Scientists Examine Amazon Gold Mining’s Role in Birth Disabilities
Source: www.reuters.com Key Points: Amazon gold mining mercury may be causing neurological disorders in Indigenous children. H igh mercury levels are found in mothers and babies, spreading through rivers, fish, and breast milk. Communities face tough choices, relying on contaminated fish and mining for survival despite health risks. Brazilian scientists are conducting a landmark study to determine whether Amazon gold mining mercury contamination causes severe neurological disorders and disabilities in Indigenous children. Early findings from the research, carried out by the public health institute Fiocruz, suggest widespread mercury exposure among communities living along contaminated rivers in Pará state, where the 2025 United Nations climate summit (COP30) will be held. Researchers have identified at least 36 Indigenous people, mostly children, showing neurological conditions that cannot be explained by genetics. These findings may soon establish the first direct scientific link betw...