The Samarco mine tailing disaster: A possible time-bomb for heavy metals contamination?

Queiroz, Hermano Melo; Nóbrega, Gabriel Nuto; Ferreira, Tiago Osório; Almeida, Leandro S.; Romero, Thais B.; Santaella, Sandra Tédde; Bernardino, Ângelo F.; Otero, Xosé Luís

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.370

Cited by 230 publications

(142 citation statements)

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“…However, the tailings deposited in estuarine soils had significant concentrations of Fe oxides with high adsorption potential of toxic metals that were scavenged during their downstream riverine transport along 600 Km until it reached the estuary . Queiroz et al (2018) hypothesized that the trace metals bound to Fe oxyhydroxides could become bioavailable upon Fe reduction in estuarine soils, leading to high ecological risks to the estuarine biota (Gabriel et al, 2020). The mobilization of trace metals from tailings have occurred in aquatic riverine ecosystems downstream of the ruptured mining dam (Weber et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is estimated that almost 43 million cubic meters of mine tailings were released, polluting riverine and riparian ecosystems along its descent to the estuary (Do Carmo et al, 2017). The arrival of tailings in the Rio Doce estuary caused immediate impacts to biodiversity and a rapid (<2 days) accumulation of Fe and associated trace metals (Cr, Pb, Mn, and Al) in estuarine sediments (Gomes et al, 2017;Queiroz et al, 2018;Andrades et al, 2020). Nearly two years (2017) after the initial impact, there is evidence for continued chronic effects from trace metal contamination on benthic assemblages (Bernardino et al, 2019), but the extent of the metal contamination and sublethal effects to fisheries in the estuary remain to be determined.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Metal contamination and oxidative stress biomarkers in estuarine fish following a mine tailing disaster

Gabriel

Hauser‐Davis

Soares

et al. 2020

Preprint

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AbstractThe Rio Doce estuary in Brazil was impacted by the deposition of mine tailings caused by the collapse of a mining dam in 2015. Since the disaster, the estuary is experiencing chronic trace metal contamination effects, but potential trace metal accumulation in fishes has not been reported. Trace metals in aquatic ecosystems pose severe threats to the aquatic biota, so we hypothesized that the accumulation of trace metals in estuarine sediments nearly two years after the disaster would cause contaminant bioaccumulation, resulting in the biosynthesis of metal-responsive proteins in fishes. We determined trace metal concentrations in sediment samples, metal concentrations, and quantified stress protein concentrations in the liver and muscle tissue of five different fish species in the estuary. Our results revealed high concentrations of trace metals in estuarine sediments when compared to published baseline values for this estuary. The demersal fish species Cathorops spixii and Genidens genidens had the highest Hg, As, Se, Cr, and Mn concentrations in both hepatic and muscle tissues. Metal bioaccumulation in fish was statistically correlated with the biosynthesis of metallothionein and reduced glutathione in both fish liver and muscle tissue. The trace metals detected in fish tissues resemble those in the contaminated sediments present at the estuary at the time of this study and were also significantly correlated to protein levels. Trace metals in fish muscle were above the maximum permissible limits for human consumption, suggesting potential human health risks that require further determination. Our study supports the high biogeochemical mobility of trace metals between contaminated sediments and local biota in estuarine ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metal contamination and oxidative stress biomarkers in estuarine fish following a mine tailing disaster

Gabriel

Hauser‐Davis

Soares

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Os rejeitos de mineração de ferro na região do quadrilátero ferrífero apresentam alto potencial de contaminação dos meios físico e biótico, do curto ao longo prazo, devido ao seu conteúdo de minério fino e presença de metais pesados (Carvalho et al, 2017;Queiroz et al, 2018). Ao atingir as partes baixas do relevo, o escoamento de rejeitos contaminou os recursos hídricos locais, bem como o rio Paraopeba.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…O rompimento de barragens de rejeito de mineração causa mudanças drásticas na cobertura da terra (Aires et al, 2018), e acarreta em impactos severos, como distúrbios hidrológicos, problemas socioeconômicos, contaminação do meio físico e biótico, mortes e comprometimento da saúde e bem-estar das populações atingidas (Foley et al, 2005;Dias et al, 2018;Carvalho et al, 2017;Queiroz et al, 2018;Magris et al, 2019;Neves et al, 2018 ). No dia 25 de janeiro de 2019, pouco mais de três anos após o rompimento de uma barragem de rejeitos em Mariana, Minas Gerais (MG), um novo rompimento de barragem de rejeitos de minério de ferro associada à mineradora Vale S.A. ocorreu em Brumadinho, MG, Brasil.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Impactos do rompimento da barragem de rejeitos de Brumadinho, Brasil: uma análise baseada nas mudanças de cobertura da terra

Pereira

Cruz

Guimarães

2019

J. Env. Anal. Progr.

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The collapse of tailings dams may cause severe socioambiental and economic impacts. On February 25, 2019, the tailings dam of the mine “Córrego do Feijão”, associated with the mining company “Vale S.A.” collapsed in Brumadinho, MG, Brazil. The rupture caused dozens of deaths, and the tailings mud spread all over many areas of the municipality. Geoprocessing tools were used to estimate and to characterize the area affected by the mud, as well as to identify impacts caused by the rupture, under the perspective of land cover changes. The results showed that the tailings mud buried 297,28 ha of land, and at least 193 corporate (41%) and family (59%) facilities were compromised. 51% of the affected land was occupied by native vegetation (most of it preserved vegetation), 19% by human activities with a high circulation of people and 13% by agricultural activities. These changes suggest severe impacts, like contamination of the physical and biotic environments; deterioration of the physical and mental health of the affected populations; and local socioeconomic destabilization. Specific and multidisciplinary studies in different scientific fields are required to characterize and to find solutions to mitigate these impacts.

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“…Deposited tailings sampled in the estuary are mostly fine sand, silt and clay (74%), composed predominantly of the minerals quartz, hematite, goethite and kaolinite, containing iron, manganese and other metals, while estuarine soils showed higher metals concentration as compared to the pre-disturbance status(Queiroz et al, 2018).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of the Fundão Dam failure: a pathway to sustainable and resilient mitigation

Sánchez¹,

Alger²,

Alonso³

et al. 2018

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The Samarco mine tailing disaster: A possible time-bomb for heavy metals contamination?

Cited by 230 publications

References 43 publications

Metal contamination and oxidative stress biomarkers in estuarine fish following a mine tailing disaster

Metal contamination and oxidative stress biomarkers in estuarine fish following a mine tailing disaster

Impactos do rompimento da barragem de rejeitos de Brumadinho, Brasil: uma análise baseada nas mudanças de cobertura da terra

Impacts of the Fundão Dam failure: a pathway to sustainable and resilient mitigation

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