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Abstract

Risk is an important characteristic of contemporary industrialized societies. It is not without reason that the sociologist Ulrich Beck calls them Risk Society. Many essayists and scientists, abroad and in Brazil, have been working social theories for scientific approach of the theme of risk. At the end of 2009, the School of Public Health, the Program on Environmental Sciences and the Instituto de Estudos Avançados of University of São Paulo organized the International Seminar Risk, Health and the Environment, that had as main lecturer the psychologist Paul Slovic, from University of Oregon. The article that opens this issue of Saúde e Sociedade is derived from his participation at this Seminar. Also from this seminar is Norma Valêncio's article on disasters and planning of Civil Defense in the Brazilian context, theme of great relevance in the rainy season that is starting in Brazil. Also Vilela, Malagoli and Morrone discuss vector control, under the approach of worker's social risk management. Following, this issue brings a series of important articles that deal with the theme of ageing, under different approaches, but, in general, highlighting