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Augusto Boal (1931–2009) was a Brazilian director, playwright and theorist who created Theatre of the oppressed, a methodology for social change that is now practised across the world. This article aims to provide a brief introduction to the key principles underpinning Boal's work and an initial exploration of the potential ways in which Theatre of the oppressed can contribute to critical and radical social work practice.

Lead (Pb) is a metal that accumulates in the human body, inducing several adverse health effects. One of the proteins responsible for the distribution of metal in the body is metallothionein (MT), which is expressed by different genes, and it is supposed that genetic variation in the genes that encode MTs may affect the Pb body burden. The present study aimed to evaluate the genetic effects of the polymorphism of <i>MT2A</i> (single nucleotide polymorphism rs10636; C&#x2192;G) on blood Pb levels (BLL) of workers from car battery factories who are chronically exposed to the metal. In total, 221 men participated in the study; genomic DNA from whole blood was extracted, and genotyping of <i>MT2A </i>was performed by TaqMan assays; BLL were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). BLL were 25 ± 14 µg/dl (range 1.9-68); BLL were positively correlated with duration of work and smoking status. Individuals who carried at least one C allele had higher BLL than those with the GG genotype (β = -0.45; p = 0.025, multivariable linear regression analyses). Taken together, our data support the hypothesis that polymorphisms in genes related to the transport of Pb, such as <i>MTs</i>, may modulate the concentrations of the metal in the body and, consequently, adverse health effects induced by Pb exposure.