to the Brazil strain in virulence. Two clones, designated WFTc-5.1 and WFTc-6.1 (WFTc = Wake Forest Trypanosoma cruzi) were of lower virulence in C3H mice than the other isolates and the Brazil strain. C57BL/6 mice infected with WFTc-5.1 had significantly lower parasitemias and higher survival rates than C57BL/6 mice infected with the Brazil strain or a clone designated WFTc-3.2. Levels of anti-T. cruzi IgM and IgG antibodies were the same in mice infected with higher virulence or lower virulence isolates. Based on these results the Brazil strain of T. cruzi is composed of distinct subpopulations which are heterogeneous with respect to virulence.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

[Stomach cancer mortality in Brazil: from 1977 to 1989]

Both incidence and mortality of stomach cancer have been declining in most of the world in the last decades. However, this phenomenon has not been studied in Brazil. Although data on incidence rates are insufficient, there is a standardized historical series on mortality data beginning in 1977. This study analyzes trends for stomach cancer mortality during the 1977-1989 period for Brazil and Brazilian State capitals, using the standardized mortality rates of stomach cancer (standardized population: Brazil-1980). The results showed that mortality rates have been decreasing in Brazil as a whole and nearly all of the State capitals. However, differences in mortality-rate trends appeared when patterns and location of death were analyzed. The decline was most evident in the Southeast, South, and Center-West, similar to that of European countries. Although stomach cancer is still an important cause of fatal cancer (particularly in males), stomach cancer mortality is currently less important than lung and breast cancer mortality in these regions. Unfortunately, we lack historical incidence series to compare with mortality data to determine whether they reflect actual trends in the incidence of stomach cancer in Brazil.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Allergens from Brazil nut: immunochemical characterization.

The increase in the consumption of tropical nuts in the Northern Hemisphere during the last years, has evolved in a simultaneous enhancement of allergic IgE mediated (Hypersensitivity type 1) reported cases produced by this kind of food. The Brazil nut is the seed of the Bertholletia excelsa tree (Family Lecythidaceae) and, as in other seeds, proteins represent one of its major components making up 15-17% of its fresh weight and 50% of defatted flour. Of these, storage proteins are the most important ones, and the 12 S globulin legumin-like protein and the 2 S albumin have been described as the most representative. The 2 S protein, due to its high sulfur-rich amino acid content (3% cysteine and 18% methionine), is being studied, cloned and expressed in some important agronomic seeds (soybean, bean, oilseed rape) in order to enrich the nutritional quality of them. The case of a patient with serious clinical allergic symptoms (vomiting, diarrhoea and loss of consciousness) caused by oral contact with the Brazil nut, is presented. The patient gave a positive Skin Prick Test response to Brazil nut, kiwi and hazelnut extracts, and negative to regionally specific aeroallergens and other food extracts. The patient serum showed a high level of specific IgE by RAST to Brazil nut (> 17.5 PRU/ml, Class 4), and significative levels to hazelnut, and mustard. In vitro immunological studies (SDS-Immunoblotting and IEF-Immunoblotting) revealed IgE-binding proteins present in the extract. It was shown that not only the heavy (Mr 9) and light (Mr 4) subunits of the known allergenic 2 S albumin but also the alpha-subunits (Mr approximately 33.5 and 32) and at least one of the beta-subunits (Mr approximately 21) of the 12 S Brazil nut globulin, hitherto never involved in allergic problems, showed a strong IgE-binding capacity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Elderly Japanese emigrants to Brazil before World War II: II. Prevalence of senile dementia.

BACKGROUND: We previously showed the prevalence of dementia in the town of Tajiri (Miyagi Prefecture, Japan), and found it to be 8.0%. The first population-based study on dementia in Brazil (Catanduva) disclosed the prevalence as being 7.1%. To evaluate the effects of environment on development of dementia, elderly Japanese immigrants living in Brazil were examined. Brazil is the country with the largest number of Japanese immigrants. METHODS: All immigrants aged 65 years and over from Miyagi Prefecture, living in the four cities of the São Paulo Metropolitan area were targeted (n = 192). We were able to examine 166 subjects (86.5%). The diagnosis of dementia was based on the DSM-IV with the severity assessed by the CDR (clinical dementia rating) scales. The cognitive ability screening instrument (CASI) was used for neuropsychological assessment. RESULTS: Thirteen subjects were diagnosed with dementia, CDR 1-3, the prevalence being 7.8%. Older subjects suffered more from dementia, and, paradoxically, the more highly educated subjects also suffered more. All the CASI items, except for long-term memory and visual construction, significantly deteriorated in the CDR 0.5 group compared with the CDR 0 group. COMMENTS: The prevalence of dementia was not thought to be affected by environmental factors. A paradoxically higher rate of dementia in the more educated subjects was probably due to the historical problems of the immigrants. Intact CASI item long-term memory in the CDR 0.5 group indicated that suspected dementia patients could maintain this function. This is the first epidemiological study on dementia in elderly Japanese immigrants in Brazil.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1994

Epidemiological study of sporotrichosis and histoplasmosis in captive Latin American wild mammals, São Paulo, Brazil.

