Ecological risk assessment of a site exposed to mining waste at Adrianópolis, PR

• Grant number: 14/02566-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2014
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Edna Tenório Nunes
• Grantee: Larissa Ayumi Matsui
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Adrianopoles, at Ribeira Valley, PR, such as others municipalities in the region, is characterized by long time mining activity, initiated by Plumbum S/A in 1945 and held for 50 years. Previous studies in the area have indicated serious environmental and human health problems, which still persist today, stemming from the release of toxic elements from mining directly in the Ribeira do Iguape river until 1990, as well as particulate matter into the atmosphere. Improper disposal of waste from mining is also reported, with its use for paving roads in the municipality, for example. However, none of these studies had focused on the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA), which consists in analyzing the ecological changes caused by anthropogenic activities to a particular system. Thus, this project aims at the implementation of the ERA as a contribution to future decisions regarding the region, aiming to foster possible measures to mitigate the effects of contamination and contribute with the restoration and recovery processes of the contaminated areas. The Triad aproach will be followed, with the integration of data from chemical, ecological and ecotoxicological analysis of soils from the contaminated areas.