No abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate total arsenic (As) concentrations in drinking water (main pathway of human exposure) and its hydrogeochemical controls in the "Morro do Ouro" gold mine region, which is the largest gold mine in Brazil, characterized by gold-arsenopyrite association. Arsenic concentration was generally below the detection limit (LOD < 0.5 μg L(-1)). Thus, water ingestion may not be a significant exposure pathway to local population. Low groundwater As concentrations (<1 μg L(-1)) are likely due to ore body structural setting, which plunges from 10° to >20°, being readily covered by thick phyllites that are poor in As some hundreds of meters away from the mine. Thirty-five percent of As levels in superficial waters (<0.5 to 40 μg L(-1)) were >10 μg L(-1), which is the maximum permissible value for human ingestion. The highest concentrations were found nearby mine facilities and old artisanal mining areas surrounding the mine, decreasing downstream. Undisturbed watersheds showed As concentrations close to LOD. Hydrogeochemical data stress the sorption (adsorption and co-precipitation) of As role, mainly by Fe oxyhydroxides, as a geochemical filter that retains As, attenuating its concentration in both superficial and groundwater. Such minerals are abundant in the region oxisols, sediments, and phyllites and may form stable mineral complexes with As under the pH (mostly neutral) and Eh (reduced environment) conditions found in the field. It has been demonstrated that As(III) (more toxic) and As(V) co-exist in the analyzed waters and that As(V) predominates in superficial water.

No abstract

Seagrass losses result in the lost of well-known environmental services (e.g. nutrient retention and habitat functions). A potential additional loss is the enhanced trace metal retention capacity of sediments colonized by seagrasses. A preliminary study within a coastal lagoon in SE Brazil showed that upper layers of sediments colonized by the seagrass Ruppia maritima presented significantly higher reactive concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn than sediments from an adjacent bare area. Decreasing metal trapping capacity due to R. maritima removal deserves attention, since this is a potential implication for water quality.

Nosso trabalho terá como base a busca do entendimento da visão dos devotos acerca do sincretismo, vivenciado no contexto religioso, cultural dos festejos popular a Nossa Senhora do Rosário, na Congada de Catalão. Estabelecermos uma abordagem dialógica que possibilite compreendermos as vivências dos sujeitos envolvidos nesse processo e suas relações no universo imagético, estético e religioso do evento. Intentando a elaboração de um estudo científico, pautado no historicismo etnográfico-religioso e cultural, buscando compreendermos sob a perspectiva dos partícipes do Rosário, se existe a clareza e a consciência do sincretismo expresso nas celebrações e demais ritos constituintes. Frente as diversidades, o pluralismo cultural e religioso riquíssimo em nosso país, fruto do sincretismo e do ecletismo, legado não só de um povo multirracial, como também, o cristianismo, as religiões de matriz africanas, religiosidades, africanidade e tradições milenares. O folclore e a religiosidade presentes na tradição, além das raízes do Congo, também de Angola, Moçambique e outras regiões da África.

Currently epiphytes have been considered an important type of passive biomonitors for its high spread in the forests of tropical countries. The Rhipsalis lindbergiana is a typical epiphyte in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, but there is no data available to establish its role as a metal traces bioaccumulator. In this way, this work has succeeded in elementar characterization of the Rhipsalis lindbergiana samples collected in Niterói City, RJ. It was applied Optical Spectrometry in order to evaluate the amounts of major - Ca, K, Mg and Na - and trace elements - Fe, Al, Mn, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni, La and Y. The results showed the average ratio Ca / K = 0.59 ± 0.27, with range between 1.16 and 0.19. The Al normalization showed enrichment of Zn and Cu in the sites of UFF’s Chemistry Institute; Zn, Cu and Ni in the most polluted sites next to town. Furthermore, enrichment of Mn was observed in the sample of green area collected during the fructification season. An inconsistency was found about low values of the enrichment factor of La and Y and the distribution of these elements in the samples. This suggests that the applied algorithm is not yet the best parameter to evaluate the accumulation of these elements in this type of environmental matrix. Pearson's test pointed out a significant positive correlation between the elements Na, Ca, Cu and Fe and a negative correlation with Na and Mn. Positive correlations were also found between Co and K,  La and Al. Three aspects can be taken into account from the results obtained: the morphology of the Rhipsalis; the influence of some ion concentration on absorption of other ions; the deposition of sea spray on the plants.