Doce River Estuary: Geochemical Changes Following the Largest Tailing Spill in South America
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Doce River Estuary: Geochemical Changes Following the Largest Tailing Spill in South America Luísa Maria de Souza Viana1 · Inácio Abreu Pestana1 · Carlos Eduardo Veiga de Carvalho1 · Marcos Sarmet Moreira de Barros Salomão1 Received: 5 April 2020 / Accepted: 30 September 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Accidents involving economic activities of great impact, such as mining, have caused massive environmental damage. In November 2015, the dam of Fundão, located in the city of Mariana, MG, broke and released 5 × 107 m3 of tailings in the nearby ecosystems, including the Doce River. The physicochemical changes that occurred in the Doce River estuary were analyzed, as well as the trace metal concentrations, both 1 day before and 1 month after the disaster. The analyses of the collected samples (water and sediment) showed changes to the physicochemistry regarding dissolved oxygen, SPM, and temperature (p = 0.008, 0.001, 0.036, respectively). It also detected metals (Fe and Al) in the dissolved fraction beyond the limits recommended by the Brazilian legislation. There was an increase in the total concentrations of Fe and Cd in the sediment after the rupture of the dam and a change in mobile metals (Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn), with higher concentrations of mobile metals being found closer to the ocean (p = 0.06356). After the rupture of the dam, there was a change in the granulometric fraction of the sediment, which became composed mainly of silt and clay. All of the results showed a change on the Doce River estuary, caused by the arrival of the tailings, which can result in future harmful effects with the release of metals present in the sediment and adsorbed to the particles. The changes to the sediment, such as changes in the granulometric fraction, can have negative consequences for the benthic community. The “Mariana dam disaster” (also known as “Bento Rodrigues dam disaster,” “Fundão dam disaster,” and “Samarco dam disaster”) was the biggest environmental disaster involving mining in the history of Brazil and happened in the city of Mariana, Minas Gerais. In November 2015, the Fundão dam ruptured, releasing approximately 5 × 107 m3 of iron ore tailings, which traveled approximately 600 km and reached the Doce River, the 50th largest hydrographic basin in Brazil (Escobar 2015). The disaster created a humanitarian crisis in the cities affected by the mud, due Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-020-00766-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Luísa Maria de Souza Viana [email protected] 1
Programa de Pós‑Graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais, Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000 – Parque Califórnia, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro CEP: 28013‑602, Brazil
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