Could Necroleachate Be the Cemetery’s Sewage? A Panorama from Brazilian Legislation

Ana Paula Chein Bueno de Azevedo (), Telma Abdalla de Oliveira Cardoso and Simone Cynamon Cohen
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Ana Paula Chein Bueno de Azevedo: National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil
Telma Abdalla de Oliveira Cardoso: National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil
Simone Cynamon Cohen: Sanitation and Environmental Health Department, National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro 21041-210, Brazil

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 19, 1-19

Abstract: Cemeteries can be compared to landfills, as the leachate produced in these areas, also known as necroleachate, can be environmentally transported, polluting groundwater, surface water, and soil. In Brazil, to ensure no negative environmental impacts and public health risks, cemetery management is the responsibility of states and municipalities. In this context, this article aims to discuss Brazilian sanitary–environmental legislation concerning cemetery waste management. Only half of all Brazilian states have established sanitary–environmental cemetery legislation, and only 19 municipalities have specific laws. These laws, however, are broad and contain many gaps. Necroleachate care and control require both sanitary and environmental assessments to avoid environmental vulnerability and contamination risks for populations inhabiting surrounding areas. In this regard, new water analysis parameters in environmentally vulnerable areas should be established to control the population’s drinking water quality, such as the detection of C. perfringens . Furthermore, the construction of vertical cemeteries instead of horizontal ones and the adoption of cremation procedures should also be considered. This assessment comprises a novel research framework, as no studies on the impact of Brazilian laws on environmental necroleachate contamination are available to date.

Keywords: cemetery; waste management; legislation; public health; Brazil (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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