From Samarco in Mariana to Vale in Brumadinho: Mining dam disasters and public health

Brumadinho, Minas Gerais State. Friday, January 25th, 2019. At 12:28, the tailings dam of the Córrego do Feijão mine, owned by Vale S.A., ruptures. On the first day, it was established that 13 million cubic metres of mining rejects had been released into the environment. After one month of searches, the number of deaths exceeded 300, with 179 located bodies and 131 missing persons. 

From the public health perspective, the importance of understanding mining dam disasters is connected not only to the number of immediate deaths and health harms, but also to the identification of the emergence of new health problems and needs over time, which requires mobilizing almost the entire public health structure. Additionally, since mining dam disasters involve contaminants, they demand urgent decisions, loaded with uncertainties, in order to end or reduce exposures and risk, as well as to address short-, medium- and long-term harms and diseases. This article seeks to discuss the complexity of this type of disaster in Brazil for public health. The authors explore the lessons that are learned as well as the challenges to public health and the Brazilian Unified National Health System.