Brazilian authorities have filed a lawsuit against mining company Vale, the federal government, and the state of Pará over heavy metal contamination affecting the Xikrin Indigenous people.
The lawsuit, disclosed on Tuesday, alleges that pollution from Vale’s nickel mining operation at the Onça-Puma site has led to dangerous levels of toxic metals in the Cateté River, which runs through Indigenous territory.
A study conducted last spring by the Federal University of Pará found excessive concentrations of lead, mercury, and nickel in the hair of nearly all 720 Xikrin people surveyed. One teenager was found to have nickel levels over 2,300% above the safe limit, raising serious health concerns, including risks of brain damage and organ failure.
The Xikrin community, fearing water contamination, has resorted to using bottled water for their children and purchasing fish from municipal markets. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is demanding that Vale fund long-term health monitoring for the affected population while calling on the state of Pará and the federal government to ensure proper environmental oversight.
Vale has denied responsibility, citing expert findings that its mining activities were not the source of the river’s contamination. Meanwhile, Brazil’s Ministry of Health has yet to comment on the case.
