IBP1174_09 THE IMPORTANCE OF AN ENTOMO-EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MONITORING IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PIPELINES AT THE AMAZON 1 2 3 Elidianne da S.Cruz , Luciana L.Valgas , Rita de Cássia G. Batista , 4 5 Lucimara de Agostini , Andréia Lábrea Pereira , Wanderleia Isabel P. de Freitas6 , Amadeu Farage Frade7 Copyright 2009, Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute - IBP This Technical Paper was prepared for presentation at the Rio Pipeline Conference and Exposition 2009, held between September, 22-24, 2009, in Rio de Janeiro. This Technical Paper was selected for presentation by the Technical Committee of the event according to the information contained in the abstract submitted by the author(s). The contents of the Technical Paper, as presented, were not reviewed by IBP. The organizers are not supposed to translate or correct the submitted papers. The material as it is presented, does not necessarily represent Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute’ opinion, or that of its Members or Representatives. Authors consent to the publication of this Technical Paper in the Rio Pipeline Conference Proceedings. (simple line, 10) (simple line, 10) Abstract (Times New Roman 12, Bold, Upper/Lower case) (simple line, 10) This work has as objective to evidence one of the consequences of most satisfactory results, talking about attendance to the legal requirements of health on a pipeline undertake at the Amazon: a positive result of index zero of malaria cases until the present days. This work, in its peak, reached the contingent of eight thousand workers lodged in rafts, boats, carps and jungle camps. To reach this index, a methodology of prevention through an entomo epidemiological control was adopted, recommended for the World-wide Organization of Health, as basic activity for malaria control in endemic areas, as in Amazon. The activities had consisted to identify the epidemiologic profile of each area, to elaborate procedures of vectorial control, to implant laboratories for analysis of malaria blades, to enable staff to accomplishment of vectorial control, to realize thermonebulization and domestic spread and to sensitize the workers of prevention and control measures. Therefore, by means of accomplishment of these basic actions, it was possible to assure an integral, equitable and qualitative attendance providing a critical and conscientious vision of involved and the success of the procedures adopted by Petrobras, represented by ENGENHARIA/IENOR (Northern Undertake Implementation), unit responsible for the pipeline Urucu-Manaus Construction.. (simple line, 10) (simple line, 10) (simple line, 10) 1. Introduction (Times New Roman, 12, Bold, Left Aligned) (simple line, 10) The history of human interventions at the Amazon is full of evidences of adverse results caused by ineffective management of the regional environment requirements. Among these interventions, we may distinguish the undertaking infrastructures of the past century, such as railroads, hydroelectric plants and highways. When analyzing those undertakings under a historical point of view, we can notice some common points, such as: The necessity of Governments to install undertakings with infrastructure in unilateral ways, without planning and considering local particularities; The high investments of financial, material and specially, human resources; The significant impact of those enterprises, been of anthropic, biotic or physical order. The learned lessons with these interventions require a special attention to local peculiarities. It’s the case of Urucu-Manaus Pipeline, located at Amazonas State, which routes are established in cities with high potential regions to malaria outbreak, and other tropical illnesses such as leshmaniose, filarioses and yellow fever. Malaria is a serious public health problem because of its high incidence and debilitating effect for people and regional economy, since it reduces their productive capacity. From this perspective, the Urucu-Manaus Pipeline, which at the peak sheltered more than eight thousand employees working inside the Amazonian biome, lined up to the ______________________________ 1 MBA Audit and Health Management - PETROBRAS/CONCREMAT 2 Psychologist - PETROBRAS/CONCREMAT 3 Nurse - PETROBRAS/CONCREMAT 4 Nurse - PETROBRAS/CONCREMAT 5 Environmental Management Specialist – PETROBRAS/CONCREMAT 6 MBA Environmental Management – PETROBRAS Rio Pipeline Conference and Exposition 2009 recommendations of OMS and of the Ministério da Saúde (World Health Organization and Health Ministry ), produced efforts with the basic goal of preventing that a malaria outbreak paralyzed such great man enterprise. With this objective it was established a monitoring combat and control methodology for