UFMG studies air quality

Written by: Daniel Nunes, Giovani Lacerda, Sabrina Santos e Vanessa SIlva.


*Article concerning the week of 14 October. The teacher had not said what might have been posted directly on the blog, but the group had sent him the article by e-mail and forgot to post it on the blog later.

Nearly half (49.3%) of the vehicle fleet of Belo Horizonte is releasing pollutants into the air above the limit allowed by the National Environmental Council (CONAMA), which damages people's health and leaves the city dirtier. That's what the survey found Vehicle Inspection, coordinated by the State Environmental Foundation (FEAM), in partnership with UFMG and the town hall, held between June 2003 and November 2005. Of the 1500 vehicles inspected, 751 (49 3%) failed the test. The project coordinator, Elisete Gomides Dutra, said that the study is considered a sampling of research and can be extended to the entire municipal fleet.

Image with the slogan of the Federal University of Minas Gerais

The study also found that the great villains of the atmosphere remain the diesel cars. Of 321 trucks, buses, trucks and vans that use the fuel, 279 (87%) launched in the air a quantity of black smoke above the CONAMA limit. Inspections were carried out in various parts of the city, but during the research, the offenders were not fined. An error caught the attention of technicians Feam: many trucks had violated the seal of the fuel pump. Tampering increases the power of the vehicles, but the engine releases more gases in the atmosphere.

"The results show the need for educational campaigns and expansion of surveillance of diesel vehicles, particularly trucks," says Elisete. The number of cars fueled with alcohol failed the survey is also high: 116 of the 196 tested, which represents 59.2%. The percentage (35.3%) of those using gasoline can not be considered low: 356 cars of 1,007 inspected.

Panoramic image of Belo Horizonte, representing its climate and atmosphere in a typical day

The survey was conducted in three stages. At first, the targets were the exhaust system, check for leaks or air intake, and the sealing of fuel injection pump setting. On Monday, the rotation test was made with the vehicle being accelerated slowly until it reaches the maximum free rotation, in order to ensure stability in the range recommended by the manufacturer. Finally, the test with the car stopped, for measuring the amount of expelled smoke, with the engine at idle and at full throttle.

The balance of the field work was not celebrated by the technicians of Feam, which warn of the evils caused by air pollution. "The pollutants are toxic. They increase the risk of respiratory disease, cause irritation to the eyes, nose and skin. Also, leave the ugliest city, dirtier," said Beverly Wen Yuh Liu, Technical Monitoring Division GIS (Dimog) of Feam.

Among the hazardous gas is carbon monoxide, resulting from incomplete fuel combustion, and is odorless and colorless. It causes headache, discomfort, fatigue, palpitations, dizziness and reduced reflexes. Indoors, it can lead to death. Another pollutant generated by incomplete combustion and evaporation of fuel is a hydrocarbon, which causes irritation to eyes, nose and skin, as well as being carcinogenic.

The cabbie Wilson José dos Reis, 45, who runs every day through the city streets, charges the government more campaigns against pollution, but also calls for greater responsibility to the owners of cars: "In the city become more ugly, are many diseases that bring pollutants. There must be supervision and greater awareness of drivers. " The auxiliary and administrative Hasley Francisco Rodrigues, 30, also claims: "The city is very polluted bad because it causes a number of diseases.?".

The Municipal Deputy Secretary for the Environment has been fighting the greenhouse gas emissions with the operation oxygen, established in 1988. Currently, four teams inspect diesel vehicles on the main routes of transit and the end points of the bus. According to the Control of Vehicular Pollution manager of the secretariat, Bernadette Carvalho Gomes, around 35 000 vehicles are fueled with diesel in BH.

She explains that the operation seeks to close the siege of these cars, because they are the ones who run the city. "They just do not stand in the garage. They are the ones that carry more weight and more wear suffer. Many do not have proper maintenance. Therefore, the target of our attention for years," he says, warning that the fine ranges from $ 200 to R $ 1.9000: "The test is done in front of the driver".