Illegal gold digging massively poisons Amazon Munduruku indigenous with mercury

A study on the presence of mercury poisoning caused by illegal gold digging among the Munduruku people in the Tapajós region, Pará State, indicates the presence of the metal in 100% of participants. About 57.9% had mercury levels above 6µg.g-1 – the maximum limit established by health agencies. The survey, conducted with 200 inhabitants of the Indigenous Land (TI) Sawré Muybu, focusing on the villages of Sawré Muybu, Poxo Muybu and Sawré Aboy, shows that in the regions most affected by illegal mining, the level of contamination observed was higher.

Among the children examined, 4 out of 10 under five years old in the three villages showed high concentrations of mercury. “This finding is especially worrisome, since mercury directly affects the Central Nervous System, which is developing in children under five years of age, and the brains of fetuses still in formation in the mother’s womb,” says the study. The survey also showed that the fish in the region, the major source of protein in the communities, are also contaminated by mercury.

Conducted by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in partnership with the NGO WWF-Brazil, the study presents a series of recommendations to mitigate the problem, such as the immediate interruption of illegal gold mining in indigenous territories, a plan to discontinue the use of mercury in the camps, and a risk management plan for populations chronically exposed to mercury.