all the involved workers who consisted in: Entomo-epidemiological monitoring identifying the epidemiologic profile of each area; Elaboration of procedures of vectorial control; Laboratories implantation for malaria detection in 100% of the workers; Staff training and qualification for accomplishment of vectorial control; Use of the Thermo nebulization (fogginess) technique combined with spraying buildings and rooms with insecticide and workers sensitization for the importance of prevention and control acts. The result of this effort is that, being few days away from the ending of this great undertake, there was not a single autochthony case, no worker contracted malaria as result of their activities of construction and assembly of the pipeline, and there was no interruption of activities for such fact. (simple line, 10) (simple line, 10) 2. The Pipeline Urucu-Manaus (simple line, 10) In the last few years, because of the energetical politics adopted by the Brazilian Government, the natural gas has reached an important energetical input with crescent participation at the national energetical matrix. Their qualities and advantages against other energy sources encouraged the industry, home and automotive applications of the natural gas, significantly at the great urban and industrial centers of south, southeast and northeast regions. This growth, demands a better infrastructure turned to the natural gas industry, especially regarding the network distribution expansion (pipelines). The pipeline is a set of pipes that carries the natural gas from the source to the consumer centers. The energetic matrix of the Amazon State is based, largely, on imported liquid fuels, making the electrical energy production, land and river transportation more expensive. To solve the energetical cost problem is essential that the diesel and fuel oil used on thermoelectric and at the industries are replaced by natural gas, which is an abundant fuel of the Amazon State presenting approximately 82,4% of it natural gas reservation . Among all large scale available fuels, the natural gas contrasts been more economic, save and pure. In this context, we can emphasize the “Petrogaseífera” Province of Urucu River, located at Solimões River basin, the second major natural gas reservation of Brasil. All the gas extracted in Urucu is drained for a pipe until the terminal at the Solimões river shore, next to the city of Coari, by the river until Isaac Sabbá Refinery (REMAN) located at Manaus/AM. Recently, Petrobras redefine the Urucu project, prioritizing the natural gas outflow from Coari to Manaus thru a pipeline with approximately 665 km of extension. According with article 2 of resolution number 001/89 of CONAMA, the construction of a natural gas pipeline is consider a potential cause of environmental damages, must therefore submit to a preliminary study of ambiental impacts and intensive monitoring. The concerning about the possibility of ambiental deterioration associated with natural gas transport by pipelines at the Amazon Region are relevant, due to the fact of the area hosts the major terrestrial biome ( Amazon Forest ), depositary of one of the majors biodiversity of the world, as well for the fragility of its natural ecosystems. (simple line, 10) 3. The pipeline at the Amazon and Tropical diseases (Times New Roman, 12, Bold, Left Aligned) (simple line, 10) The Amazon region concentrates a diversity of diseases that according to Confanoliere (2005), is primarily because of the geographic and ecologic aspects that stand out like: the territorial extension and it predominant fluvial access, the great biologic and social diversity related to the ecosystems preservation. Cofaloniere (2005), says that the total extension of aquatic environmental ( rivers, lakes, floodplains ) that at the Brazilian Amazon, reaches to 300 thousand km2 , is relevant to health, because some infectious processes occurs by water contamination , like cholera and microbial gastroenteritis. The water distribution, according to this author, defines largely, the proliferation local of insect vectors diseases, mostly the malaria mosquitoes. The environmental peculiarities of Amazon encourage the high density of mosquitoes populations development. This fact is related to the tropical conditions of the region providing ways of adaptation and development during all the year, with annual variations. This factors aloud a high diversity of species at the region, spreading to man pathogenic causes. ( Tadei, 2004 ) The Amazon concentrates the great majority of malaria cases in Brazil (98% of registered cases ) and the second higher rate of tuberculosis of the country. Its also endemic to viral hepatitis and yellow fever ( Bensabath e Soares , 2004 ) This way, when the man is inside of jungle, exposing yourself to mosquitoes