Marcelo de Oliveira Lima

Exposição ao mercúrio e ao arsênio em Estados da Amazônia: síntese dos estudos do Instituto Evandro Chagas/ FUNASA

Este artigo e uma revisao das pesquisas da Secao de Meio Ambiente do Instituto Evandro Chagas/FUNASA sobre exposicao ao mercurio (Hg) no vale do rio Tapajos e Estado do Acre, e exposicao ao arsenio (As) atraves de residuos da exploracao de manganes (Mn) realizada pela ICOMI deixados no Porto de Santana-AP. Em relacao ao mercurio, tem sido pesquisadas populacoes sob risco atraves da via respiratoria ou alimentar. No primeiro caso, os trabalhadores de casas de compra e venda de ouro tem apresentado teores mais elevados de Hg em urina do que os garimpeiros estudados. No segundo caso, as populacoes ribeirinhas tem mostrado niveis diferenciados de exposicao (Hg em cabelo). Comunidades ribeirinhas situadas em areas nao afetadas pelo mercurio da garimpagem e com habitos alimentares semelhantes as de area de risco tem sido avaliadas, visando a construcao de parâmetros de normalidade regional. Sao tambem pesquisados os teores de Hg em materiais ambientais e na biota aquatica. Os estudos de saude humana e ambiente na cidade de Santana-AP objetivaram avaliar as fontes e possiveis vias de exposicao da populacao da comunidade do Elesbao ao arsenio. Verificou-se a existencia de fonte de risco atraves dos rejeitos de Mn, porem os niveis de As na agua consumida pela populacao mostraram-se dentro dos parâmetros de normalidade. As medias encontradas em sangue e cabelo coincidem com medias de normalidade referidas na literatura, em populacoes nao expostas, e as associacoes entre variaveis epidemiologicas, avaliacao clinico-laboratorial e os teores de arsenio nao mostraram significância estatistica.

Mercury Speciation in Hair of Children in Three Communities of the Amazon, Brazil

Children from riverside communities located downstream of gold mining areas may be chronically exposed to relatively high levels of MeHg through the consumption of fish of this region. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare levels of THg and MeHg in hair of children less than 12 years in communities near mines in the municipality of Itaituba and in communities far from prospecting areas in the city of Abaetetuba. The communities of Itaituba (Barreiras and São Luiz do Tapajós) had THg mean levels of 5.64 ± 5.55 μg·g−1 (0.43–27.82) and 11.41 ± 7.16 μg.g−1 (1.08–28.17), respectively, and an average count of MeHg relative to THg of 92.20% and 90.27%, respectively. In the Maranhão community, the THg average concentrations results were 2.27 ± 2.11 μg·g−1 (0.13–9.54) and the average values were 93.17% for MeHg. Children of Itaituba had average levels of mercury above the limit established by the World Health Organization (10 μg·g−1) and the strong correlation coefficient between the communities (R = 0.968 and P = 0.0001) suggests the hair as an excellent biomarker of human exposure to organic mercury in riverside populations of the Tapajós, which has the intake of fish daily as main source of protein dietary.

Assessment of surface water in two Amazonian rivers impacted by industrial wastewater, Barcarena City, Pará State (Brazil)

In 2007, surface waters were collected from 21 sampling points in Barcarena City in Northern Region of Brazil: one sampling point located in a stream that receives discharge of wastewater from a kaolin processing industry and flows into the Curupere River, three sampling points located near sources that emerge on the left bank and flow into the Curupere River, nine sampling points in Curupere River, which flows into the Dende River, and eight in Dende River, a tributary on the right bank of the Para River. For all water samples were quantified 14 physicochemical variables and levels of 12 metals. The results in the points near the sources of the Curupere River presented physicochemical profile and metal levels which are typical of surface waters being used as reference to compare and identify possible changes in the chemical characteristics of the other sampling points. The comparison between the results obtained for the sources of the Curupere River and the ones for the point near the discharge of industrial wastewater revealed strong changes in the values of 6 physicochemical variables (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), sulfate (SO4), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH4-N) and salinity) and an increase in magnitude of the levels of four metals (Al, Fe, Mn and Zn). These facts characterized that the wastewaters were discharged into the environment without adequate treatment. Results in other sampling sites showed that these anomalous conditions were also found along the Curupere and Dende Rivers, especially during low tide. This chemical characterization of the waters allowed to identify harmful conditions to aquatic ecosystems and potential health risk for the local people, who use the rivers for drinking water, recreation and transportation.

