Exposure pathways to HCH and DDT in Cidade dos Meninos and its surrounding districts of Amapa, Figueiras and Pilar, metropolitan regions of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In 1989, the Rio de Janeiro State environmental agency (FEEMA) after a preliminary survey of the site known as Cidade dos Meninos, collected and disposed in a safe area tons of a pesticide that was spread in and around the ruins of an old hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) factory. The aim of this article is three-fold: (i) To investigate the existing HCH and DDT contamination levels in soil, water, air, vegetables and grasses at the Cidade dos Meninos site and the surrounding districts of Amapa, Figueiras and Pilar; (ii) To identify the main environmental exposure pathways present in the study area, and (iii) To propose a health hazard classification for this area. The results showed the presence of high levels of total HCH and DDT in the environmental media samples, especially in those collected in the district Cidade dos Meninos. This district is also the one that produces more food (vegetables, milk and meat) for local and outside population. The environmental data correlated to the socio-economic, food diet and local health conditions led to the identification of four complete exposure pathways to HCH and DDT (surface soil, access road, food chain and ambient air). Using the ATSDR (1996) and Magalhães (2000) criteria the site was classified in two public health hazard categories: Category II - hazard for public health, and category III - indeterminate hazard for public health.