Cyanide cemetery found in Amapá, Brazil
Published by MAC on 2004-09-10
Cyanide cemetery found in Amapá, Brazil
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By Cimoni Oliveira, Folha do Amapa, Brazil
10 September 2004
Located 180 kms Macapá, in the Vila Nova river region - home for around 1,500 people - could be the greatest ecological disaster in the history of the state of Amapa.
Strong winter rains have unearthed hundreds of barrels of sodium cyanide, a highly toxic substance that harms ecosystems and kills animals and humans within a few hours. The barrels were buried by mining companies that worked there until 1996, in an attempt to hide irregularities committed over nearly a decade of exploration. This crime, added to the apparent dereliction of official bodies, has caused the sudden death of people who lived in fields bordering the Vila Nova river, where fish disappeared and contamination by cyanide was confirmed by a report of the Brazilian Environment Secretariat in 1999.
The cyanide cemetery is located in a mining area of more than 4,000 hectares, belonging to the Amapari mining company (a subsidiary of the multinational Icomi), in the small town of Santa Maria, 100 meters far from the Vila Nova river. From the appearance of the barrels it seems that they were buried some time ago. Many have already broken apart, deteriorated by oxides. It is still possible today to read the inscription: "Sodium Cyanide - Made in Germany".
Original portuguese version: http://folhadoamapa.com.br/comments?id=6054_0_12_0_C