US EditionScientists Try to Prove Link Between Amazon Gold Mining and Disabilities in Babies
Researchers study 176 Indigenous babies in Munduruku territory to find mercury exposure from illegal gold mining causes neurological disabilities, with 36 cases preliminarily identified.
- Researchers at Fiocruz have launched a multi-year study following 176 pregnant women to test neurological problems and aim to prove whether mercury causes disabilities, concluding by the end of 2026.
- Rivers now carry mercury from illegal gold mining as miners use it to bind gold, and Paulo Basta says mercury persists, cycling through air, water and soil, fueling lasting health risks in Sai Cinza.
- Prior studies found widespread dangerous mercury levels, with Sai Cinza mothers five times safe and babies three times, plus at least 36 patients showing unexplained neurological disorders.
- Indigenous women say they fear getting pregnant as Brazil's Health Ministry increased monitoring, trained officials, and invested in clean water while Paulo Basta's team compiled 546 registered cases by March 2025.
- Next month, COP30 will spotlight threats to the Amazon as Brazilian organizers call it the 'Forest COP'; papers warn mercury from illegal mining will persist for decades, harming current and future Indigenous generations.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Scientists try to prove link between Amazon gold mining and disabilities in babies
Brazilian public health researchers have found mounting evidence in the state hosting COP30 that mercury poisoning from illegal gold mining has caused widespread neurological problems and disabilities in Indigenous children.
Scientists try to prove link between Amazon mining, disabilities in babies | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
SAI CINZA, Brazil >> Deep in the Amazon, Indigenous women say they fear getting pregnant. Rivers that have been the lifeblood of their people now carry mercury from illegal gold mining, threatening the health of their unborn children.
Amazon’s silent killer: Mercury poisoning fears grow among Indigenous women, threatening unborn babies
Deep in the Amazon, Indigenous women say they fear getting pregnant. Rivers that have been the lifeblood of their people now carry mercury from illegal gold mining, threatening the health of their unborn children.
As gold prices reached record levels, the convention protecting humans and the environment from the toxic effects of the mercury used illegally to produce this precious metal was under pressure.In Geneva, an international meeting would discuss ways to curb its tradeIn early October, the Andean Community, a block of South American states, considered that Peru had failed to combat illegal gold mining and mercury trafficking, thereby giving rise to…
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