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Updated: Jun 29, 2026
09:06
The Effect of Construction and Demolition Waste Plastic Fractions on Wood-Polymer Composite Properties
Published on: June 7, 2020
[Waste over history: perceptions about residues].
1Grupo de Direitos Humanos e Saúde, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. marta.velloso@ensp.fiocruz.br
Ciencia & Saude Coletiva
|October 4, 2008
Summary
Human waste and its historical perception are explored, linking it to disease and death. Early hygiene measures and public health actions emerged to combat infectious disease vectors.
Area of Science:
- History of Medicine
- Public Health
- Environmental History
Context:
- Historical understanding of human waste and its association with disease.
- Evolution of societal attitudes towards sanitation and hygiene.
- The impact of pandemics on public health perceptions.
Purpose:
- To trace the historical evolution of human attitudes towards waste.
- To connect the concepts of waste, dirt, disease, and death throughout history.
- To highlight the development of public health interventions against infectious diseases.
Summary:
- The article examines historical perspectives on human-generated waste, beginning with the Black Plague's association of disease with bodily residues.
- It details the persistent link between waste, dirt, disease, and death in early societal notions.
- The study concludes by outlining the emergence of hygiene measures during the Renaissance and early 20th-century public health actions targeting disease agents and vectors.
Impact:
- Provides a historical framework for understanding contemporary waste management and public health challenges.
- Highlights the long-standing connection between sanitation and disease prevention.
- Informs the development of effective public health strategies by examining past successes and failures.
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