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Photograph Source: Ashton 29 – CC BY-SA 4.0 the released tailings rapidly reached Bento Rodrigues and part of the communities of Paracatu de Baixo and Gesteira and flooded the centre of the town of Barra Longa turning the Rio Doce Basin a filthy brown and affecting dozens of municipalities and hundreds of communities reliant on the Rio Doce for drinking water and affected various Indigenous communities “the company creates its foundation to repair its own damages Through the dense patchwork of multiple lawsuits filed in Brazil BHP has repeatedly denied any central culpability in the collapse with R$12.2 billion (US$2.5 billion) forked out to 110,000 people under the Novel system or “court mandated simplified indemnity system”  The company praises this arrangement as one that enabled “informal workers” (cart drivers artisanal miners and street vendors) to receive compensation despite having “difficulty proving the damages they suffered” with Justice Turner making a memorable remark: “The task facing the managing judge in England would be akin to trying to build a house of cards in a wind tunnel.” Various impediments not least the size and scale of the claims including “jurisdictional cross-contamination” and an abuse of process “The vast majority of claimants who have recovered damages have only received very modest sums in respect of moral damages for interruption to their water supply”  An April 2024 date was set for the commencement of trial proceedings including designated funding for the health system improved infrastructure and extensive compensation and income support measures fisher people and Indigenous and Traditional communities.” A sharp analysis from Tony Boyd of the Australian Financial Review hardly a forum known for its humanitarians and bleeding hearts offers a rather different reading of Brazilian efforts and the tactics employed by the mining giants  It was evident to Boyd “that over the past decade BHP and Vale have outplayed the Brazilian federal government and statements of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo as well as the federal and state Public Prosecutors’ and Public Defenders’ Offices.”  Some 60% of the final R$100 billion settlement is payable over 20 years the nominal amount comes to a net present value of R$48 billion  Using the net present value analysis also means that the R$32 billion commitment to cover the cost of removing tailings from the Rio Doce and R$30,000 compensation awards to individuals and small businesses who opt into the arrangement The financial burden arising from BHP’s compensatory undertakings has also been lessened by the near decade process of dispute resolution allowing the reopening of the Samarco iron ore mine to take place in the meantime with healthy annual returns of US$750 million Even now, BHP’s mild description of the catastrophe is given a coolly confident assessment.  The company’s website notes that since the dam breach Samarco operates “with a strong focus on safety and sustainability.”  Alleviating the use of dams has been possible because of the implementation of a “new filtration system” while 80% of the tailings arising from the operations “are now dry stacked with the rest deposited in a confined rocky pit.”  Feeble assurance to those hundreds of thousands affected that fateful November in 2015 Access real-time intent data to measure your success and maximise engagement Use advanced tools to take your marketing strategy to the next level Measure the effectiveness of your content against peers © Copyright 2006 - 2025 Law Business Research and their joint venture Samarco reached a final settlement of R$170 billion (US$29.8 billion) on Friday with Brazilian public authorities for reparations related to Samarco’s Fundão dam failure You've reached your limit of free weekly articles Keep reading The Northern Miner with a TNM NEWS+MARKETS Membership TNM Memberships is your key to unlocking access to the best news * Credit card required to begin free trial Your card will be charged 14 days from signup You will receive an email notification seven (7) days before the free trial period ends Enjoy unlimited News Stories and Specialty Digests along with Mining and Metal Market insights as part of your NEWS+MARKETS Membership Or go even deeper with our Global Mining Data platform Policies & Terms Subscription options Republishing License Advertise By continuing to browse you agree to our use of cookies. To learn more, click more information Accept Close More news: BHP shares lifted on the ASX as the mining giant said it was continuing to negotiate a settlement proposal of around $44.8 billion to address damages caused by the 2015 collapse of its co-owned Fundao dam in Brazil BHP shares were up 1.4% to $42.63 by 11:55am AEDT RBC Capital Markets analyst Kaan Peker noted that while the total amount of the settlement is still uncertain BHP has indicated that its share of the settlement proposal is "broadly aligned" with its existing US$6.5 billion ($9.7 billion) provision What they said: "As no final agreement has been reached between the parties there could be possibility that some financial obligations may be pulled forward/or deferred which could impact the provision for Samarco but given BHP still believes the provision to be "broadly aligned" the quantum of the impact will likely be limited but it does provide clarity on an overhang on the stock,." The news: Mining giant BHP said that it is continuing to negotiate a settlement proposal that would provide a total financial value of around $170 billion Brazilian reals ($44.8 billion) to the people communities and environment impacted by the collapse of the Fundao dam in southeastern Brazil in 2015 The numbers: The financial settlement is expected to: BHP said the settlement proposal incorporates amounts already invested to date plus future payments and obligations as follows: The context: The Fundao dam is owned by Samarco — a joint venture between BHP and NYSE-listed miner Vale Its collapse killed 19 people and caused a giant mudslide that uprooted homes and villages and triggered Brazil's worst environmental disaster BHP said that negotiations in Brazil between the companies and public prosecutors and defenders are ongoing No final agreement has been reached on the settlement amount or terms Under the final settlement agreement BHP Brazil and Vale would each be required to pay 50% of any obligation that the joint venture cannot fund or perform The sources: ASX announcement Claimants seeking damages from Anglo-Australian mining company over 2015 environmental disaster in Brazil The mother of a seven-year-old boy who was torn from the arms of his grandmother and drowned in one of Brazil’s worst environmental disasters is among more than 620,000 claimants who will have their case heard this month in the largest group claim in English legal history Gelvana Aparecida Rodrigues da Silva, 37, lost her son Thiago on 5 November 2015 when the Fundão dam, near Mariana in eastern Brazil, collapsed, releasing about 50m cubic metres of toxic waste The avalanche of water reached the small community of Bento Rodrigues within minutes who had been staying with his grandmother at the time Gelvana Aparecida Rodrigues da Silva with her son Thiago Photograph: Handout“His grandmother said that he asked for Jesus,” said Da Silva of her son’s final moments The iron ore waste stored in the dam rapidly moved down various watercourses spilling