Brazil's biggest gold mine has locals concerned

Residents of the small town of Paracatu—or “city of gold”, as it is known for being home to the world's largest open-pit gold mine—are alarmed by the escalating mining activities faced by the area. Led by the Canadian company Kinross Gold Corporation, they represent the region's number-one source of income and employment. However, the short distance between the town and the mine, and the contamination risks posed by the heavy metals released during the extraction have kept the population gravely concerned.

In 2006, the mining company launched a project aimed at boosting the output capacity of the Morro do Ouro mine from 5 to 15 tons of gold every year. The initiative has also extended the mine's lifetime by over 30 years. Operations further required the creation of a dam for the disposal of waste from the gold mining.

Among the districts directly impacted by the expansion is Alto da Colina. Some of the old light posts and fruit trees can still be seen, where streets and houses were formerly found. The plots of land were purchased and fenced off by Kinross. A sign nearby reads “Private Property.”

Housewife Cleonice Magalhães, 33, was once consulted over the possibility of  selling her property. She refused the offer. “A lot has changed around here. We had a large, peaceful neighborhood, with no noise. I've heard stories about people who became sick because of the mining. The dust is dark, greyish, and smells bad. Besides, we have, every afternoon, the scheduled detonations [controlled explosions carried out by the company in order to crack the rock], which make everything tremble,” says Magalhães, who lives in the district with her husband and two children.

In Amoreiras 2, another neighborhood ading the mine, residents also expressed their concern. That is the case with Ermelinda da Silva Pereira, a 66-year-old pensioner who moved to the district seven years ago, after selling the house where she lived in another region of Paracatu to the corporation. “I left, but I still live next door to the mining company. It's a lot of dust and a lot of noise. The house is riddled with cracks from the detonations. And the worst thing is, the gold doesn't stay here; it's exported,” she complained.

Even in the town's historic center, further removed from the mine, ers-by can feel the tremors. Geologist and Director at Acangaú Foundation Márcio José dos Santos, who has lived in Paracatu for 26 years, is critical of how near the town the Canadian company's operations are conducted.

“Originally, the extraction project was 15 years long, but one day the company introduced an expansion plan,” he says. He recalls that the region is challenged by lengthy dry spells and that the dust loaded with heavy metals poses health risks, especially for those who live in the surrounding neighborhoods, the ones closest to the mine. “When the process of contamination begins [in the human body], it's difficult to reverse it. It tends to keep building up,” he warned.

Paracatu's Health Secretary Nádia Maria Franco says that, in 2013, local government authorities released a study showing that the population was free from any intoxication risks—including that caused by arsenic, released in open-pit gold mining. The water consumed by local residents was also analyzed. She its, however, that she regards the distance between the company and the town as perilous, and argues that both the mining activities and people's health condition should be constantly monitored.

“It's prudent to conduct this kind of study every four or five years. The population doesn't have to feel alarmed about arsenic. It's difficult to demystify myths and rumors, but the study is available and everyone can read it,” the health secretary said.

Kinross Gold Corporation, in turn, reported that they too carried out a survey showing that the population is not threatened by any risk of intoxication. According to the firm, the dust near the mine has undergone examination, along with urine, blood, hair, and water samples, and arsenic levels have been reported as below the maximum set by the World Health Organization.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira