Pollution in Greater BH exceeds tolerable by the WHO – 07/04/2023 – Environment

The emission of pollutants in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte has been registering for more than two decades a load above what is considered tolerable by the WHO (World Health Organization), points out a survey carried out by the NGO Iema (Institute of Energy and Environment).

Pollutants are particles, which can be solid or liquid, emitted by industries, companies in the mining sector, fires and vehicles, among other factors. These impurities cause health problems, especially respiratory ones.

In the case of particles found in the air in the metropolitan region of the capital of Minas Gerais, according to the survey, the main emitters are industries in the steel and mining sectors.

Iema computed data from 2000 to 2021. Data from 2022 were not included because they were not available when the institute concluded the report.

Data collection was carried out in 22 stations maintained by companies with polluting potential, according to the rules of the environmental legislation. Firms are also responsible for placing this data in a monitoring system, which was accessed by the NGO to carry out the survey.

In 2021, the highest load of pollutants in the region of 21 micrograms per cubic meter was recorded at the Betim monitoring station — more than four times the tolerable limit according to the WHO, which is 5 micrograms per cubic meter.

The values ​​refer to average annual concentrations of so-called fine particles, those with the greatest potential for damage to health. This number had already been verified in two stations, São José da Lapa and Vespasiano, in 2019.

In the capital, the most expressive record in 2021 occurred at the Centro Station, located on Avenida do Contorno, of 17 micrograms per cubic meter.

Iema’s project manager, Davi Tsai, claims that, in this type of survey, it is not possible to know exactly which companies are responsible for emissions.

“We looked into the air that exists in the region and what’s in it,” he says. The situation in the capital of Minas Gerais is different, for example, from that registered in the city of São Paulo, where the highest emission occurs by vehicles, says Tsai.

“It is necessary to implement emission reduction mechanisms. It is not simple. It has economic implications, but the environment cannot remain saturated as it is”, points out the Iema representative.

The NGO study also shows that in 2000 the load of pollutants considered to have less impact on human health, but still with the potential to cause disease, reached 58 micrograms per cubic meter at the Betim station. For this type of pollutant, the WHO tolerance is 15 micrograms per cubic meter.

Population

The metropolitan region of the capital of Minas Gerais has 34 municipalities and a population of approximately 5 million inhabitants.

In Belo Horizonte, which has 2.3 million residents, the city hall says it is adopting measures to combat pollution by joining the global Race to Zero campaign, with a commitment to neutralize carbon by 2050.

The municipality also claims to have planted 17,400 trees in 2022, 16,300 in 2021 and 15,500 in 2020. The city hall’s projection for 2023 is 25,000.

In a technical note on data on air pollution in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, Iema warns that attention to environmental documentation is necessary for the operation of companies.

“In these regions, the renewal of existing licenses and the granting of new licenses must take place through a mechanism that progressively reduces air pollution”, says Tsai.