A atuação da vigilância sanitária e a atividade informal domiciliar: desafios para a proteção da saúde e minimização dos riscos Health surveillance actions and the residential informal activity: the challenge for health protection and risk minimization

in Brazil, there is a growing tendency in the proportion that the informal sector represents in the economy, which increases challenges –such as health surveillance- to government regulatory agencies. the purpose of this study is to identify and to discuss the risks associated with the informal offer of products and services, which are made at home and are subject of health surveillance activities. this is a case study including a descriptive and an exploratory approach based on data from families who developed Household Economic Activities (AED) on the Health District of Liberdade (DSL), in Salvador, Bahia, in 2013. Among the 638 occupations identified as household economic activities, 43% (N = 274) were related to objects that are under health surveillance responsibility, constituting three categories of analysis according to the products and services sold: Food and beverages (55,5%, N = 152), Interest Health Service (42,7%, N = 117) and Sanitizing (1,8%, N = 5). The study showed that a significant portion of the AED was identified as subject of health surveillance activities. the results highlight the vulnerability of both workers and population exposed to the several risks inherent to the informal market.