The Estarreja region is the second largest chemical complex in the north coast of Portugal, mainly producing ammonium sulphate, nitric acid and ammonium nitrate, but also for example synthetic resins. Moreover, Estarreja also has a large area dedicated to agricultural activities, such as maize fields. Thus, besides the residential/urban area, Estarreja is strongly affected by anthropogenic activities, namely industrial and agricultural. These activities emit pollutants to the atmosphere, becoming necessary to identify the major contaminants present in the atmosphere that affect the region of Estarreja and their habitants. As rainwater removes pollutants from air, that are in gaseous and liquid phases or which are contained in the atmospheric particulates, the determination of the pollutant level in rainwater can be of interest as screening of air quality. Moreover, as rainwater is transported from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface, the chemical composition of rainwater affect terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the quality of human life through the availability of freshwater. The present project intends to contribute to the knowledge of chemical composition (organic and inorganic) of rainwater in the city of Estarreja, identifying the major pollutants in the area.
