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Isabel Henriques
2022
MICRANT: Microplastics in Estarreja rivers and their role in the spread of pathogens and antibiotic resistance
Microplastics
Industry
Aquatic Systems
Pathogens
Antibiotic Resistance
Public Health
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.
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
Content Analysis
Environmental Risk from Industral activities
Industry work
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.
The evidence gathered from these Life Stories also helps to understand the population adaptation strategies regarding the territorial transformations (economic, environmental, demographic and social) induced by the creation and functioning of CQE. Therefore, through the narratives gathered, it is possible to rebuild the collective history and memory of Estarreja population and territory in their relationship with the CQE which, since 1952, constitutes a strong and relevant identity feature both for the territory and the population.
The analysis of the interviews reveals extremely interesting aspects about the transformations of CQE, work and life during the last four or five decades, which are worthwhile to be disclosed to a wider public, in order to preserve this rich and important cultural patrimony and to disseminate the memories on the ‘factory and the life’. The disclosure and dissemination of those narratives is also a way of paying tribute to the main protagonists of the relationship between the factories, the territory and the daily life: the workers of CQE.
Ruth Pereira
2016
INV-AVEIRO - The influence of contamination in the metabolic activity of INVertebrates from Ria de AVEIRO
Sediments Ria de Aveiro
Contamination gradient
Molecular biomarkers of oxidative stress
Molecular biomarkers of neurologic activity
Industry
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.
Benthic organisms are in direct and permanent contact with sediments, and despite a decrease in surface sediment contamination, previous studies concluded that biota are still subject to bioaccumulation of contaminants such as PCBs, HCB, Hg, and As. In addition, it’s known that there is a gradient of contamination, with higher concentrations found in the channel, observed not only for sediments, but also for biota. This clearly provides an indication of areas with different levels.
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?
Irrigation water
Soil
Contamination
Microbial community
Industry
Agriculture
Metagenomics
Soil enzymes activity
Soil organic matter degradation
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.
Thus, due to the importance of agricultural activity in the region (occupying 54% of land), it is crucial to understand how soils health may be affected by this source of contamination. Therefore, with this project we intend to link these two aspects by measuring some ecological key indicators (e.g.: the structural diversity of the soil microbial community, the degradation of soil organic matter and the activity of enzymes involved in the main geochemical cycles) to assess how the circulation of contaminants between aquifers and local agricultural soils is affecting the quality of this resource compromising its use for agriculture.