Avaliação de impactos da indústria cerâmica do polo de Russas - Ce

Abstract

The red ceramic industry is one of the most important economic activities from the city of Russas, at Ceara. It is the main source of income for most of the less educated rural population and it is an important source of the municipal tax revenue. However, this activity has a significant passive liability due to the inadequate extraction of clay, to the excessive use of non-renewable energy sources, to the wastes produced during the production process and to the atmospheric pollution, typical of this industry. The aim of this study is to evaluate the environmental impacts caused by the ceramic production in the studied area. To identify those impacts, the method used is the environmental checklist. To apply this method, a questionnaire was distributed to the entrepreneurs of the red ceramic industry and to the residents near the ceramic factories. Also, those residents could participate on guided visits to the factories so they knew better the production process and they could identify the impacts generated by each stage. In the study, some aspects were evaluated. For instance, the environmental degradation, the job creation and the income, the health of the workers and the health of the residents near the companies. To summarize the results, a map of impacts was made. It considered the biotic, abiotic and anthropic environment; relating them to each aspect from the stages of the productive process, the impacts generated and measures to mitigate them. The map had 20 environmental impacts caused by the ceramic activity. Of those, 17 were negative and 3 presented positive effects to the area of study.