Material particulado na atmosfera gerado pela extração e beneficiamento do Quartzito.

Abstract

The exploitation of quartzites constitutes the main economic activity of the municipality of Várzea, state of Paraíba, generating jobs, approximately one- third of the population. The rock is extracted in Serra do Poção and benefited in the Processing Industries, located in the urban area of the municipality, to be later sold. The procedures performed in both stages result in a series of environmental impacts that affect the environment and the health of the population. Among these, the emission of particulate matter in the atmosphere is responsible for several damages to flora, fauna, soil and air, in addition to the incidence of diseases in the population. In this way, this work has as objective the identification of the wind transport of the particulate material originated in the extraction and in the Processing industries of the quartzite to the urban zone of the municipality. The mineralogical characterization and the chemical analysis of the samples of particulate material were carried out using the method of X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence, respectively. The chemical analysis allows the qualitative identification of the samples and assists in the evaluation of the potential effects of the particulate material on the environment and human health. Samples of particulate matter are composed essentially of quartz, major component, mica and microline feldspar. The high silica content identified in the chemical analysis of the samples indicates that the exposure of the population and workers to the particulate matter of mines and industries can lead to diseases and health problems. In general, the emission of particulate matter by the miners of the municipality has affected the quality of life of the population and the environment.