over their banks and into the neighbouring municipalities of Mariana It destroyed bridges, roads, houses, factories and other commercial premises wildlife and historic churches containing priceless artefacts 2,000 businesses and 65 faith-based institutions are to claim damages from the Anglo-Australian mining company BHP at a high court trial in London scheduled to be heard over 12 weeks Tom Goodhead, the chief executive of the international law firm Pogust Goodhead, which is representing the claimants, said they will argue that BHP is liable as a 50% shareholder in Samarco, the joint venture company responsible for managing the Fundão tailings dam. Free weekly newsletterThe planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential Read moreIt is further claimed that BHP, who were in a joint venture with the Brazilian iron-ore mining company Vale, were negligent in that although “they were aware of the risks of the dam collapsing The claimants are seeking up to $44bn (£33.6bn) in compensation BHP, along with Vale and Samarco, established the Renova Foundation to provide compensation for individuals and some small businesses for loss and damages, as well as mitigating environmental impacts. The company said it would defend the legal action. Read moreA BHP spokesperson said: “The Fundão dam collapse was a tragedy and our deepest sympathies remain with the impacted families and communities established in 2016 as part of our agreement with the Brazilian authorities has spent more than $7.7bn on emergency financial assistance compensation and repair and rebuilding of environment and infrastructure to approximately 430,000 individuals local businesses and Indigenous communities “BHP Brasil is working collectively with the Brazilian authorities and others to seek solutions to finalise a fair and comprehensive compensation and rehabilitation process that would keep funds in Brazil for the Brazilian people and environment affected “BHP continues to defend the legal action in the UK would not see claimants receive payment until 2028 at the earliest duplicates – and harms – local remedial efforts in Brazil “As a non-operating joint-venture partner in Samarco BHP Brasil does not have operational or day-to-day control of the business BHP did not own or operate the dam or any related facilities.” received a small payment for compensation after the disaster but she said she had not had any personal contact with the companies involved She said: “The only thing that we are asking for is justice for this to never happen to any other mother No money in the world can bring my son back but I want them to be responsible for this this is the largest ever group action in the English courts and we believe probably the largest anywhere in the world And that’s likely by value as well as the number of claimants who are participating in it.” a class action lawsuit is finally moving forward against the companies involved in a catastrophic dam collapse that released toxic sludge into communities across rural Brazil Considered one of the worst environmental disasters in Brazilian history, the Fundão tailings dam collapse in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais killed wildlife, destroyed hundreds of homes and left the local economy in ruins court will decide whether the companies are liable and should compensate the victims “If you haven’t properly analyzed your risks as a highly polluting business and you haven’t thought of the consequences not to just to the local community that you work with day in and day out I think this case will illustrate how severe the consequences are,” said Guy Robson an attorney on the Pogust Goodhead legal team representing the victims The dam was used to store iron ore tailings, a toxic waste product of iron ore mining operations, but it collapsed due to drainage and design issues, according to an internal investigation The approximately 50 million cubic meters (1.7 billion cubic feet) of arsenic-laced mud traveled over 650 kilometers (400 miles) down the Doce river destroying the towns of Bento Rodrigues and Paracatu de Baixo before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean The accident killed 19 people and poisoned crops and drinking water resulting in an economic and public health crisis for over a million people in the region It also destroyed a Catholic archdiocese and relocated members of the Krenak Indigenous community An independent study estimated that the “socio-environmental” damage amounted to as much as $10.8 billion But the English court will determine its own figure and how it’s paid out to the victims citizen Jonathan Knowles had been living with his Brazilian wife and son near the Doce river for seven years when the dam broke The sludge coming down the river had the consistency of melted chocolate he was forced to leave his family in Brazil and return to the U.K He managed to make ends meet as a driver on ride sharing apps sending money back to his family every month he’d saved enough to move his wife and son to the U.K But they’re still struggling to make ends meet the payout could help Knowles return to a normal life “I very much doubt we’re going to get enough money to even put a deposit on a house,” Knowles said I’m kind of hoping and praying that it might happen.” The lawsuit was originally filed in 2018 but faced delays because the defendant mining company Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP) tried to argue that an English court didn’t have authority to weigh in on an accident in a foreign country It also argued that the case — which started with around 200,000 claimants but quickly grew to over 700,000 — was “unmanageable” for the court The lawsuit isn’t just seeking reparations for the people whose homes were destroyed but also for people like Knowles whose lives were severely altered by the environmental damage and collapse of the local economy The pollution destroyed the tourism industry restaurants and other businesses to shut down After years of appeals, a high court ruled in 2022 that there was jurisdiction to hear the case because BHP was domiciled in England at the time of the accident It also ruled that the case wasn’t “unmanageable.” BHP successfully applied to have Brazilian mining company Vale Neither company responded to a request for comment for this article Vale made similar arguments about jurisdiction to the court but was unsuccessful both companies will begin a liability trial to determine what the claimants are owed “I think it would be good if somebody was held responsible,” Knowles said “They might think twice…there might be a little bit of repentance And they might not lie and get up to all the tricks that they’re doing It would be a really good thing if somebody was held accountable.” Banner image: A destroyed Bento Rodrigues after the accident. