Keywords
food
flame atomic absorption spectrometry
environmental contamination
Bauru
remediation
How to Cite
Abstract
A recycling acid-lead battery company located in the county of Bauru, State of São Paulo, Brazil, contaminated the soil of country houses around it. Exposure to lead can directly occur by particulate material inhalation. Such particulate material is emitted by either industrial processes or ingestion of dust, water and food grown in contaminated areas. This study aimed at determining lead concentrations in food (herbs, roots / tubers, fruit, eggs, and milk) samples grown and consumed in the area around the company before and after the soil was remedied. The first collection was performed in 2002 after the company was debarred whereas the second, in 2003 after some areas were remedied. Lead determinations were carried
out by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. In the first collection, 39.3% of the samples analyzed were contaminated whereas in the second collection, 13.9%, considering that milk showed the greatest percentage of samples above the limit established by the current legislation. The decrease in food contamination by lead in the region was observed after some environmental interventions such as the removal of a 5-cm layer of superficial soil. In areas where there were no corrective interventions, lead levels in food remained high, indicating how important...
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