Pregnant women in the Munduruku indigenous territory, in Pará state, North Brazil, have mercury levels in their bodies 4.5 times higher than the safe limit established by the World Health Organization (WHO). The maximum safe level is two micrograms of the metal per gram of hair (µg/g), but the levels found in these women average 9.1 µg/g.

The data are part of preliminary findings in a study conducted by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and were presented Wednesday (Jun. 3) by the research coordinator, Paulo Basta, during Rio Nature & Climate Week, the climate week in Rio de Janeiro.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Ultra-processed food consumption rises in traditional communities.
• New technologies help firefighters protect Brazil’s cerrado biome.
• Brazil’s traditional peoples launch alliance for Atlantic forest.

Of the 195 women surveyed, 97 percent have mercury levels in their bodies above the safe threshold. In the most extreme case, one woman had 39.9 µg/g of the metal – 20 times the tolerable limit.

Of this total, 134 women have given birth, and their babies are also being monitored. About 90 percent of them are already born with mercury contamination, as the metal passes from mother to child through the placenta. The babies have average concentrations of 5.8 µg/g, three times the limit. In one extreme case, one of them had 30.8 µg/g, 15 times the safe level.

“This baby is monitored at various intervals throughout the first two years of life. We track growth curves, weight-for-age ratios, height, and other metrics. Our hypothesis is that prenatal exposure to mercury causes delays in these neurodevelopmental milestones,” Paulo Basta said.

“Mercury converts into a neurotoxin that primarily affects the tissue of the central nervous system. Damage to the central nervous system is irreversible. People will have to deal with this problem for the rest of their lives,” he added.

The researcher cites an increase in the number of children born with rare neurological disorders, syndromes, congenital anomalies, and conditions for which a definitive diagnosis has not yet been established. All of these are suspected of being linked to mercury contamination. He also noted that the district where the Munduruku indigenous territory is located was the one that requested the most wheelchairs from the Ministry of Health.

“These data must be turned into official statistics, which did not exist in Brazil until very recently. Our system does not yet have a reporting form for specific cases of mercury contamination,” he stated.

“Despite these limitations, we have 751 identified cases of indigenous people contaminated by mercury with laboratory confirmation. Of this total, 318 are from Pará and 378 are from Roraima, home to the Yanomami people,” he added.

Illegal mining

The region where the Munduruku people live has been affected by illegal gold mining for decades, and mercury is used to separate the gold from the soil. This contaminates the rivers and the life forms in them, and the metal enters the human body primarily through the consumption of contaminated fish.

“Our main source of food is fish, and there’s no escaping that. For those who live in the city, it’s easy. They go to the grocery store, buy chicken and meat – they have other options. It breaks my heart to see the plight of these people, because they have no way to leave their territory and go somewhere else,” indigenous leader Alessandra Korap Munduruku said.

“This is our land. Why do we have to give up our land to companies, gold mining, mining, hydroelectric dams, and railroads? Why is indigenous people’s meat cheaper? It’s as if we didn’t exist. What kind of progress is this that kills rivers, forests, and drives people out?” she asked.

Real-time monitoring towers, smoke detection algorithms, and apps that can be used offline – technology is changing the routine of community fire brigades that fight fires in conservation units in the cerrado, Brazil’s savanna biome and the second-largest in land area after the Amazon. Initiatives supported by the Copaíbas Program reduce response times to fire outbreaks and expand the protection of environmental areas.

Created to operate in the Amazon and cerrado biomes, the program aims to reduce deforestation, strengthen conservation areas, and support indigenous peoples and traditional communities. The program is managed by the Brazilian Biodiversity Fund (Funbio) and funded by the Norwegian International Climate and Forest Initiative.

Paula Ceotto, the program manager, explains that, since 2022, Copaíbas has also been investing in the purchase of equipment and personal protective equipment for the conservation units.

