AVALIAÇÃO DOS NÍVEIS DE NÍQUEL NO AR E NA URINA DE MORADORES PRÓXIMOS A UMA INDÚSTRIA E DEPÓSITO DE REJEITOS SIDERÚRGICOS NO MUNICÍPIO DE VOLTA REDONDA, RJ

Steelmaking is an important industrial branch, but it is also associated with large emissions of pollutants into the environment, especially nickel, which is used in the manufacturing process of metallic alloys and steel. Nickel is generally associated with particulate matter and, in industrial regions, its concentration can be 14 times higher than those observed in non-industrialized regions. This study was carried out in a residential area located in the city of Volta Redonda, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, which is impacted by industrial steel activity and by a deposit of steel slag tailings. The goal of this study was to measure air contamination and its impact on the health of the population by determining Ni in the total particulate matter and in the urine of 211 residents. The results obtained showed that the average values of Ni in the atmospheric air varied in the range of 1.3-13.2 ng m-3, with a maximum value of 20 ng m-3, which is comparable to other industrialized regions. In turn, Ni concentration in the urine of the residents presented an average concentration of 3.61 μg L-1, which is higher than the values normally found in the urine of occupationally exposed persons.