Abstract

This paper is an exploratory study that examines the illegal goldmining impacts on Munduruku communities’ “Good-Living” (Xipan Jewewekukap) and explores the possible relationship between chronic methylmercury (MeHg) exposure and the worsening mental health conditions in three villages in the Middle-Tapajós River, Brazilian Amazon. The region has been experiencing a long-lasting threat of goldminers’ invasions. A total of 109 people were interviewed and evaluated. Total mercury (THg) exposure levels were evaluated through hair samples analysis, from which MeHg exposure levels were calculated. The Geriatric Depression Scale—Short Form (GDS-SF) was used as a screening tool in order to assess mental health indicators. Brief non-structured interviews were carried out to investigate how goldmining is impacting the communities Good-Living. A Poisson regression model was used to estimate the possible association between mental health indicators (assessed through the GDS-SF) and the following independent variables: (i) mercury exposure level (<10.0 μg/g vs. ≥10.0 μg/g), (ii) self-reported nervousness, (iii) self-reported irritability, (iv) age group, and (v) monthly income. The analysis revealed high levels of mercury in hair samples (median: 7.4 µg/g, range 2.0–22.8; 70% and 28% of the participants had THg levels ≥6.0 and ≥10.0 µg/g, respectively) and pointed to a tendency in which higher levels of methylmercury exposure (Hg ≥ 10.0 µg/g) could be linked to worse mental health indicators. Although the GDS-SF has presented limitations due to the Munduruku sociocultural context, our findings suggest a tendency of worse mental health indicators in participants presenting high levels of MeHg exposure. Despite this limitation, the qualitative approach indicates an evident association between the impacts of goldmining and the Munduruku people’s decreasing autonomy to maintain a Good-Living on their own terms, pointing to the importance of carrying out new investigations, especially considering longitudinal studies with qualitative methodologies and ethnographic approaches.

Highlights

  • The Munduruku are Amerindian people who are part of the Munduruku linguistic family and integrate the Tupi linguistic trunk

  • This work is an exploratory study that integrates a broader effort to follow this request and investigate the impacts of goldmining in the Amazon on human health and the environment, focusing on the exposure to methylmercury. With this requesting in mind, the purpose of the present paper is (i) to examine the impacts of illegal goldmining on the Munduruku Amerindian communities’ Good-Living and (ii) to explore the possible relationship between MeHg exposure and the worsening mental health conditions reported by the residents living in the studied communities

  • Cases of chronic inorganic mercury exposure were discussed by studies on the mental health of individuals with mercury dental amalgam, which suggested that long-term exposure to small amounts of inorganic mercury can produce devastating effects after several years without the onset of symptoms [56]

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Summary

Objectives

With this requesting in mind, the purpose of the present paper is (i) to examine the impacts of illegal goldmining on the Munduruku Amerindian communities’ Good-Living and (ii) to explore the possible relationship between MeHg exposure and the worsening mental health conditions reported by the residents living in the studied communities

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