Members of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) defended on Saturday (25 January 2025) the need to create a health protocol to monitor the situation of populations affected by the collapse of the mining company Vale’s dam in Brumadinho. The claim comes after a study by Fiocruz (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz) detected an increase in the presence of metals in urine samples from children aged 0 to 6 years living in the affected region.
“We need a specific protocol to face this scenario. We are very concerned because the level of contamination increases in people’s blood, in animals, in all plants. All of this brings serious health problems. The Fiocruz study proves what we have been saying. This increase in the rate of contamination, especially among children, is absurd. We demand a specific protocol and that Vale bears this situation”, said Joceli Andrioli, member of the MAB coordination.
On Saturday (January 25, 2025), the dam collapse completed exactly 6 years. To mark the date, the Association of Families of Victims and Those Affected by the Dam Break in Brumadinho (Avabrum) organized an event in the city center, closing a week of activities in which they demanded justice. The demonstration was attended by MAB.
“The contamination of people is a topic that concerns us a lot. This toxic mud has spread, creating consequences. We see sick people throughout the Paraopeba River basin. The same happens in the Rio Doce Basin, hit in 2015 by the collapse of the dam at the Samarco mining complex in Mariana. A specific health policy for those affected by dams is urgent,” Joceli said.
In Brumadinho, the collapse of the structure released an avalanche of waste that generated major environmental and socioeconomic impacts, affecting thousands of people in different municipalities in Minas Gerais in the Paraopeba River basin. In total, 272 lives were lost, including 2 babies born to pregnant women.
Contamination
The study released by Fiocruz on Friday (24 January 2025) brings the results of analyzes of blood and urine samples collected in 2023, 4 years after the tragedy. At least 1 of 5 metals – cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead and manganese – was found in the urine of all children aged 0 to 6 who were evaluated.
Compared to analyzes carried out in 2021, a worsening of the scenario was noted. In the case of arsenic, for example, the total percentage of children with levels above the reference value increased from 42% to 57%.
“The results found demonstrate exposure to metals and not intoxication, which can only be considered as such after clinical evaluation and other tests to define the diagnosis. Therefore, a medical evaluation is recommended for all research participants who presented levels above the recommended biological limits, so that the results are analyzed in the general context of their health”, consider Fiocruz researchers.
In adults, the situation also draws attention: arsenic was detected at high levels in around 20% of urine samples. It is the metal that most frequently appears above the reference limits. On the other hand, in the adolescent population, the percentage of samples detected with metals above reference values decreased from 2021 to 2023.
The study also analyzed other factors such as medical diagnoses. Attention was drawn to an increase in the prevalence of some conditions, such as high cholesterol, which rose from 4.7% in 2021 to 10.1% in 2023. A similar situation occurred with a group of diseases that includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which jumped from 2.7% to 10.7%.
With information from .
