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Mercury Contamination: A Growing Threat to Riverine and Urban Communities in the Brazilian Amazon

Author

Listed:
  • Heloisa do Nascimento de Moura Meneses

    (Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde (PPGCSA), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Rua Vera Paz Av. Vera Paz, s/n, Bairro Salé, 1° Pavimento, Unidade Tapajós, 68035-110 Santarém, Brazil)

  • Marcelo Oliveira-da-Costa

    (WWF-Brasil, CLS 114 Bloco D-35, 70377-540 Brasília, Brazil)

  • Paulo Cesar Basta

    (Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480, Manguinhos, 21041-210 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

  • Cristiano Gonçalves Morais

    (Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde (PPGCSA), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Rua Vera Paz Av. Vera Paz, s/n, Bairro Salé, 1° Pavimento, Unidade Tapajós, 68035-110 Santarém, Brazil)

  • Romulo Jorge Batista Pereira

    (Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde (PPGCSA), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Rua Vera Paz Av. Vera Paz, s/n, Bairro Salé, 1° Pavimento, Unidade Tapajós, 68035-110 Santarém, Brazil)

  • Suelen Maria Santos de Souza

    (Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sociedade Natureza e Desenvolvimento (PPGSND), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Rua Vera Paz Av. Vera Paz, s/n, Bairro Salé, 1° Pavimento, Unidade Tapajós, 68035-110 Santarém, Brazil)

  • Sandra de Souza Hacon

    (Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480, Manguinhos, 21041-210 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Abstract

In recent decades, widespread and uncontrolled use of mercury (Hg) in artisanal small-scale gold mining has released thousands of tons of mercury-contaminated waste in the Amazon biome, endangering the largest tropical rainforest worldwide. In this study, we assessed and compared blood Hg levels in individuals living in urban and riverine areas in the lower Tapajós basin and examined the association between Hg exposure and specific biochemical parameters. In total, 462 adults from eight riverine communities and one urban area were assessed. Overall, 75.6% of the participants exhibited Hg concentrations exceeding the safe limit (10 µg/L). Hg exposure was higher in the riverine population (90%) than in urban areas (57.1%). Mean Hg levels were 21.8 ± 30.9 µg/L and 50.6 µg/L in urban and riverine residents, respectively. The mean Hg level was higher in those aged 41–60 years in both urban and riparian areas, with riparian residents exhibiting a mean double that of urban residents. The highest glucose and hepatic biomarker levels were detected in the urban area, whereas the highest levels of renal biomarker occurred in the riverine population. Our results indicate that Hg contamination remains a persistent challenge for the urban population of Santarém, a major city in the Brazilian Amazon.

Suggested Citation

  • Heloisa do Nascimento de Moura Meneses & Marcelo Oliveira-da-Costa & Paulo Cesar Basta & Cristiano Gonçalves Morais & Romulo Jorge Batista Pereira & Suelen Maria Santos de Souza & Sandra de Souza Haco, 2022. "Mercury Contamination: A Growing Threat to Riverine and Urban Communities in the Brazilian Amazon," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-12, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:5:p:2816-:d:760621
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ana Claudia Santiago de Vasconcellos & Gustavo Hallwass & Jaqueline Gato Bezerra & Angélico Nonato Serrão Aciole & Heloisa Nascimento de Moura Meneses & Marcelo de Oliveira Lima & Iracina Maura de Jes, 2021. "Health Risk Assessment of Mercury Exposure from Fish Consumption in Munduruku Indigenous Communities in the Brazilian Amazon," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-16, July.
    2. Jamila Alessandra Perini & Mayara Calixto Silva & Ana Claudia Santiago de Vasconcellos & Paulo Victor Sousa Viana & Marcelo Oliveira Lima & Iracina Maura Jesus & Joseph William Kempton & Rogério Adas , 2021. "Genetic Polymorphism of Delta Aminolevulinic Acid Dehydratase ( ALAD ) Gene and Symptoms of Chronic Mercury Exposure in Munduruku Indigenous Children within the Brazilian Amazon," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-12, August.
    3. Jeff Tollefson, 2021. "Illegal mining in the Amazon hits record high amid Indigenous protests," Nature, Nature, vol. 598(7879), pages 15-16, October.
    4. Rafaela Waddington Achatz & Ana Claudia Santiago de Vasconcellos & Lucia Pereira & Paulo Victor de Sousa Viana & Paulo Cesar Basta, 2021. "Impacts of the Goldmining and Chronic Methylmercury Exposure on the Good-Living and Mental Health of Munduruku Native Communities in the Amazon Basin," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-18, August.
    5. Nathália Santos Serrão de Castro & Marcelo De Oliveira Lima, 2018. "Hair as a Biomarker of Long Term Mercury Exposure in Brazilian Amazon: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-16, March.
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