Water demand, pollution, and climate change threaten water security in industrialized and urbanized regions worldwide, especially in developing countries. Investments in massive infrastructure have often not met the water needs of the population, requiring water resource managers to adopt new approaches, such as decentralized and regionalized management at the micro-basin scale. However, little is known about the impact of anthropogenic activities on the water quality and vulnerability of streams that cross urban areas and feed into the main rivers and reservoirs supplying cities and industrial regions. The main goals of this research were to evaluate the water quality, pollutant loads, and effect of untreated sewage discharges in streams of the Piracicaba river basin, in the municipality of Americana, Southeast Brazil. The water quality parameters evaluated were as follows: pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, biochemical oxygen demand, inorganic phosphorus, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, real colour, turbidity, total dissolved solids, metals (Ba, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd, and Zn), total coliforms, and Escherichia coli. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses were performed. The results revealed chemical and biological degradation of the water resources, and vulnerability of the urban streams due to the release of untreated sewage into these waterways. The findings indicate the need for an immediate implementation of policies to monitor and control discharges of industrial effluents into the sewage collection systems, as well as discharges of sewage into rainwater drainage systems, together with the maintenance of green spaces.

Water pollution found in major rivers in Brazil has its origin from urban sewage discharges and industrial effluent, carried out by small streams and rivers crossing cities. Therefore, studies related to hydrographic micro-basins offer the opportunity to establish environmental management strategies for restoring water resources, based on diagnosis of the water quality. Despite this understanding, few studies in urban and rural areas have been performed in a systematic manner in Brazilian micro-basins. The main goal of this research was to diagnose the water resources in micro-basins in the region of the district of Americana, São Paulo state, Brazil, through the quantification of metals in water and sediment. The methodology was based on the investigation of metals (Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn), in four micro-basins, determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The most significant result showed high concentration levels of chromium (969 µg L -1 ), downstream of the discharge of sewage from the city of Nova Odessa. This concentration in the river was above the allowed limit of Brazilian regulation agency (50 μg L -1 for Cr). Also high levels of Cr were found in the sediment (98.9 µg g -1 ) collected at the same monitored site. These results are important indicators of environmental performance and anthropogenic activities to help the government establish environmental management strategies aimed at the reduction of water pollution.

The air quality in the industrial area and surroundings of the city of Paulínia (state of São Paulo, Brazil) has been investigated by analysing the concentration of air pollutants (SO 2 , PM 10 , NO, NO 2 , CO and ozone) and identifying the main sources of air pollution. A mobile pollutant monitoring unit was used to collect the data at five different sites from November 2000 to July 2002. Critical pollutants were determined based on air quality standards, and sources were identified by principal component analysis. Photochemical reactions play an important role in Paulínia's air pollution: three out of five monitored sites showed levels exceeding the standard air quality of ozone. SO 2 and PM 10 appeared as pollutants deserving special attention. All the monitored sites showed vehicles and industrial plants (which release SO 2 ) to be significant sources of pollution. Depending on the location, ozone was related mainly with vehicular or industrial sources.

This paper proposes a methodology to predict benzene uptake rate in ambient air, using passive samplers with Tenax TA. Variations in the uptake rate were found to occur as a function of the sampling time; and were greater at the beginning of sampling. An empirical model was obtained and values for uptake rate agree with literature. Concentration prediction errors can be minimized by using sampling times of 4 to 14 days, thus avoiding the influence of excessive uptake rates in the initial days and the influence of back diffusion at the end of the sampling period

por ter me proporcionado a oportunidade de desenvolver um trabalho tão desafiador. Por participar, ativamente, em cada etapa do mesmo, incluindo o transporte e a montagem do trailer, tarefas bastante trabalhosas. Pelo incentivo ao aprendizado constante, compartilhando suas experiências. Pela orientação ao longo da tese acompanhada da liberdade para que eu a desenvolvesse da maneira mais adequada.Ao Alexandre, por me apoiar em todas as decisões. Pelo companheirismo, pelas sugestões e por sua compreensão.Aos meus pais, pelo apoio e incentivo durante toda a minha caminhada aqui em Campinas.