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Landmark ruling in Suriname grants protections to local and Indigenous communities — for now FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa as protected areas become battlegrounds over history and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins and trying to forge a path forward […] that practices sustainable mining in the countries where we are present We exist to improve life and transform the future We extract ore and transport it through a a complete logistics chain we prioritize the safety of people and the environment Click on the states below to learn more about our performance in each location We value individual talent and seek to be more diverse and inclusive acting with respect and practicing open dialogue we receive a new opportunity to transform our work environment and the world we live in Access the page Opportunities for professionals Our recruitment process has been changing and is in line with the cultural transformation we are going through Access the job vacancies portal and come be part of this history Access the page Opportunities for students Have you ever thought about starting your professional life at a company that invests in people and in a transparent and inclusive work environment Get to know our Internship and Professional Training Program.​ We work with transparency for those who already invest with us or are thinking of becoming part of our investor base Access the page Information to the market access documents and the main Vale’s financial reports We believe that business partners are essential to live our purpose to improve life and transform the future - together Learn about our guidelines to be part of our supply chain Access the page I'm a Supplier (Brazil only) We seek to work with a chain of suppliers that contribute to a more ethical and fairer society Learn more about our materials and services.​ we are already working with local communities and different sectors of society with the aim of leaving a positive social Learn more about our commitments to sustainability.​ Innovation is one of the main pillars for achieving our purpose We use technology to redesign our ways of working We have learned from our history and we are committed to the full reparation of the communities and people impacted by the dam collapse in accordance with the signed legal agreement Following the press release dated October 18 together with the Brazilian Federal Government the State Governments of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo the Federal and State Public Prosecutors’ and Public Defenders’ Offices and other Brazilian public entities reached today a definitive and substantial settlement (Definitive Settlement) of claims related to the Fundão dam collapse in Mariana "The Definitive Settlement enabled a mutually beneficial resolution for all Parties under fair and effective terms while creating definitiveness and legal certainty It is the result of a high-level mediation process conducted by the Brazilian Federal Court of Appeals of the 6th Region The engagement of Brazilian authorities and public entities ensured legitimacy to the settlement This important agreement also reinforces our commitment to Brazilian society and to a better future for the people communities and the environment." said Gustavo Pimenta The final and definitive settlement documentation was approved by all Parties The Definitive Agreement addresses all demands involving the signatory Brazilian public authorities related to the collapse of Samarco's Fundão dam including all socio-environmental damages and all collective and diffuse socioeconomic damages resulting from the rupture Key financial commitments The Definitive Settlement provides for a total financial value of approximately R$ 170 billion¹ communities and the environment impacted by the dam failure Obligations to pay Funds will support several compensation fronts ensuring substantial resources for improvements in health and a dedicated approach to indigenous and traditional communities Obligations to perform Samarco will execute certain obligations simplified individual indemnification system measures towards the Doce River environmental recovery and the completion of community resettlements which already reached around 94% of total cases to be delivered as of September 30 part of the Renova Foundation’s 42 programs will be gradually transferred to Samarco or the authorities while the remaining programs will be closed The Renova Foundation’s governance body will cease on signing Vale’s provision and cash outflow expectation Vale reaffirms its commitments to supporting Samarco in repairing the damage caused by the Fundão dam collapse and to the shareholders' previously agreed obligation to finance the amounts that Samarco may eventually fail to fund as the primary obligor Vale’s provision recorded for those obligations is US$ 4.7 billion as of September 30 and includes estimates of Samarco’s contributions The estimated timeline for cash disbursement is presented below Parties’ legitimacy A high-level mediation process by the Brazilian Federal Court of Appeals of the 6th Region and the engagement of Brazilian public institutions playing their Constitutional role as authentic representatives of the affected people have ensured transparency and legitimacy to the settlement process 1 Future financial obligations are presented on a real undiscounted basis and will accrue inflation at Brazilian inflation index IPCA 2 Adjusted by the Brazilian inflation index IPCA 3 Future financial obligations are presented on a real undiscounted basis and will accrue inflation at IPCA inflation rate 4 Average annual payments between 2031 and 2043 5 As per previous framework agreements 6 Considering an average exchange rate of 5.4481 as of September 30,2024 Media Relations Office - Vale imprensa@vale.com Vale and Petrobras announce a partnership to test fuel with renewable content Vale announces expiration and final results of cash tender offers for notes due 2034 Vale confirms receipt of nomination for candidates for the Fiscal Council Keep updated to Vale's activitys and watch our informative web series to learn more about the company We operate all around the globe sharing our passion for work efficiency and reliability as one of world's largest minning company Vale is committed to positively impact the future working alongside with the society to achieve a more sustainable tomorrow That's why we firmly belive in mantain a clear comunication chanel to us Cherry blossoms symbolise the beauty of new life and renewal in spring. However, their lifespan is very short (usually only around 10 days); and for this reason, they also also represent the brief, fleeting nature of life. The cherry blossom season typically occurs in late March to early April, when the trees produce a stunning display of pink and white flowers, although this largely depends on the weather and other conditions. The exact start of the blooming season in 2025 is yet to be determined, however, it is expected that the prime time to witness the cherry blossoms in Portugal will be near the end of March 2025, meaning you still have time to plan your trip to see this natural wonder.  