“Copaíbas supports planning, training, and implementation of integrated fire management actions, including through a call for proposals launched in 2025, which allocated BRL 5 million to projects in conservation units and their surrounding areas.”

Real-time monitoring

One of the most recent initiatives was introduced in the Serra da Bodoquena National Park, in Mato Grosso do Sul state, where a tower equipped with high-resolution cameras began operating in May.

The equipment uses algorithms capable of identifying early signs of smoke almost in real time. Guilherme Dalponti, an environmental consultant at the Neotrópica Foundation of Brazil – which installed the equipment – explains that it differs from systems that rely solely on satellite imagery, which can result in delays in fire detection.

“The system sends immediate alerts to the monitoring teams,” he sais.

The tower was positioned at a strategic point in the park to expand coverage of the areas most affected by fires. According to Dalponti, monitoring already covers about 90 percent of the conservation unit, which spans approximately 76,000 hectares. In addition to the technological infrastructure, the project also includes the formation of community fire brigades, training in the use of equipment, and environmental education initiatives.

An app for firefighters

Another initiative supported by the program is the Caminho do Fogo (“Firepath”) app, developed to assist firefighters in the field. The tool compiles data on incidents, locations, and territory, enabling communication between teams, monitoring, and the logging of operations, even in areas without internet access.

The app also records the routes taken by teams, which facilitates their return to base in unfamiliar areas. The tool is currently being tested in different regions of Brazil, including in Alter do Chão, in Pará, and the Emas National Park, in Goiás.

The first official version is expected to be launched in July 2026. The system integrates geographic information, operational records, and satellite monitoring into a single platform, allowing data to be shared with official systems as well.

The Brazilian government last Friday (May 22) proposed a regional pact against femicide in Mercosur, inspired by Brazil’s model of collaboration among its three branches of government. The initiative was presented by Women’s Minister Márcia Lopes during the 26th Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities for Women of Mercosur (RMAAM) in Asunción, Paraguay.

According to the minister, the proposal envisions cooperation among the bloc’s countries to strengthen policies for violence prevention, protection, and increased access to justice.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Brazil proposes regional pact against femicide in Mercosur.
• Brazil: Femicide victims 38% higher than official records.
• Brazil reaches record number of femicides in 2025: four deaths per day.

“It is a political commitment among all Mercosur member and associate states to act in a coordinated and cooperative manner, respecting their sovereignties, competences, and national legal frameworks, to address femicide as a regional priority,” said Lopes.

Uruguay supported the proposal and pledged to keep the debate moving during its Mercosur presidency. Argentina, in turn, said it would continue its internal consultations on the matter.

In addition to the regional pact, the Brazilian government presented measures on digital platform regulation and combating violence against women in virtual environments.

“Brazil is taking the lead with the decrees announced by President Lula this week to protect women and with key measures on digital platform regulation,” the minister stated.

The country also shared the results of the first 100 days of the Brazilian Pact Against Femicide with the Paraguayan government. According to the Ministry of Women, the initiative led to the arrest of 6,300 abusers, slashed the review time for protective measures from 16 days to under three, and monitored more than 6,500 women using electronic devices.

Cooperation

Paraguayan Minister for Women Alicia Pomata advocated for expanding regional cooperation to address inequalities.

“Regional integration must be built from a perspective that places women at the center, recognizing their realities and valuing their contributions to the development of our nations,” Pomata declared.

The meeting’s program included debates on access to justice, digital violence, women’s economic empowerment, and care policies. Actions from the RMAAM’s 2025-2026 Work Plan were also discussed, focusing on topics such as gender-based political violence, trafficking of women, and mutual recognition of protective measures.

Created in 2011, RMAAM is the main Mercosur body focused on coordinating gender equality policies among the bloc’s member and associate countries.

Mercosur

Mercosur is a South American regional integration bloc created in 1991 and composed of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia. Venezuela is also a member, but has been suspended since 2016 due to political issues.