Characterization of the Fruit Pulp of Camu-Camu (Myrciaria dubia) of Seven Different Genotypes and Their Rankings Using Statistical Methods PCA and HCA

Due to the economic potential of camu-camu, considering its high concentration of vitamin C, the aim of this work was to evaluate the quality and genetic variability seven accessions of camu-camu conserved in genebank (BAG) of Embrapa Amazonia Oriental, in the state of Para, Amazon region, Brazil. The fruits of camucamuzeiro were analyzed for physicochemical characterization (standard methodologies) and mineral composition. The data were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis, using the techniques of cluster analysis and principal component analysis. The formation of different groups for each genotype, which shows the genetic variability and the dissimilarity of the genotypes in the species data, may be used to guide the selection of promising genotypes to enrich the programs of genetic improvement of the camucamuzeiro. Ascorbic acid showed levels above 1000 mg 100 g-1, however, genotypes 4, 1 and 2 show the highest potential and the most promising nutritional capacity, but genotype 4 showed good characteristics for the moisture, acidity, carbohydrates, Cu and Zn and differs totally from others about the total soluble solids (TSS) and flavon-3-ol, features that make it the most promising genotype. It was possible to separate the seven different genotypes using multivariate analysis (hierarchical cluster analysis-HCA and principal component analysis-PCA).

Assessment of the quality of water for consumption by river-bank communities in areas exposed to urban and industrial pollutants in the municipalities of Abaetetuba and Barcarena in the state of Pará, Brazil

In spite of the great technological advances in processes for treatment of water for human consumption, water actually used for supply has become a major public health challenge. This study assesses the quality of the water consumed in two riverside communities in the Brazilian state of Pará, in an area exposed to domestic and industrial pollutants. Four campaigns of sampling were carried out in the two communities. The variables used for the calculation of the water quality index - Índice de Qualidade da Água, or IQA - were: pH, total solids, chloride, fluoride, hardness and N-Nitrate. The waters used for human consumption in the Maranhão Community, where there is no contamination by industrial pollutants, presented adequate samples, with improvement in the dry season; on the other hand the waters of the Vila do Conde, a location close to the industrial activity, had quality that was unacceptable for human consumption in both the seasonal periods. The principal parameters affected were pH and N-Nitrate, with values up to 25 times the reference level of the Brazilian legislation for water for human consumption. These results indicated greater anthropic interference in the vicinity of Vila do Conde, in Barcarena. It is concluded that this population is in need of clinical assessments by specialized professionals on the state of its health.

Avaliação da Composição Mineral de Folhas e Chás de Embaúba ( Cecropia palmata W illd. e Cecropia obtusa Trécul.) por Espectrometria de Emissão Ótica em Plasma Indutivamente Acoplado (ICP-OES)

Neste estudo foram avaliadas as concentracoes dos metais em folhas e chas de Cecropia em diferentes periodos sazonais. As amostras foram analisadas por espectrometria. Os resultados revelaram que ocorreu uma reduzida transferencia dos metais da materia seca para os chas, e que os teores de minerais nao excederam os limites maximos toleraveis. Estudos quimiometricos mostraram que as especies Cecropia obtusa e Cecropia palmata obtidas no periodo chuvoso apresentaram maior similaridade, em relacao aos teores dos nutrientes Ca, Cu e Mn.

Quality index of the surface water of Amazonian rivers in industrial areas in Pará, Brazil

In this study was to evaluate the waters quality of the Murucupi River, located in urban agglomerate area and intense industrial activity in Barcarena City, Pará State. The Arapiranga River in Abaetetuba City was used as control area (Background), next to Barcarena. Was used the Water Quality Index (WQI) based on nine variables analized. Waters quality of the Arapiranga and Murucupi rivers were regular to good and bad to good, respectively. Anthropogenic influence on the Murucupi River was higher, mainly by the disposal of domestic effluents from the urban agglomerate and of the industrial waste tailing basins upstream of this river. Due to its less inhabited environment and further away from the area urban and industrial, the Arapiranga River was more preserved. Waters pollution of around these area is increasingly intense, and restricted its uses for various purposes.