Fundão is known as the Portuguese “cherry town”, with a production that reaches more than 20 million euros, and attracting more than 130,000 tourists a year. and explores every single business opportunity involved with this fruit. Apart from its picturesque landscapes, Fundão town boasts numerous other attractions worth exploring. Be sure to take a stroll through the historic center and visit landmarks like the Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, dating back to the 16th century, or the Capela da Nossa Senhora do Miradouro ou de Seixo, which dates from the 14th century and is associated with a legendary apparition of the Virgin Mary. Carnation Revolution: Portugal's Freedom Day On 25th April Portugal underwent a fundamental transformation known as the Carnation Revolution This pivotal event marked the end of the Estado Novo dictatorship and the start of Portugal's path to democracy The day is celebrated annually as Freedom Day to honour this peaceful transition and the newfound era of freedom and democracy Environmental ResearchCitation Excerpt :The present study showed a relatively high isotopic niche overlap between the studied species and within species over time although the brown booby and red-billed tropicbird colonies are sympatric in Abrolhos While the brown booby uses shallower areas near the shoreline red-billed tropicbird foraging range is wider along the Abrolhos Bank and the continental shelf slope Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :To further investigate the importance of geochemical landscapes in wildlife ecology we see particular value in the application of high-resolution biologging data (e.g. GPS collar and 3-dimensional accelerometers) Doing so will allow for the estimation of spatial and temporal variation in feeding behavior of individual animals across geochemical landscapes and multiple seasons (Nunes et al. Potential consequences of individual variation in habitat use and behavior on Darwinian fitness (i.e. survival and lifetime reproductive success) can then be assessed via long-term monitoring data or through Dynamic Energy Budget models (Desforges et al. All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply. Play Brightcove videoBHP and Vale will be put on trial in London to see what role they played in one of Brazil’s worst environmental disasters Rachel Townsend visited the country to explore the aftermath This is the question being asked by former residents of Bento Rodrigues to speak to the people whose lives were torn apart by one of the country's worst environmental disasters those living in Bento Rodrigues described a darkness descending on the village releasing millions of litres of contaminated waste The iron ore mine was run operated by Samarco along with their parent companies Vale and BHP Pamela was leaving college when news of the dam burst reached her She ran barefoot towards the tsunami of waste knowing that her husband and two children would be right in its path “My world collapsed and I sat there in the middle of the street And people kept coming with different news saying they had found someone or that they had died So I decided to go out to look and I went out and went down Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News He had clung to the inside of a car and survived But her five-year-old daughter Manu was swept away and killed It was five days before Pamela learned what had happened Pamela said: “I spent five days without sleeping without eating properly because there was nothing about Manu Everyone came and say they saw a girl like Manu in such a place and it left us even more in agony And I have no idea what it was like for her 19 people were killed; among them children and the elderly Gelvana’s seven-year-old son Thiago was among them he had clung desperately to his grandmother Thiago’s lifeless body was eventually found 100 kilometres from Bento Rodrigues Gelvana had been waiting for news at a centre set up for survivors “Everyone was arriving and my son didn’t arrive “I stayed seven days and seven nights waiting for my son to arrive And when seven days passed he didn’t arrive Until then my hope was that he was still alive And then the news came that they had found his body 100 kilometres away Thiago was identified through his dental records I was already without strength” Gelvana continued I arrived at the cemetery and I couldn’t see my son’s little face And then a strength of will comes over Gelvana A determination we hadn’t seen before as she says: “And to this day I am fighting for justice” The justice she is talking about could be handed down in the British courts British law firm Pogust Goodhead will lead a claim against the partly British-owned parent company of Samarco Their goal is for the parent companies to take their share of responsibility for the dam collapse. BHP insists they already have. As a result of the dam collapse, Samarco set up the Renova Foundation to manage compensation to the victims of the disaster. They have compiled a $5 billion dollar (£3.8 billion) package to build a new Bento Rodrigues which is almost complete. They say over $2 billion (£1.5 billion) has been paid directly to more than 430,000 people. 450 properties have been rebuilt and 90% of resettlement cases have been completed. But it is not just compensation these people want, it is accountability. When we visited the area, residents told us they warned the mining companies that the dam wasn’t secure but claim they prioritised profit over safety. Priscila Monteiro told us: “The residents used to talk and ask if the dam was safe, if there was any danger of it breaking. They used to always say no, that we were safe. "We always used to listen to that. If anything (wasn’t safe) we thought Samarco would let us know. Someone would always ask how the dam was at (residents) meetings. They’d say it was safe and everything was alright. How was everything alright when this happened?” "I couldn't speak because my throat was full of mud," Priscila said. There are almost 700,000 claimants in the lawsuit against the parent companies Vale and BHP and the case will be heard at the High Court. It will be the biggest group claim in English legal history. Largely because this disaster stretched far beyond Bento Rodrigues. We travelled over 200 miles from Bento, along the River Doce to visit the indigenous Krenak community. For centuries, they co-existed with the River Doce. They relied on it to feed their families, for fresh water and to make a living. But above all they say the river was sacred. But no more. The chief of the Krenak community Marcello, told us: “We were always on the river, we were fishing, hunting, playing. Everything was on the river.” Marcello says their river was heavily polluted when the mining waste reached them in the days after the dam collapse. As a result, they have lost not only their river, but their identity too. “Everything was on the river. Then you saw dead fish, some floating, some dying and struggling. It hurt and it still hurts to this day." The river is part of the identity of the Krenak people. The Krenak people call themselves Borum of Watu. And the Watu is the river. BHP says the water in the affected areas of the Doce River system is now back to the same quality as before the dam failure and that it is false to claim the mud was toxic. But this is contested in other scientific reports. We asked BHP to appear on On Assignment, so we could share the stories of the people we met, but they declined. Instead they gave us a statement, which included this: “BHP, Samarco and Vale remain committed to providing reparations for the people and environment affected by the damage caused by the Fundão dam.” Both BHP and Vale insist: “… this has been done via the Brazilian justice system and the continuing work of the Renova foundation.” Ultimately the High Court in London will decide what part, if any, the British parent company played in one of Brazil’s worst environmental disasters. Watch On Assignment on Tuesday at 10.45pm on ITV1 and ITVX Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know… BHP and Samarco to pay 47.6 billion reais ($9.67 billion) in collective moral damages for the 2015 tailings dam burst that killed 19 people and led to severe pollution of the Rio Doce river.This is one of the categories of damages sought in the $31.53 billion claim by the Federal Public Prosecution Office.The parties have been in negotiations to seek a settlement of obligations under a framework agreement since 2021 and the talks are slated to resume in February this year.BHP had set aside $3.7 billion in provision related to the Samarco dam failure according to its 2023 annual report.BHP said its unit is "fully committed to supporting the extensive ongoing remediation and compensation efforts in Brazil" through a not-for-profit foundation that was established following the dam failure."Although both companies' balance sheets should be able to handle these outflows we think this could drive lower capital returns over time/push net debt in BHP's case through its $15bn target ceiling," RBC analysts said in a note.