ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, SOCIAL DETERMINANTS AND SURVEILLANCE OF EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS IN BRAZIL: AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

This article presents an integrative review on environmental health, social determinants of health (SDH), and exposure to chemical contaminants in Brazil. The study analyzed 38 publications, dated between 1970 and 2024, extracted from databases such as SciELO and Google Scholar, as well as institutional documents, following PRISMA protocols and thematic content analysis. The objective was to examine the role of Environmental Health Surveillance (VSA), as a public policy, and of the National Program for Health Surveillance of Populations Exposed to Chemical Contaminants (VIGIPEQ), in mitigating health risks. Results indicate that industrialized urban communities, agricultural areas and smelting and mining regions are more vulnerable to exposure to contaminants such as mercury, lead, benzene, pesticides and asbestos, especially in groups such as children, women, the elderly and populations with low socioeconomic status. Tools such as SISSOLO and SINAN help in monitoring these areas and populations, but face limitations such as lack of integration, underreporting of cases, absence of georeferencing, and availability of data in the public domain. The gaps identified include barriers to action in remote territories, regional peculiarities and social inequalities that intensify impacts, and insufficient data for robust analyses. It is concluded that the integration between SDH, environmental monitoring and intersectoral public policies is essential to mitigate risks, promote equity and ensure greater transparency and effectiveness in environmental health surveillance actions.