Dogs as a sentinel in the toxicological evaluation Pouca Saúde River located in the port area of Santos - SP

• Grant number: 20/12335-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2021
• End date: August 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Paula Andrea de Santis Bastos
• Grantee: Renata Cristina de Abreu Jardim
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária. Universidade Metropolitana de Santos (UNIMES). Santos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Pouca Saúde River communicates with the left bank of the Port of Santos. Along the course of the river, there are many stilts, which throw sewage and household waste into the waters. The environmental consequences of the intense activity of the port of Santos impact the entire Baixada Santista region with pollution from port terminals, dumps, sanitary landfills, areas contaminated by inadequate disposal of toxic waste, sewage outlets and domestic effluents, irregular occupations, channels that flow into the estuary, the influx of tourists in the summer and industrial effluents from Cubatão. Animals have been used as sentinels or biomarkers to assess environmental risk to human well-being. This project aims to: check if the semi-domiciled dog can be a biomarker of environmental contamination; verify that the toxic agents present in the blood of semi-domiciled dogs in the riverside region are the same as those found in the water of the Pouca Saúde river and develop educational material and conduct an orientation campaign with the population about the risks, for people and animals, of the present environmental contaminants. Semi-domiciled dogs that roam the banks of the Pouca Saúde River will be selected and Antimony, Cadmium, Lead, Chromium, and Mercury will be tested based on blood samples from these animals. A complete blood count will also be made and their liver and kidney profile assessed. (AU)