($1 = 4.9165 reais)Reporting by Archishma Iyer in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Subhranshu Sahu Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :These residues cannot be directly discarded and an alternative is their storage in dams This process might be risky since failure events can pose a threat to human and animal life located downstream of the dams (Burritt and Christ Brazil) affected 41 riparian municipalities by reducing local access to fisheries resources Marine Pollution BulletinCitation Excerpt :The findings reveal elevated metal concentrations and their bioavailability in the water and sediments of the Doce River estuary and nearby coastal regions persisting during years after the disaster (Hatje et al. These contamination events have led to negative impacts and bioaccumulation on phytoplankton (Fernandes et al. benthic fish communities and assemblages (Gomes et al. Although embryos are one of the most sensitive and vulnerable stages to environmental pollutants (Peakall no information is available about the tailings impact on the reproduction of sea turtles ChemosphereCitation Excerpt :It is important to note that the interpretation of the estimation analysis from this study were made with caution there are no enough studies regarding metal contamination (which uses methods comparable to ours) (Cardoso et al. 2022) and only one focused in coral physiology/biochemistry on the banks of the Abrolhos Archipelago (Ferreira et al. our study is an in situ application of CA activity as a biomarker of metal stress in corals Browse over 5,400 law jobs. Get jobs by email Our Privacy Policy has changed. Please click here to read about how we process your data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) By 2025-04-01T12:00:00+01:00 Monica Dos Santos lost everything in Brazil’s Fundão dam collapse – then trained as a lawyer to fight for justice Monica Dos Santos: ‘We know that someone is responsible’ It was a normal day when Monica Dos Santos left her home in November 2015 and headed to work unleashed millions of cubic metres of toxic waste killing 19 people and destroying entire communities Dos Santos’ home and all her belongings were swept away in the mud Even the clothes on her back were eventually taken from her took up the opportunity to help others in their legal fight to seek justice for the collapse it led to her leaving her 18-year administrative career to join the legal profession and a determination to fight ‘for responsibility’ over the dam collapse Dos Santos spoke to the Gazette about her experiences since She said: ‘That day I left my home and I simply never returned I was left with nothing.’ After a call from her cousin Dos Santos tried to contact friends and family in the area ‘without success’ Dos Santos said she thought a different dam She said: ‘I thought maybe the water had passed and we wouldn’t be able to save our things but I would still get home My home would be flooded but everything would be okay and we would clean up.’ Money will not bring back everything we have lost I lost my father when I was seven; for me to remember what he looked like I would reach for a photo she made it to higher ground and only then realised what had happened ‘In that moment I saw that I didn’t have my house anymore ‘I had the clothes on my back but when we arrived at a building that had been converted into an emergency help centre We had to take them off and have them disinfected even the clothes I had on I could not keep.’ Mining giant BHP was 'not a polluter' in Brazil dam collapse, court hears Her legal career was ‘not my choice but chosen for me’ when two friends asked her to help in their fight for justice She said: ‘I learned a lot on my course but the right to justice is not the same as what is written in law.’ In Brazilian courts ‘the theoretical is very different to the practical [the people responsible for the disaster] would have been punished and not just in paying compensation Asked about the claim in the English courts against mining giant BHP – the company denies all liability – Dos Santos said: ‘It has been almost 10 years [since the collapse] and we have come [to England] to seek justice [The collapse] is something we will carry for the rest of our lives [Mining company] Samarco Mineração is 40-odd-years old The Monica from 2015 is not the same Monica of today Even if I must fight for the rest of my life for that it will not bring my life back but it will show the world that justice was done.’ Interview conducted in Portuguese and translated into English A two-year research project will explore different funding models for organisations that provide free and early legal advice ‘to move the conversation forward to an informed place’ Billing rates for senior lawyers are already 'exceptionally high' and fee inflation is rampant As Nick Ephgrave publishes his first annual business plan after a full year in the role the SFO chief tells the Gazette that he wants to deploy his policing expertise to make investigations bolder Browse over 3,200 law jobs. Get jobs by email Sarah Sackman KC has admitted to MPs that the county court has not recovered from the trauma of the pandemic Successes such as digitisation of claims are ‘nowhere near enough’ The £1.3bn plan to modernise courts and tribunals has fallen short of ambitions but ‘21st century justice’ is still a realistic aspiration Legislators are ready to criminalise professional ‘enablers’ of kleptocracy - the City needs to take the threat of legislation seriously Charity Explorer provides a reputable reference tool for solicitors will-writers and their clients who want to leave a legacy or charitable gift Whether you are looking for legal expert witnesses barristers chambers or any other general legal service the Legal Services Directory will provide a suitable option Site powered by Webvision Cloud Journal of Hazardous MaterialsCitation Excerpt :The SePM exposure (1 g.L−1) mainly resulted in high Al The bioavailability of these metals resulting from ore extraction activities has been characterized in numerous studies involving other crustaceans associated with sediment elucidated that the notable concentrations of metals found in crabs exposed to SePM irrespective of their emersion/submersion condition proteins are considered the main vehicle for imposing oxidative damage on cells with the production of carbonyl groups (PC) as the most frequent and irreversible type of ROS-induced protein damage (Dalle-Donne et al. PC content has been reported as an important biomarker of severe oxidative protein damage (Almroth et al. Bivalve mollusks are sessile and filter-feeding organisms extensively accepted as useful sentinels of chemical contamination in coastal ecosystems due to their potential for accumulating pollutants in large concentrations (i.e Applied GeochemistryCitation Excerpt :There are numerous recent works addressing the role of tailings dams' ruptures on the metal(oid) contamination of rivers Most studies were focused on specific impacts such as threats to water supply systems (Pacheco et al. 2022a) or impacts to the riverine ecosystem and adjacent affected areas (Buch et al. or human health (Cavalheiro Paulelli et al. A fewer number of studies were centered on causes recovery measures and prospective management or prognosis of contaminant evolution in the short to the long terms (Abreu and Andrade Environmental PollutionCitation Excerpt :Moreover contaminated suspended sediments can function as a source of oligoelements keeping the organisms that inhabit the ecosystem of the Doce River in contact with these pollutants for a long time (Quadra et al. Another concern is that these sediments may continue to be loaded and discharged into the mouth of the Doce River for an indefinite period exposing the organisms to the cytogenotoxic effects of the tailings sludge as the particles suspended in water may reach important marine areas of environmental preservation (Marta Almeida et al. monitoring of water quality of the Doce River and its reservoirs deserves special attention as the results of this study indicate non-conformity of SPM Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :In much rarer cases the research addresses the rupture of tailings dams and release of huge amounts of trace metals and metalloids in which case the contamination of freshwater does not relate with drainage but with direct contact between the tailings and the water bodies of Fundão tailings dam collapse in Mariana in November 2015 (Costa et al. 2021) or the B1 tailings dam rupture in Brumadinho (Pacheco et al. The latter case is addressed in the present study Environmental PollutionCitation Excerpt :Ocean receives the input of trapped sediment according to the hydrodynamic processes that promoted this off-shore transport (Albino et al. it is important to highlight that a natural season modulation is expected for the bioaccumulation patterns in different organisms (Costa et al. 2022) and consequently to biomarkers response (Dos Santos et al. The dam failure has changed the water and soil composition even after 3 years of the passage of the tailings mud (Quaresma et al. ReginaRegina massage therapist accused of sexually assaulting youthBy Drew PosteyPublished: March 03, 2025 at 2:37PM EST Twitter feed ©2025 BellMedia All Rights Reserved \n Massage therapist suspended following charges\n WATCH: Regina massage therapist Douglas Ramos Fundao has been suspended from practicing after being charged with sex crimes.\n Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :Metals are ubiquitous in the environment and they can enter the human body through various routes due to their widespread distribution and lead can trigger oxidative stress (Cavalheiro Paulelli et al. adversely affecting red blood cells (Fujii et al. and zinc are crucial for hemoglobin synthesis and enzyme function (da Silva Lima et al. A Regina male is facing charges following a report that a youth was touched inappropriately during a massage therapy session in east Regina This incident is alleged to have occurred in February of 2025 Investigation into this matter led to the arrest of a 33-year-old male on Monday 33 year-old Douglas RAMOS FUNDAO of Regina is charged with: FUNDAO made his first appearance on these charges in Provincial Court on Tuesday More Events The waters of Rio Doce still run a murky reddish-brown just meters away from Adomilson Costa de Souza’s home the river was a source of  his food and income it is a daily reminder of the disaster that changed his life “I always lived off of Rio Doce,” de Souza said he netted about 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of fish selling his catch to customers  from hundreds of kilometers around he raised animals and cultivated banana trees Most of his neighbors in the village of Pedra Corrida in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais lived in much the same way “Then everything came to an end with the tragedy.” The industrial disaster killed 19 people in the village of Bento Rodrigues and adversely affected 39 municipalities across two states The mining waste eventually flowed more than 650 kilometers (400 miles) from its source to the Atlantic Ocean     with the regional economy and livelihoods shattered with many thousands of people still affected A thick layer of toxic mud now blankets the Doce’s riverbed and still coats shoreside fields and orchards leaving water and land tinted reddish-brown from the mixture of mining waste and persistent heavy metals and the recovery has been slow,” said Bruno Milanez a professor at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in Minas Gerais and the coordinator of PoEMAS a research group that studies the political people say they don’t dare eat the fish that come from the river and their crops fail to yield as they once did Many in the village of 2,500 are surviving on a monthly assistance check from Samarco The tailings dam collapse dealt a heavy blow to de Souza The number of fish in Rio Doce has surged back in the years following the disaster — but de Souza and his neighbors no longer fish there you open it up and it’s all rotten inside Marino D’Angelo Junior is among the thousands who are still awaiting compensation five years after the wave of toxic mud swept away most of Paracatu de Baixo the village he called home all of his life His house was one of the few left intact following the torrent of sludge but his land was submerged in muck and his crops destroyed “When I looked out of my living room window it seemed like I was on the moon — the landscape was just mud,” he told Mongabay D’Angelo mostly made a living raising dairy cows He sold the milk through a producer’s association he headed up and business was booming: The group’s output surged from 400 liters per day to 10,000 liters in a little over a decade to put more money in our pockets,” D’Angelo said “Then the collapse destroyed half of our producers’ properties fears mount among residents over the long-term health impacts of the mining sludge residue that they say still pollutes Rio Doce and covers once fertile lands The Renova Foundation claims the water and soil in the region are no longer contaminated but residents in the communities affected say their health is deteriorating and they are falling ill since the disaster doesn’t eat anything produced in the region,” said de Souza referring to the community of Pedra Corrida “So it’s no use saying that it’s all fine they won’t be able to convince our community.” the disaster dealt a double blow to Maria de Jesus Arcanjo Peixoto The torrent of sludge swept through the village she and her family had called home for generations reducing her home to rubble and blanketing the land where she raised dairy cows with a thick layer of mining waste “Crops don’t grow like they used to anymore,” she says as she wades amid the deep red mud that still abuts the concrete shell that was once her home a second disaster struck her family: a mysterious illness attacked her grandson’s lungs and bound him to a wheelchair the doctors didn’t find anything,” Ms But he was three months old when the dam burst the feed for the cows — it all came from the mud.” The Renova Foundation says extensive treatment of Rio Doce