Illegal dumping of chemical wastes in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, its social and environmental impacts - a proposal for public policy for coping emergency situations

The disposal of chemical waste is a harmful practice to public health and the environment.This work was carried out survey of social and environmental impacts based on the records of illegal dumping of chemical waste of the Environmental Agency of São Paulo State - CETESB, in the period 2005-2013, with reference to the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo - especially cities of São Paulo and Guarulhos. Among the results that guided the work stand out the characterization of the practice of disposal of chemical waste, overlaying the GIS thematic maps of roads and water resources. Also through research aimed at key stakeholders of accident scenarios it was possible to know the current processes of intervention and treatment applied in illegal dumping of chemical waste in the municipal and state levels. In this context, the State Decree Nº 59.263/2013, which regulates Law Nº 13.577/2009 on the protection of soil quality and management of contaminated areas created the State Fund for Prevention and Remediation of Contaminated Sites (FEPRAC) for the identification and remediation of these so-called 'orphan areas'. The FEPRAC presents itself as an economic instrument that can eliminate the danger in such cases of chemical emergencies involving illegal dumping of chemical wastes without identifying the responsible. (author)