A saudade ecologicamente correta: a educação ambiental e os problemas ambientais em cemitérios

Abstract

Rarely people think or imagine that cemeteries can cause great environmental impacts and harm to public health. The decomposition of organic matter creates a viscous liquid of a grayish/brownish color and an acrid and fetid odor called necroleachate. Therefore, cemeteries are a depository for corpses which needs a right place to stay since their degradation can become a source of contamination. In this monograph, we aimed to survey data on the environmental problems caused by building cemeteries as well evaluate the interrelationship of this subject with the risks for public health in light of environmental education. By analyzing specialized literature, we verified that the process of body decomposition can be potentially responsible for affecting the quality of the soil and subterranean waters causing physical, chemical and biological alterations besides making the environment conducive to the spread of infectious diseases. Among the many possible actions to minimize the impact caused by improper conditioning of graves there is the construction and maintenance of impermeable graves in order to reduce risks of leakage and contamination of water tables or other water sources near the cemeteries. Thus, in order to educate people on environment and respect their burial practices, we proposed an educational folder in which we present the main risks that incorrect burial practices can cause to environment. Could not we deal with death in an ecologically correct manner?