Abstract
In the Brazilian Amazon, where the majority of Yanomami villages are settled, mercury (Hg) exposure due to artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has been reported since the 1980s. This study assessed mercury exposure in the Yanomami reserve and whether the level of contamination was related to the ASGM geographical location. It was conducted using a cross-sectional study of 19 villages. Direct interviews were performed and hair samples were used as a bioindicator of Hg exposure. The Prevalence-Ratio (PR) was estimated as an indicator of association between ASGM geographical locations and human exposure to mercury. Mercury levels (239 hair samples) ranged between 0.4 and 22.1 μg·g−1 and presented substantial differences amongst the villages. In the Waikas-Aracaça region, where current ASGM was reported, we observed the highest Hg concentrations (median = 15.5 μg·g−1). Almost all participants presented with hair-Hg levels >6 μg·g−1 (prevalence = 92.3%). In the Paapiu region, we observed the lowest concentrations (median = 3.2 μg·g−1; prevalence = 6.7%). Our findings showed that the Waikas Ye’kuana and Waikas Aracaca villages presented with 4.4 (PR = 4.4; Confidence Interval (CI) 95% = 2.2–9.0) and 14.0 (PR = 14.0; CI 95% = 7.9–24.9) times higher prevalence of hair-Hg concentration, respectively, compared with Paapiu. Considering seasonal variation of Hg-exposure, the lowest concentrations were observed during the wet season (June–September) and the highest in the dry season (December–April). Our study suggests that there is an association between mercury exposure and ASGM geographical locations.
Highlights
Mercury (Hg) exists naturally and as a man-made contaminant
Mercury concentrations concentrationsin in Yanomami reserve, the Amazon, Western showed
Our study shows how levels of hair-Hg above those that are considered as reference values to the Amazon are still prevalent in indigenous populations residing in protected areas of the Brazilian
Summary
Mercury (Hg) exists naturally and as a man-made contaminant. Due to features that include high potential of toxicity, long-term persistence in the environment, global transport by different pathways, and high concentrations in vulnerable areas of the planet, mercury can be considered as one of the principal current environmental concerns [1]. Thinking carefully about these characteristics, delegates from over 140 countries that form the United Nations, signed an international mercury convention in Minamata, Japan, where in the late 1950s the greatest episodes of mercury poisoning took place. Public Health 2018, 15, 1051; doi:10.3390/ijerph15061051 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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