Sporotrichosis and histoplasmosis are deep mycosis with a high incidence in human beings in Brazil. In domestic animals histoplasmosis has been described only in dogs, but the occurrence of sporotrichosis among domestic animals in Brazil has been described in dogs, cats, mules and asses. There is also a case of this disease reported in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodites). The purpose of this research was to perform an epidomiological study of these mycoses using delayed hypersensitivity tests (histoplasmin and sporotrichin) in Latin American wild mammals. This research was assayed using 96 healthy animals at Parque Zoológico de São Paulo, Brazil: Primates: 33 Cebus apella--weeping-capuchin and 16 Callithrix jacchus--marmoset; Procyonidae: 37 Nasua nasua--coatimundi and 10 Felidae (Panthera onca--jaguar; Felis pardalis--ocelot Felis wiedii--margay; Felis tigrina--wild cat). For intradermic tests, the following antigens were used: Sporothrix schenkii cell suspension (sporotrichin, histoplasmin-filtrate), Histoplasma capsulatum cell suspension (histoplasmin), and Histoplasma capsulatum (polysaccharide). The positivity to histoplasmin was 44.79% (Cebidae 15.15%; Callithricidae 6.25%; Procyonidae 86.49% and Felidae 50.00%, respectively). With respect to sporotrichin, 30.21% (Cebidae 6.06%, Callithricidae 0.0%; Procyonidae 64.86% and Felidae 30.00% respectively). The pattern of infection is similar to that shown by human beings and this may suggest that these animals could be involved in the epidemiologic chain of sporotrichosis and histoplasmosis, the second most prevalent human deep mycoses in Brazil. It is important to point out the absence of similar studies in Latin American wild animals.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Population genetics and gene variation in screwworms (Diptera: Calliphoridae) from Brazil.

Allozyme variation in New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), populations from Brazil was examined. Variability was observed in 8 of 13 enzyme loci and the frequency of the most common allele was < 0.95 for seven loci. Observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.159 and 0.165, respectively. Comparisons of the Brazilian populations with previously studied populations from Costa Rica resulted in Nei's genetic distances of between 0.000 and 0.006, with the greatest distance being between populations within Brazil. Comparisons with Mexican populations using only three loci resulted in genetic distances < or = 0.031. Goodness-of-fit statistics for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and Wright's F statistics indicated small deviations from expected equilibrium genotype frequencies and low levels of differentiation between populations within Brazil. Differentiation among screwworm populations from Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico was minimal.

Alleles↗
PubMed2002

Avança Brasil: environmental and social consequences of Brazil's planned infrastructure in Amazonia.

"Avança Brasil" (Forward Brazil) is a package of 338 projects throughout Brazil; the portion of the plan to be carried out in Brazil's Legal Amazon region totals US$43 billion over 8 years, US$20 billion of which would be for infrastructure causing environmental damage. Brazil's environmental impact assessment system is not yet capable of coping with the challenge presented by Avança Brasil. Generic problems with the licensing process include stimulation of a lobby in favor of construction before decisions are made on the advisability of the projects, the "dragging effect" of third parties, whereby economic activity is attracted to the infrastructure but escapes the environmental impact assessment system, a tendency for consulting firms to produce favorable reports, a bureaucratic emphasis on the existence of steps without regard to the content of what is said, and the inability to take account of the chain of events unleashed when a given project is undertaken. The environmental and social costs of forest loss are high; among them is loss of opportunities for sustainable use of the forest, including loss of environmental services such as biodiversity maintenance, water cycling, and carbon storage. The benefits of export infrastructure are meager, especially from the point of view of generating employment. Much of the transportation infrastructure is for soybeans, while the hydroelectric dams contribute to processing aluminum. The example of Avança Brasil makes clear the need to rethink how major development decisions are made and to reconsider a number of the plan's component projects.

Aluminum↗