has helped restore water quality which is now “similar to before the collapse.” The foundation says it collects three million data points at 92 monitoring stations along the river which have shown no traces of heavy metals or toxic elements in the water Yet a recent report from a government environmental agency which has yet to be made public but which Mongabay obtained from an anonymous source found elevated levels of a host of metals in Rio Doce and on its river banks and urged further monitoring of the region’s water and soil While Renova has been pouring money into tackling the contamination of Rio Doce much of the industry-funded foundation’s actions have been “palliative efforts” focused on monitoring the water quality rather than treating the river,according to PoEMAS’ Milanez “They are putting a lot of money into these measures,” he said It might be getting better — but is it safe a local start-up has set out to clean up Rio Gualaxo do Norte fueling hopes that at least some local environmental damage can be reversed A Renova-funded pilot project is using natural plantings to treat the water and regenerate aquatic life in the Gualaxo The same technology has already been successfully implemented elsewhere England where it helped clean up the River Thames it is being tested in Mariana with hopes it can cleanse the immediate watershed “This tragedy impacted the whole aquatic environment in a really powerful way,” said William Pessôa the start-up that developed the cleanup technology and which has been running the project since August “But nature has this capacity to regenerate in a natural way Our aim is to help nature go through this process more quickly.” but there are already signs that the plantings are helping reduce heavy metal particles and turbidity in the water the water has undergone a big improvement,” Pessôa said “And we see that it has the potential to improve a lot more.” Communities are finding other innovative roads to recovery de Souza has been active in a small aquaculture project for the past three years who all once made their livings from Rio Doce now raise fry in unpolluted pools until the fish grow big enough to sell we are raising our own fish and we live from the income we get from selling it,” de Souza said “And we release some of our fish into the river de Souza has been able to replace his former income he earns about 2,000 reais (US $365) per month from his aquaculture work The Renova Foundation has also spearheaded a larger fisheries project aimed at replicating these results and broadening the community’s access to aquaculture — a move welcomed by residents still feeling the industrial disaster’s painful impacts who is helping expand the aquaculture project the hope is that it reaches more people in his community giving them the same chance to rebuild their lives it was a blessing from God — it changed our lives completely,” he said Banner image: Marta de Jesus Arcanjo Peixoto stands amid the ruins of her home The reporting for this story was supported by a grant from the International Women’s Media Foundation FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post Environmental PollutionCitation Excerpt :However other species totally aquatic as the gammarids (Lebrun et al. 2013) have proved to be sensitive organisms for assessing the pollution in aquatic ecosystems Studies have documented the impacts of the mud from Fundão tailings dam failure on the aquatic biota such as plankton communities (Fernandes et al. Considering marine shrimps (Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis Farfantepenaeus paulensis and Xiphopenaeus kroyeri) collected from the area affected by the tailings between 43 and 91% of the analyzed samples had a high level of arsenic (As) values above the thresholds allowed by Brazilian legislation (Resolution RDC n° 42 of the ANVISA) (IBAMA/DIPRO/CGEMA we suggest that oxidative stress can be the main process behind CA inhibition in corals The data presented in this case study may be useful for environmental monitoring of metal contamination in coral reefs including the comprehensive monitoring (Fernandes et al. 2022) that is currently being conducted to evaluate the impacts of mining activities in the Brazilian coast alcicornis was more affected by metals than the coral M Policy Name: Local Products + Healthy Food = Happy Children Location: Fundão, Portugal. Population: 29,213, as of 2011  Overview: Fundão’s Integrated Action Plan (IAP) colloquially known as “Local Products + Healthy Food = Happy Children,” was the first food policy program ever introduced in the municipality With a focus on improving the nutritional value and sustainability of public-school food the IAP included a “Public Plate” strategy to integrate local food economies into the meals served at school.  Program/Policy Initiated: Work on the IAP began in 2015 Food policy category: Sustainable Practices Provide healthier meals in public schools and increase consumer satisfaction.3 Encourage more production and consumption of local products How it works: In 2012, the municipality created the Fundão Producers’ Club a group of food production business owners who work together to bring more of their products to the public through fairs The club also aims to teach potential entrepreneurs in the food and agriculture business promoting a vibrant selection of local food options.  In addition, Fundão is one of eleven European municipalities to have joined a network called Agri-Urban a program for small- and medium-sized cities with connections to food production systems Each of these cities went on a journey to develop plans to make their food systems healthier and more ecologically sustainable They had multiple meetings over a period of several years to share information and work together to develop plans tailored to each of their unique circumstances.  The public primary schools in Fundão serve more than 700 meals per day these meals were provided by national and international companies the municipality is taking advantage of its agricultural activity and switching to meals that are organic and made entirely with ingredients purchased from local small businesses The IAP therefore requires a 20 percent increase in funding to the participating schools this money would stay within Fundão’s local economy boosting sales and possibly leading to the creation of more jobs in the agriculture sector.  Five steps are required in order for the IAP to be put into practice the supply and demand must be mapped in order to ensure that local producers have the means to supply enough food for all the schools in Fundão they move onto a pilot school—the public school in Silvares—for six months to develop the systems that will roll out in all other schools The third step is to provide a supply of healthy and organic products at all schools All school professionals will then receive training to ensure that the meals are healthy and produced hygienically The final step is to launch a mobile app to facilitate food purchases.  A monitoring committee will be set up to track the progress of the plan meeting multiple times per year to discuss the impact of the new meals on schools and food producers two work action groups (one for the producers one for the suppliers) will act as the primary liaisons for the entire project.  