Mercury and arsenic contamination are affecting communities outside the goldmines O Liberal

Mercury and arsenic contamination are affecting communities outside the goldmines O Liberal

August 30 2006

People eating fish captured in the Xingu and Tocantins rivers are being contaminated by mercury, arsenic and other substances. The surprise is that this type of contamination, quite common in regions near goldmines especially those that use mercury for separating metals, has also been found in areas where there is no mining activity.

The problem will be discussed during the 3rd Workshop on Chemistry and the Environment, which begins today. Augusto Saraiva, coordinator of the Eletronorte Chemistry Laboratory, states that water analyses, contaminated fish and hair samples of community members present high levels of methyl mercury concentrations.

This type of mercury, according to Saraiva, is the most harmful to human health. The study also identified arsenic concentrations and even corrosive sulfur, used in electric transformers and reactors, outside goldmining regions.

The coordinator is advocating a more detailed study on the impacts of these toxic substances on the population. He said that organic products used by people, such as pesticides called organochlorates, remain in nature for a long time, and that only the state of São Paulo has a law regulating the use of these products.