Pas d'enregistrements
Isabel Henriques
2022
MICRANT: Microplastics in Estarreja rivers and their role in the spread of pathogens and antibiotic resistance
The intense industrial activity in Estarreja region predictably resulted in contamination of aquatic systems with microplastics (MPs). These contaminants provide an ideal niche where pathogens and antibiotic resistant bacteria can proliferate, being transported along rivers and entering the food chain. However, risk assessment of MPs and associated microbes is limited by the scarce information available for these ecosystems. This project aims to determine the abundance and diversity of MPs in Estarreja rivers and to quantify and characterize pathogenic agents and antibiotic resistant bacteria associated to these contaminants. Mesocosm-based studies exposing MPs in rivers will also be carried out to compare the microbes that settle on different types of MPs and in different locations. MICRANT will provide solid quantitative and qualitative data for assessing and predicting the risks related to exposure to MPs and associated microbes.
Renata Tavares
2020
Reproduction@Estarreja: is female reproductive potential at risk?
Exposure to toxicants generated from (or used in) industrial processes has contributed towards the decrease of female fertility and reproductive potential worldwide. Considering the increased risk of exposure in the modern world due to industrial growth, it is crucial the assessment of the reproductive potential of women living in an industrial-related area, particularly if there is already a history of local contamination.
Renata Tavares
2019
Men’s Health Estarreja – Evaluation of the reproductive health of men living in a heavily industrialized area
Exposure to toxicants originated from (or used in) industrial processes has shown to contribute towards the global decrease of male fertility and reproductive health status. Considering that the risk of exposure in the modern world is increasing due to industrial growth, it became imperative to assess the sperm quality and function and overall reproductive health status of populations living in an industrial-related area, particularly if there is already a history of local contamination.
Elisabete Figueiredo
2018
Publishing of the Book «A Fábrica e a Vida – Narrativas e Imagens dos trabalhadores do Complexo Químico de Estarreja em torno do trabalho nas fábricas, da sua complementaridade com outras atividades e do risco ambiental» (The Factory and the Life – Narrat
In 2015 we proposed a project to OHMI – Estarreja titled A Fábrica e a Vida – Narrativas e Imagens dos trabalhadores do Complexo Químico de Estarreja em torno do trabalho nas fábricas, da sua complementaridade com outras atividades e do risco ambiental», within which 30 in-depth interviews or life stories to current and former workers of the Estarreja Chemical Complex (CQE) were registered. Those life stories constitute a rich patrimony, not only to CQE itself, but also to Estarreja Municipality, as they convey the workers’ narratives about their life trajectories, about the nature of work in the factories, about environmental and health risk perceptions, as well as about the complementary activities.
Ruth Pereira
2017
NAMELESs - Nanomaterials for the Remediation of agriculture Metal contaminated soils surrounding the Estarreja chemical complex
Estarreja Chemical Complex (ECC) is the second largest chemical complex in Portugal and has been classified by the Portuguese Environmental Agency as a "site of priority actions in terms of rehabilitation". Previous studies found that potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in Estarreja agricultural soils are associated with labile fractions, which results in their bioaccumulation and translocation in plant tissues of commercial interest, and a potential risk of transfer to the food web.
Ruth Pereira
2016
INV-AVEIRO - The influence of contamination in the metabolic activity of INVertebrates from Ria de AVEIRO
During decades effluents from the Estarreja Chemical Complex were directly discharged in the Ria de Aveiro lagoon through a system of ditches. “Esteiro de Estarreja” was the main channel receiving effluents rich in aromatic based and chlorine compounds and in toxic elements such as As, Hg, Pb and Zn. Consequently, most of the discharged contaminants are settled in the “Esteiro de Estarreja” channel, as well as in the inner basin where this channel discharges, the Laranjo Basin.
Ana Catarina Sousa
2016
MicroRESPIRA
The evaluation of indoor environmental quality and the development and progression of chronic respiratory diseases has received a great deal of attention over the past years. However, most of those surveys focus on single contaminants exposure (particularly fine particles or volatile organic compounds) and to our best knowledge there are no comprehensive surveys dealing with the multiple stressors present in the indoor environment. The microRESPIRA project, by providing an integrative approach between health sciences and environmental sciences, will contribute towards the characterization of the impacts of the indoor microbial community in the respiratory health of Estarreja inhabitants. The data generated within this project will not only provide a global picture on the prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases (asthma and COPD) in this highly industrialized area but will also allow the characterization, for the first time, of the indoor microbiome, including the presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Anabela Cachada
2016
SOILgenoMIC - How the contamination of irrigation water ends up in impacts on the genomic diversity and functions of the soil microbial community?
Soil is a vital resource responsible by multiple ecosystem services, crucial for the wellbeing and sustainability of human populations. Only in the last decades, faced with the level of degradation of soils within its territory, the European Commission has recognized the importance of soil functions. Indeed, it is now accepted that the maintenance of soil quality is vital for the European economic competitiveness. For centuries human activities have negatively affected soil functions, for example, through point/diffuse contamination. Estarreja is known for its large chemical complex, and several studies and projects were performed in the region to evaluate the presence of contaminants in groundwater, soil and biota. Some hotspots of contamination (both organic and inorganic) were identified in groundwater, which is used to irrigate farmlands. The cycling of contaminants between soils and aquifers may progressively affect the diversity and key specialized functions of the soil microbial community, especially important in agricultural soils.
Elisabete Figueiredo
2015
A Fábrica e a Vida – Narrativas e Imagens dos trabalhadores do Complexo Químico de Estarreja em torno do trabalho nas fábricas, da sua complementaridade com outras atividades e do risco ambiental
Instalado no início dos anos 50 do século XX o Complexo Químico de Estarreja (CQE) compreende atualmente cinco empresas localizadas nas freguesias de Avanca (1) e Beduído (4), do Concelho de Estarreja. A implantação do CQE implicou mudanças profundas e contribuiu, ao longo do tempo, para a reconfiguração do território a nível social, demográfico, económico e cultural. No início dos anos 50, Estarreja, à semelhança de uma boa parte do território do país, era um concelho marcadamente rural e assente na atividade agrícola. Este cenário alterou-se substancialmente ao longo dos últimos 60 anos, com a entrada em funcionamento e o desenvolvimento do CQE, aliado a uma ampla transferência da população ativa no setor primário para o setor secundário. Esta transferência não implicou, porém, o fim da agricultura no concelho, atividade que se mantém até aos dias de hoje, representando cerca de 54% do uso do solo e dominando a paisagem local. No entanto, a agricultura é hoje uma atividade complementar, orientada para o autoconsumo familiar, uma atividade largamente de subsistência mas ainda relevante enquanto geradora de rendimentos adicionais para os agregados domésticos e de ocupação do tempo (designadamente do tempo livre) das populações locais.
Ana Catarina Sousa
2015
RESPIRA : Environmental risk factors for the development and progression of pulmonary diseases
Furthermore, recent studies showed that exposure to other environmental contaminants plays an important role in this disease, particularly in intensive and frequent exposure scenarios, such as occupational and indoor exposures. Thus, studies on the association between COPD and other risk factors are essential . In this line of thought several studies on the association of COPD and occupational exposures have been performed over the last years. However, household and indoor exposures did not receive the same degree of attention by the scientific community, even though most people tend to spend the vast majority of their time indoors (about 80%) and that 2/3 of that time is spent at home.
Our ultimate goal is to identify risks factors for the development and progression of COPD and ultimately to promote health .
