GEO Brasil - UNEP

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Environmental Impacts resulting from the
Disposal of Industrial and Domestic Waste
Buried waste produces liquid that is a potentially strong
pollutant and that can contaminate the soil, subsoil and
water resources (IPT 2000; Krebs et al 1999)
The discharge of industrial and domestic effluents directly
in watercourses without appropriate treatment results in
the creation of diffuse pollution sources These sources
can contaminate water resources in large areas (Foster &
Hirata 1993)
In the case of industrial waste, measures implemented by
control agencies normally provide satisfactory results in
reducing pollution by liquid effluents These include
preventive or remedial measures established in the
environmental licensing, as well as acting on complaints
by local residents
24 Spilling of Crude Oil Derivatives
Crude oil or derivatives spills are increasingly frequent
(Manoel Filho 2000) In large urban centres, there are
countless petrol stations that make use of buried steel
tanks for storage of hydrocarbon derivatives Petrol leakage
is normal In general, it takes a long time for it to be noticed,
resulting in the contamination of underground water
(Cavalcante & Sabadia 1992)
In Brazil, there are several oil and gas pipelines that are
used to distribute oil derivatives Careful and complex
engineering plans are needed in order for these pipelines
to pass over rivers or to be buried in geological and/or
geotechnical hazardous areas Furthermore, there are
frequent accidents involving oil tankers during tank
cleaning and spills at oil platforms, which are hazardous
for the coastline
the state of environment in Brazil
However, the situation is completely different regarding
domestic waste Frequently, lack of investment from the
public sector in treatment systems results in sewage
reaching watercourses without treatment
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