Changes in dietary and water use habits after the Doce River contamination with mining tailings

Eider Bruno De Lourdes,Patrícia Aparecida Pimenta Pereira,Hernani Ciro Santana,Franciele Silva Correia,Leandro Roberto De Macedo,Dayenne Paula Nascimento,Luciana Rodrigues Da Cunha,Michele Corrêa Bertoldi,Leandro De Morais Cardoso,Thatiane Cordeiro Pacheco

doi:10.1590/fst.11021

Abstract

The Fundão dam burst polluted watercourses with mining tailings and harmed cities bathed by Doce River, that might have changed eating habits. This study evaluated changes in dietary habits and water use in Araújos Island, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, after contamination of the Doce River with mining tailings. Data were collected in residences through interviews using semi-structured questionnaires. Seventeen months after disaster, 73% of habitants changed water use habits, mainly for cooking (53%). Public supply water (PSW) was partially replaced for other sources, mainly mineral water. Additionally, 54% changed their dietary habits by reduction or interruption of the consumption of freshwater fish (50%), fruit (28%), vegetables (27%) and food made outside the home (40%). Most of them (96%) perceived an addition risk to food production after disaster. Financial (69%) and psychological (55%) damages as well as health risk (39%) were the negative effects most frequently mentioned. Only 13% positively evaluated the quality of PSW while 77% believe PWS may cause some type of damage in foods. Part (59%) did not believe in information regarding potability of PSW. These changes would be associated with healthier lifestyle habits, health risk perception about water quality and safety and lack of confidence about water potability.

Highlights

The worst environmental disaster in Brazil’s history was caused by the collapse of the Fundão tailings dam, located inBento Rodrigues, a sub-district of Santa Rita Durão, in the city of Mariana, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, on November 5th of 2015(Figure 1)
Once tailings mud reached the city, water supply was interrupted and the Araújos Island was one of the most affected neighborhoods in Governador Valadares because it is entirely bathed by the Doce River, which is the only available source of water supply in the region (Figure 2)
A descriptive research was performed in the Araújos Island neighborhood, Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil, whose population was distributed in 3212 residences in 2016, according to information from town hall from Governador Valadares, and composed of 7659 habitants, according to 2010 census

Summary

Introduction

The worst environmental disaster in Brazil’s history was caused by the collapse of the Fundão tailings dam, located inBento Rodrigues, a sub-district of Santa Rita Durão, in the city of Mariana, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, on November 5th of 2015(Figure 1). Over 40 million cubic meters of iron ore mining tailings polluted 668 kilometers of watercourses from the Doce River to the Atlantic Ocean, affecting at least 39 cities from Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo states (Carmo et al, 2017; Felippe et al, 2016). Once tailings mud reached the city, water supply was interrupted and the Araújos Island was one of the most affected neighborhoods in Governador Valadares because it is entirely bathed by the Doce River, which is the only available source of water supply in the region (Figure 2). The enormous volume of pollutants from Fundão dam caused severe impacts on ecosystems, involving Brazilian Atlantic Forest, marine, coastal and estuarine environments and areas for the conservation of the Brazilian biodiversity as the Parque Estadual do Rio Doce (Doce River State Park), located near Governador Valadares, Minas.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion