Abstract
The rupture of the Córrego do Feijão iron mine Tailings Dam I killed at least 260 people and had major environmental and social impacts. We analyzed the chemical compounds dissolved in the surface water and the bottom sediments of Ferro-Carvão Creek, the watercourse directly affected by the disaster, and at points upstream and downstream of its confluence with Paraobeba River, the main watercourse of the region. We also analyzed samples of the released tailings and groundwater near the area directly affected. From an environmental geochemistry standpoint, the water analyses suggest that the water quality degradation was not as catastrophic as the human and material losses and damage to biota. The groundwater samples did not present disconformities according to the Brazilian Environmental Council (CONAMA). In fact, most of the surface water samples that exceeded the maximum allowed concentrations were upstream of the affected basin. This suggests that mining industry sources other than those associated with the disaster had damaged its water quality before the event. Thus, previous knowledge must be used to evaluate the real anthropic impact in events of this nature. It can also be an excellent tool to guide remediation in situations such as in the Córrego do Feijão Iron Mine disaster.
Zusammenfassung
Der Bruch des Tailings Dam I der Eisenmine Córrego do Feijão kostete mindestens 260 Menschen das Leben und hatte erhebliche ökologische und soziale Auswirkungen. Wir analysierten die chemischen Verbindungen, die im Oberflächenwasser und in den Bodensedimenten des Ferro-Carvão Creek, des direkt von der Katastrophe betroffenen Wasserlaufs, sowie an Stellen flussaufwärts und flussabwärts seines Zusammenflusses mit dem Paraobeba River, dem Hauptwasserlauf der Region, gelöst sind. Außerdem haben wir Proben der freigesetzten Abraumhalden und des Grundwassers in der Nähe des direkt betroffenen Gebiets analysiert. Aus umweltgeochemischer Sicht deuten die Wasseranalysen darauf hin, dass die Beeinträchtigung der Wasserqualität nicht so katastrophal war wie die menschlichen und materiellen Verluste und die Schädigung der Biota. Die Grundwasserproben wiesen nach Angaben des brasilianischen Umweltrates (CONAMA) keine Auffälligkeiten auf. Die meisten Oberflächenwasserproben, die die zulässigen Höchstkonzentrationen überschritten, befanden sich flussaufwärts des betroffenen Beckens. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass andere Quellen aus dem Bergbau, welche nicht mit der Katastrophe in Verbindung stehen, die Wasserqualität bereits vor dem Ereignis beeinträchtigt haben. Daher müssen frühere Erkenntnisse herangezogen werden, um die tatsächlichen anthropogenen Auswirkungen bei Ereignissen dieser Art zu bewerten. Sie können auch ein hervorragendes Instrument sein, um die Sanierung in Situationen wie bei der Katastrophe im Eisenbergwerk Córrego do Feijão anzuleiten.
Resumen
La ruptura del dique de relaves de la mina de hierro Córrego do Feijão I causó la muerte de al menos 260 personas y tuvo importantes impactos ambientales y sociales. Analizamos los compuestos químicos disueltos en las aguas superficiales y en los sedimentos del fondo del arroyo Ferro-Carvão, el curso de agua directamente afectado por la catástrofe y en puntos situados aguas arriba y aguas abajo de su confluencia con el río Paraobeba, el principal curso de agua de la región. También se analizaron muestras de los relaves liberados y de las aguas subterráneas cerca de la zona directamente afectada. Desde el punto de vista de la geoquímica ambiental, los análisis del agua sugieren que la degradación de la calidad del agua no fue tan catastrófica como las pérdidas humanas y materiales y los daños a la biota. Las muestras de agua subterránea no presentaron nuevas distorsiones, según el Consejo Brasileño de Medio Ambiente (CONAMA). De hecho, la mayoría de las muestras de aguas superficiales que superaban las concentraciones máximas permitidas se encontraban aguas arriba de la cuenca afectada. Esto sugiere que fuentes de la industria minera distintas de las asociadas al desastre habían dañado la calidad de sus aguas antes del suceso. Así, el conocimiento previo debe servir para evaluar el impacto antrópico real en eventos de esta naturaleza. También puede ser una excelente herramienta para orientar la remediación en situaciones como la del desastre de la mina de hierro de Córrego do Feijão.
摘 要
Córrego do Feijão铁矿尾矿I号坝溃坝造成至少260人死亡, 并对环境和社会造成了重大影响。我们分析了受灾害直接影响Ferro-Carvão Creek河的地表水和底部沉积物中溶解的化合物, 以及其与该地区主要河道Paraobeba河交汇处的上下游水体中溶解的化合物, 还分析了直接受影响地区附近所释放尾矿和地下水样本。从环境地球化学的角度来讲, 水质分析结果表明, 水质恶化并不像人类和物质的损失以及对生物群落的破坏那样具有灾难性。根据巴西环境委员会 (CONAMA) 的说法, 地下水样品的处理均符合规定。事实上, 大部分超过最大允许浓度的地表水样品都位于受影响流域的上游, 表明在事件发生前, 除了与矿灾有关的采矿业的来源之外, 其他采矿业的来源也对其水质造成了危害。因此, 必须利用现有的知识来评估人类对这类性质事件真正的影响, 这对指导补救与Córrego do Feijão铁矿灾害类似情况工作的实施具有重要意义。
Data Availability
All data used to elaborate the article from surface water, groundwater, sediment and tailings were obtained with the participation of the Geological Survey of Brazil in the context of the ‘Special Monitoring Program of the Paraopeba River’, and are available in this document and the supplementary material.
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Acknowledgements
We thank José Luiz Marmos and Marco Antônio Leitão for their partnership during fieldwork, Cássio Silva (SGB/CPRM) and Cícera Neysi Almeida (UFRJ) for their helpful criticism, LAMIN-RJ (SGB/CPRM) for the chemical analysis of groundwater, and the DEGET team (SGB/CPRM) for their support and encouragement. This work was supported by the Geological Survey of Brazil.
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Quintarelli, J.M., da Silva Junior, G.C. & Viglio, E.P. A Note on the Influence of the Mine Tailings Released in the Córrego do Feijão Mine Disaster on the Water Bodies of Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Mine Water Environ 42, 187–199 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-023-00916-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-023-00916-8