Plastic pollution is a major societal, economic, and environmental issue. Upon release into the environment, plastics are altered by biological and physicochemical processes that influence their fate and transport within ecosystems. Large plastic debris can fragment into smaller pieces and are called microplastics (MPs) when occurring at sizes between 1 µm and 5 mm, fragmented or produced in this range. These small pieces of plastics are ubiquitous anthropogenic contaminants found throughout the world; however, the environmental consequences and effects on biota are not clearly understood. Scientific literature on the environmental implications of MP pollution is expanding rapidly and critical review of this literature is necessary to identify areas of evolving consensus and remaining gaps in knowledge. Herein a comprehensive literature review was performed to assess (i) the sources and distribution of MPs in different environmental compartments, (ii) the analytical methods that have been applied worldwide, and the key analytical challenges that remain in assessing MPs in the environment, and, finally, (iii) to integrate the findings of Brazilian MP research, which showed that since 2004 (80 papers up to 2020) has documented the presence of MPs in aquatic matrices and sediments with focus on marine ecosystems, mainly identified by visual inspection.

Emerging contaminants have been considered one of the main concerns for ensuring the quality of water around the world. This work presents the results of 10 years of analyses carried out in the state of São Paulo (Brazil) that has the high population density and intense agricultural and industrial activities. In this work 58 compounds (9 hormones, 14 pharmaceuticals and personal care products, 8 industrial compounds, 17 pesticides and 10 illicit drugs) were determined from 2006 to 2015 in 708 samples including raw and treated sewage, surface and ground and drinking waters. A preliminary risk assessment for aquatic life protection identified potential risks for caffeine, paracetamol, diclofenac, 17α-ethynylestradiol, 17β-estradiol, estriol, estrone, testosterone, triclosan, 4-n-nonylphenol, bisphenol A, atrazine, azoxystrobin, carbendazim, fipronil, imidacloprid, malathion and tebuconazole. Drinking water criteria were available only for 22 compounds and for them no adverse effects were expected at the concentrations found, except for 17β-estradiol.

Emerging contaminants occur in parts per trillion or less in aquatic matrices. The effects related to the exposure of aquatic biota and human to them have been identified for different compounds. The knowledge about the concentrations of the exposure is the first step to perform risk assessments. The present work describes a literature review about occurrence in Brazilian aquatic matrices, and a discussion about biological effects, legislation and analytical aspects involving the presence of emerging compounds. The review includes 58 papers published between 1997 and 2016, considering the occurrence of personal care and pharmaceutical compounds, illicit drugs, hormones, pesticides and some other endocrine disruptors compounds in the matrices sewage, surface, ground and drinking waters. The concentrations varied from ng L-1 to µg L-1, depending on the region and the compound. However, the contamination scenario was aggravated by the combination of poor sanitation status - such as low investment in sewage treatment plants, which led to an expressive contamination of the receiving waters with sewage - and the current goods consumption level, which is similar to that of developed countries. These data provide a good insight into the particular levels of contamination and can be used both for further researches and decision making in the regulation area of public policy.

OBJETIVO: Analisar a qualidade das córneas avaliadas em lâmpada de fenda no Banco de Tecidos Oculares do Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná (BTO HC-UFPR) relacionando com a idade e causa de óbito. MÉTODOS: Foram analisadas retrospectivamente fichas de avaliações padronizadas de 492 córneas, avaliadas no BTO HC-UFPR, do período de agosto de 2006 a agosto de 2008. Cada córnea avaliada foi classificada em relação a sua qualidade em: Muito bom, bom, regular e ruim; mediante os seguintes fatores: claridade da córnea, edema epitelial, defeito epitelial, edema estromal, dobras de Descemet, opacidade estromal, cicatrizes corneanas, densidade endotelial e guttata. RESULTADOS: A idade média dos doadores foi de 42,74 anos (dp=17,77). Dentre as causas de óbito, a mais comum foi trauma com 46,18%, seguindo por causas cardiovasculares com 41,86%. Na avaliação da córnea, foram classificadas: 57,11% como "bom", seguido por 20,73% "regular", 16,87% "muito bom" e 5,28% "ruim". Com aplicação de testes estatísticos baseados em modelo de regressão ordinal verificou-se que as córneas provenientes de mortes por traumas tendem a ser melhores, bem como aquelas de pacientes mais jovens. CONCLUSÕES: Estatisticamente, córneas de doadores mais jovens tendem a ter melhores graduações na avaliação, bem como córneas provenientes de doadores com morte por trauma tendem a ser de melhor qualidade quando comparadas com as provenientes de mortes por doenças cardiovasculares e outras doenças sistêmicas.

PURPOSE: To analyze the quality of the corneas evaluated by slit lamp examination in the Eye Bank of the Hospital de Clínicas UFPR and its relation to donor age and cause of death. METHODS: Analysis of 492 corneas, evaluated in BTO HC-UFPR between August 2006 to August 2008. Each cornea was classified regarding the quality as: very good, good, regular and bad; and according to clarity, epithelial defect, stromal edema, Descemet's folds, stromal opacity, corneal scarring, endothelial density and guttata. RESULTS: The mean donor age was 42.74 years (sd=17.77 years). Among the causes of death, trauma was the most common with 46.18%, followed by cardiovascular causes with 41.86%. In relation to the cornea, 57.11% were classified as "good", followed by 20.73% as "regular", 16.87% as "very good" and 5.28% as "bad". With the application of statistical tests based on ordinal regression model, trauma deaths corneas tend to be better, as well as those of younger patients. CONCLUSIONS: Statistically, the corneas from younger donors tend to have better graduations in the assessment, as well as the corneas from donors dead by trauma that tend to have better quality when compared to corneas from donors dead by cardiovascular and other systemic diseases.