This essay purpose is to present and discuss theoretical and practical subsidies for a health, labor and environmental surveillance policy on commodity chains. Based on theories related to the notion of complexity and to the systemic thought in public health, it discusses an integrating policy based on the following principles: intra-sector (integration of Brazilian health system - SUS- surveillances); inter-sector (articulation of the governmental sectors - social security, environment, labor, agriculture, development, industry and foreign trade, among others, and non-governmental sectors); social control (incorporating the knowledge of actors and civil society groups, local community, workers, citizens and social movements in general); and trans-disciplinary (dialogue between various disciplines within science and other fields). These principles are capable to guide an integrating surveillance on the commodity chain links, mainly considering their social-environmental impacts on such links as: mining, transport, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. Choosing commodity chains as a strategy to connect governmental and society actions, services and structures is an alternative to enable integrated intervention practices on the complex health, labor and environment relations, overcoming the fragmentary and rigid model.
production of products; population surveillance; environmental health surveillance; worker's health surveillance
