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Salazar's Portugal is often represented as a colourless, pale imitation of the fascist dictatorships in other parts of Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. Yet, in its consolidation phase, the regime embraced the concept of the 'festival state', and commemorative events and expositions became key ingredients in the attempt to forge a new, highly selective cultural identity for the Portuguese people. The centerpiece of these efforts was the Mundo Português Exposition of 1940, when the symbols of a new hybrid identity grafted the discourse of Empire onto the traditional conservatism of the New State (Estado Novo). This major cultural event served a triple function for the regime's propagandists: in their quest for regime legitimacy, for propagating Salazar's nationalist version of the nation's history, and in shaping the national consciousness of the Portuguese people in order to eliminate the 'anti-national'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of a larger research project to assess the influence of benzene on public health of Oporto Metropolitan Area, a methodology to estimate the population exposure to this pollutant has been developed and applied. The benzene concentrations recorded in the municipality of residence and the number of pendular movements, have a major influence on the estimation of the population exposure to this pollutant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Indoor radon exposure is a well documented environmental factor as a leading cause of lung cancer. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the risk of lung cancer and estimate the number of deaths due to indoor radon exposure in the north of Portugal, between 1995 and 2004. Methods: The sixth Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation Committee (BEIR VI) preferred models were applied to estimate the risk of developing lung cancer induced by indoor radon exposure, by age and level of exposure, and calculated the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to this exposure. Lung cancer mortality data were granted by the North Regional Health Administration and indoor radon concentrations resulted from a national survey conducted by the Portuguese Environmental Agency. The smoking habit was accounted with two methods. A submultiplicative interaction between smoking and indoor radon exposure was considered. Results: Depending on the model applied and the method used to account for the smoking habit, the estimated number of lung cancer deaths attributed to indoor radon exposure, in northern Portugal, ranges from 1565 to 2406, for the period between 1995 and 2004. This indicates that of the 8514 lung cancer deaths observed, from 18 to 28% could be associated with indoor radon exposure. Conclusions: This was the first study realized in Portugal on the impact of indoor radon exposure in lung cancer mortality. The application of the BEIR VI models led to a high number of lung cancer deaths due to indoor radon exposure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]