The Brazilian Federal Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) has released a report stating that severe mercury pollution caused by illegal gold mining in the Amazon region has escalated into a public health and ecological emergency. Data shows that 21.3% of commercially caught fish across the Amazon exceed mercury limits (above WHO standards), with rates as high as 50% in parts of Amazonas State and 40% in Roraima State. The primary cause of the pollution is illegal gold miners mixing mercury with gold dust and discharging mercury-contaminated sludge directly into waterways. This is compounded by deforestation, which releases naturally occurring mercury from the soil, resulting in dual contamination of rivers and groundwater. Local pink river dolphins have mercury levels ranging from 16 to 42 mg/kg (far exceeding the safety threshold of 1 mg/kg), leading to a sharp decline in their population. Residents along the river, particularly pregnant women and children, face serious health risks such as severe neurological damage and kidney disease from long-term consumption of contaminated fish; in some areas, symptoms of poisoning similar to Minamata disease have already emerged.
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