ENVIRONMENT-BRAZIL: Industry’s Hidden Costs

By Mario Osava Reprint | | Print |

Mario Osava* - Tierramérica

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 25 2005 (IPS) - Contaminated soil threatens the health of some two million people in Brazil, say authorities. And gas stations are the leading culprits in the state of Sao Paulo, the nation’s industrial centre.

Buildings with foundations that might explode and farms with toxic soil are other warning signs of the risks of industrialisation without appropriate protective measures in place.

According to a preliminary report by the Health Ministry there are at least 689 areas in Brazil with ”contaminated or potentially contaminated soil” and which are home to a total of 1.9 million people.

Sao Paulo state holds 157 of the sites already identified in the preliminary inventory, with 470,950 residents ”exposed or at risk of exposure” to the contamination, according to the study released in late January.

But CETESB, the state’s environmental clean-up agency and a pioneer in Latin America, recorded 255 contaminated sites in Sao Paulo in 2002, 727 in 2003 and 1,366 in November 2004.

The multiplication of sites does not necessarily represent new contamination, but rather greater public awareness, which led to greater reporting, more intensive inspections by officials, and even recognition of blame by those responsible, CETESB official Alfredo Rocca told Tierramérica.

These liabilities, which affect soil and underground water, have accumulated over ”60 years of industrial development” in Brazil, concentrated in Sao Paulo, noted Rocca.

Contaminated areas multiplied in Sao Paulo mostly due to gas stations, responsible for 69.7 percent of the total sites recorded by CETESB.

There are 8,000 of these service stations in the state, and they are now required to obtain an environmental license, which means each undergoes analysis – thus revealing spill sites, and outdated, corroded storage tanks.

Industry is the second leading source of contamination, responsible for 18 percent, mostly from accidents and inadequate handling of waste.

In Mauá, near the city of Sao Paulo, buildings were constructed upon an underground industrial waste storage site, which produces explosive gases. The risk is mitigated through gas extraction, but the value of the real estate has plummeted.

Known contamination requires emergency measures, such as blocking use of surrounding underground water supplies, and preventing residents from inhaling toxic vapours, said Rocca.

But many companies resist taking responsibility and are turning to the courts to gain time, as occurs in industrialised countries like Germany and France, where a resolution to the problem takes ”a minimum of two years,” he said.

An example of serious contamination and a successful resolution, Rocca said, was the case of Acumuladores Ajax, in Baurú, 345 km from Sao Paulo. The company’s battery recovery unit was closed in early 2002 when lead contamination was found in the surrounding areas.

Of 857 children under 12 who were examined – all living within one kilometre from the factory – 314 had high levels of lead in their blood and received medical attention. They will receive follow-up treatments until 2012.

Attention was focused in the children because their bodies absorb more lead and they suffer more from the effects of lead poisoning, which can damage the central nervous system, explained Marcia Simonetti, epidemiology monitoring director for the state health department in the Baurú region.

In the poor neighbourhoods affected, a five-centimetre layer of soil was removed from roads, patios and vacant lots. Streets and homes with dirt floors were paved, and water tanks were cleaned. Studies determined the presence of lead in milk and in locally grown vegetables, the consumption of which was restricted.

This ”success”, especially in health assistance and follow-up with the children, was due to rapid coordination and cooperation of several health, environmental and administrative agencies, both state and municipal, with collaboration from universities and research centres, Simonetti told Tierramérica.

Action was taken ”with transparency” for the population and the company, which contributed equipment and transportation, and agreed to store thousands of tonnes of contaminated soil, she said.

The contaminated sites found so far ”are only the tip of the iceberg,” but it is inevitable that the population will have to live with the undesirable effects of industrialisation because alternatives are not always available, Simonetti said.

Rocca is optimistic that there is greater public awareness and that institutions are active on the issue, but deplores the lack of specific legislation for dealing with contaminated soil and water. When the culprit is unknown or is unable to finance the clean up, the state has to step in, said the CETESB official.

A typical case is the Mantovani Landfill in Santo Antonio da Posse, 150 km from Sao Paulo, where hundreds of tonnes of toxic industrial waste from more than 60 companies accumulated from 1974 until CETESB stepped in to shut down the site in 1987.

The resulting soil and water contamination could extend to neighbouring fields and rivers.

Between 22 and 74 million dollars are needed to launch a clean up, and the owner of the landfill does not have enough money. Waldemar Mantovani has already been found guilty by the courts, said Rocca. Now pressure is on the companies that produced the industrial waste to cover the costs.

(* Mario Osava is an IPS correspondent. Originally published Feb. 19 by Latin American newspapers that are part of the Tierramérica network. Tierramérica is a specialised news service produced by IPS with the backing of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme.)