Oil spill on the Brazilian coast: (in)visibility of knowledges and disregard for the life of shellfisherwomen

Abstract

In 2019, an oil spill of yet unknown origin affected several locations on the Brazilian coast. The purpose of this research was to capture the perceptions of women shellfish gatherers in the Jaguaribe River estuary, Ceará, about exposure to oil and its consequences. The focal group technique was used for data collection and the Iramuteq software for the processing and analysis of the material. The results indicated the creation of two analytical categories: Social, economic, food production and consumption implications of shellfish gatherer families; and the knowledges, the participation and the surveillance in the context of (in)visibility of exposure to oil. It was observed that shellfisherwomen and their families constitute a population that is very exposed to the negative impacts caused by the oil spill, as they are significant from the socioeconomic, environmental, food production, consumption and health perspectives. Attention is drawn to health and social assistance policies for these fisherwomen/shellfish gatherers, with consequences on the food, water and nutrition security of families and the recognition of their knowledges and practices, constructed within a traditional way of life that produces and reproduces the existence in a close society/nature relationship.

Key words:
Petroleum; Environmental pollution; Fishing; Public health surveillance; Community-Based Participatory Research