Abstract

The concern with the action of chemical dyes in human health is not only in Brazil, but throughout the world. One reason for the alert is due to recent results in European research related to the actions of dyes in baby foods, for example. However, the question of the risk of dyes has never been studied properly because of the assumption that these were harmless components. Several industries as pharmaceutical, cosmetic, printing and textile have widely used azo dyes. The textile industry is a substantial consumer of water and produces enormous volumes of contaminated water; the most important contaminants are azo dyes. The discharge of highly colored effluents affects water transparency, gas solubility in water bodies and may induce several human pathologies (carcinogenicity and toxicity). Therefore, new technologies using fungi to removal of such dyes before discharging them into environment is essential, mainly when related to human health.

Keywords: Bioremediation; Dye; Fungi; Medical research; Technology