By Marques Casara
Published by the Social Observatory

May 2003
Florianópolis - Santa Catarina - Brasil

Introduction

Large mining companies are being held responsible for serious social and environmental damage in the Brazilian Amazon. A depository of waste contaminated with arsine, barium and manganese is threatening the health of thousands of people in the state of Amapá. The issue is aggravated by the presence of at least 800 prospectors in an area with a high concentration of gold, which increases tensions and has created conflicts that may be increasingly difficult to solve. A Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) of the state Legislature has investigated the case and identified the offenders, but little has been done. The responsible companies are leaving Amapá, leaving little hope that the problems will be resolved.

OBS: available for download in our server using Adobe Acrobat PDF.