Emission of gases generated by the industries of Cubatão

In this post, we will talk a little about what we learned, in our Environmental Study, about Cubatão!

Remember that in the previous posts we told you that the Cota 200 neighborhood is located in the city of Cubatão? Good, then let's go!

When we were on top of Cota 200, we could observe, from a distance, the city of Cubatão and the emission of gases generated by its industries. But what is this? Calm down, we'll explain!

Years ago, in Cubatão, the emission of toxic chemical components, such as sulfate, carbon, benzene, sulfur oxides, nitrogen and hydrocarbons released, exceeded more than 1,000 tons per day. A lot, right? Black and yellow smoke was coming out of the chimneys, day and night. The smell of ammonia could be felt everywhere!

The air quality was pretty poor. It was hard to breathe. The Serra do Mar’s condition was to draw attention; There were many clear areas, many plants without leaves, due to acid rain.

These diverse causes made the city of Cubatão known globally as the most polluted city in the world. In the city were born children with severe malformations or died of anencephaly; was, in fact, the "Valley of Death".

The great challenge of Cubatão was summed up in a basic sanitation adapted to the conditions of a city that is, extremely, industrial. And when it comes to basic sanitation, it is not just proper sewage system. It is emission control of pollutants, filters of the industries, being constantly monitored. Also, a health system that specializes in dealing with people living under risk conditions; Exposed to pollutants.

Nowadays, we can say that Cubatão has overcome this great challenge. The city lost the title of most polluted city in the world. Technologies were used; Wires in the chimneys, gas scrubbers were installed. There was also substitution of energy matrix - the oil with high sulfur content was replaced by natural gas; all of which resulted in a decline in the numbers of people with respiratory and infant diseases, and also generated recognition of environmental recovery.

Residents of the city are seeking more efficient solutions to monitor and control the emission of polluting gases, thus avoiding the risk of scenes from the past repeating themselves. Already, the researchers, have adopted a laser system that evaluates the concentration of the compounds present in the atmosphere. The laser equipment also includes a telescope that can detect the radiation that interacts with the polluting gases, and can know in which direction they are spreading.

We cannot afford to spend on maintaining these technologies, because if we simply stop, we will compromise the sustainability of our world!

IMPORTANT INFORMATIONS

It is worth remembering that the danger to the local population is not yet totally eliminated. Constant supervision is required! Cubatão is not free of environmental accidents!

An example of this is the accident that occurred in the first week of this year, 2017! The fire on a conveyor belt of the Vale Fertilizantes Company caused an explosion of orange smoke. From this smoke, ammonium nitrate and sulfuric acid were released into the atmosphere - considered highly toxic.

CURIOSITIES

The city of Cubatão is known today as "cauldron" and "greenhouse". The Serra do Mar mountains cause the wind to carry pollutants in unexpected directions, and in winter, phenomena such as thermal inversion are common.