Ocorrência de doenças veiculadas por água contaminada: um problema sanitário e ambiental

Abstract

The disordered population growth and careless use of water has led to environmental contamination and consequently the spread of a variety of pathogens. Water-borne diseases have become one of the main public health problems in recent years. Concerning this problem, the Brazilian Ministry of Health issued Ordinance n° 518/2004, which foresees the evaluation of the quality of water for human consumption. The aim of the present study was to assess the presence of parasites in the well water used as the only supply in the municipality of Lagoa Santa in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and determine the occurrence of intestinal parasites in the population that uses this water. All wells examined exhibited irregularities in their construction, water storage and/or distance from a source of contamination. The results of this study demonstrate that the majority of wells in the study area are beyond the control of regulating agencies, maintained under inadequate conditions and associated to sources of contamination.