Developed by Sergio Arouca National School of Public Health Escola (Ensp/Fiocruz), the “Plan for epidemiological monitoring in the area of implantation of Rio de Janeiro Petrochemical Complex (Comperj)” released the 2010 Annual Synthesis. The publication shows the evolution of diseases and grievances in the population of Itaboraí, Cachoeiras de Macacu, Guapimirim, and São Gonçalo (Manjolos), which are the municipalities most affected by the enterprise. The project, which is supported by Fiotec, aims to contribute to minimize sickness and death risks in the region.

Ensp’s role is monitoring, identifying, and warning Petrobras about the problems identified in the region. By its turn, the company practices improvement actions by partnerships with health institutions. A professional mastership course on Health Surveillance was also created with own project resources in the monitored cities, and this is qualifying 20 students.  

In five years of validity, approximately 60 professionals linked to the project were hired, including scholarship students. “All we have done is only possible due to Fiotec’s strategic support”, claimed professor Luciano Toledo, general coordinator of the project. Maria Lana, management coordinator, explained that the work is perfectly running after an adaptation time. “The institution has answered to our demands very well, professionally”, she stated. 

History

The monitoring initiative was of Petrobras itself in 2008, before the complex implantation was started. “At that time, we had run a diagnosis of the health conditions of the dwelling population in 11 municipalities close to the area. We were appalled with the result, as the ciphers showed many problems, mainly sociosanitary ones and some environmental ones”, explained professor Luciano Toledo. 

The most withstanding data were the severity of the situation of parasitic infectious diseases, such as dengue fever, tuberculosis, and leprosy. Furthermore, there was a contrast in two ciphers about the so called external causes: traffic accidents and violence. Other causes of sickening and death in that region were neoplasms (cancer) and cardiovascular diseases, typical of metropolitan regions. 

Current situation

According to the general coordinator of the o project, the current situation in the region is not very different from the one diagnosed five years ago. “The single change is that violence has decreased, while traffic accidents have increased. This is not a peculiarity of that region, but it is a general trend. Therefore, by this time, we do not have any cipher showing that Comperj is being hazardous to the population health”, claimed professor Luciano Toledo. 

Pilot project

Still according to the general coordinator, the project is enabling the creation of an epidemiological monitoring model, which might be used in other large enterprises. “We have created a geoprocessing area in the project. We have used all the available technologies, such as satellite images, software, and a technical team in two observatories located at the region to identify critical areas”, he stated. 

Comperj

Comperj will be built in an area with 45 million square meters, with investments accounting around US$ 8.38 billion. The main objective is to increase the national production of petrochemicals, processing about 150 thousand barrels/day of national heavy oil.

Picture: Project coordination/Press release