Why it is important: Local food systems are among the most effective ways to improve public health and promote environmentally-sustainable consumption habits as it has to travel fewer miles on trucks (and almost certainly avoids boat or air travel altogether) consumers are contributing more to their communities than if they were purchasing produce grown hundreds of miles away.  The decision to incorporate local food sourcing into Fundão public schools is a huge benefit for the local farms and businesses from which the municipality will be purchasing The IAP acknowledges that the shift makes food budgeting at schools slightly more expensive but notes that when spending is kept local it contributes to a more financially robust municipality.  Evaluation: This plan is a complete overhaul of the public school meals in the municipality of Fundão the project has the full support of the mayor of Fundão and of a Local Action Group (LAG) It is a model of positive collaboration between seemingly disparate groups.  Learn more:Agri-Urban Integrated Action Plan introductory video Key Information poster  Point of Contact:Municipality of Fundão email: geral@cm-fundao.pt Write for The New York City Food Policy Center is always on the look out for innovative, intelligent writers who can produce high-quality, research-based content. Read more here: https://nycfoodpolicy.org/write-nyc-food-policy-center/ Copyright © 2021 Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center International Journal of Sediment ResearchCitation Excerpt :However the mining sector also produces large volumes of waste raising environmental concerns and challenges (Hamilton et al. Events such as the collapse of tailings dams occur all over the world they cause severe impacts to riverine and coastal ecosystems resulting in the pollution of water courses through contamination by metals and socio-economic impacts (Andrades et al. the number of disasters caused by the failure of tailings dams has been considerably high and didn´t hear the noise,” remembers Neuza da Silva Santos “My sister arrived yelling that the dam had broken The river was already full of sludge.… I went back inside and closed the window because I thought I would be coming back jumped in her car and drove to the top of the closest hill Da Silva Santos is one of the survivors of the Fundão dam collapse on November 5 a small town located just below the mining waste impoundment By the time she reached the top of that hill Although reports show Samarco knew about a leak at the impoundment ten hours earlier But the dam collapse was only the beginning of the Rio Doce nightmare According to a UN report 50 million tons of iron ore and toxic waste were dumped into the river that day The sludge covered riverbanks and cropland along the entire length of the 853 kilometer (530 mile) river killing fish and other wildlife and contaminating the drinking water supply for much of the river valley roughly 1.6 million people who live along the length of the river in Southeast Brazil continue struggling not only with the health risks associated with heavy metals in their water but with a deep crisis of confidence in the public institutions that are supposed to keep them safe and with the large industrial corporations that share their communities As of 2013, more than 68,000 people worked in the mining industry in the state of Minas Gerais according to the IBGE the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics — although nearly 2,100 residents lost their jobs in the first half of 2015 accounts for more than R$4.6 billion in the city of Mariana where the disaster occurred Employment and economic figures like these help explain the power and privilege that the mining industry enjoys in the state — in spite of the Fundão dam collapse and other industrial accidents over the years although the company said that the dam had passed inspection in July of last year With a sharp fall in global iron ore prices in 2015 Samarco may have been more focused on expanding its production in order to avoid financial losses and that emphasis may have overridden basic safety concerns Samarco is a joint venture of Vale and BHP Billiton two of the world’s largest mining companies Dirk van Zyl, a professor of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia told Bloomberg News that a waste impoundment disaster like the one seen on the Rio Doce “is a lot more expensive than doing things the right way.” Zyl noted that a dry mining waste storage technique used in Chile costs ten times as much as the tailings dam solution used in Brazil He also noted that an initial estimate on the cost of recovery from the Fundão collapse done by Deutsche Bank put the figure at over US $1 billion said that it was impossible to currently quantify the cost of environmental restoration David Chambers of the Center for Science in Public Participation is the co-author of a pending publication on mining safety His study frames the Rio Doce disaster within a larger global trend in which cheaper reservoir storage techniques end again and again in catastrophic failure He argues that regulators should outlaw these structures Each location presents its own issues, counters Ben Chalmers, VP of Sustainable Development at the Mining Association of Canada, who was also quoted in the Bloomberg News article He maintains that storage methods should vary based on circumstances such as those containing larger amounts of sulphides may be safer under a certain amount of water Such an option may work well if dry storage isn’t a viable option in a more humid tropical or subtropical region such as Brazil however those safeguards also cut into short-term profit margins the short-term gains of waste impoundments and other shortcuts win out over long-term viability and safety Critics say that Samarco and Vale fall into that category. Vale, the giant mining company, earned the distinction in 2012 of being voted the Worst Corporation in the World with the most “contempt for the environment and human rights” and with labor and human rights violations in 39 countries Most residents of the Rio Doce watershed express the view that both Samarco and Vale should be held fully responsible for the Fundão disaster roughly 150 people attended a daylong event in the city of Governador Valadares that focused on the Rio Doce calamity Their goal was to organize unified responses from river communities and demand justice from Samarco and its parent companies she doesn’t distinguish between rich or poor and we have to run after that so that these big companies don’t destroy what we are building,” he said plant things along the river… but the mining company is continuing to do what it was doing before It’s not enough for us to do what we’re doing down here when up there Access to water has remained critically difficult in Rio Doce communities since the mining accident and a regional drought is worsening the crisis a Federal University of São Carlos researcher has been working with a team of independent scientists to monitor water quality on the river He told Mongabay that the rainy season proved insufficient to supply Rio Doce watershed cities and towns with adequate water: “It rained less than average [so] some cities that were using other water sources are now having difficulties… because many rivers and wells dried up.” For the indigenous Krenak community that lives on a hill between a dry streambed and the polluted Rio Doce the disaster did more than destroy their water supply meaning “sacred river.” The Krenak cacique says that the waterway is intimately connected to his people: “The river is part of my culture To the extent that you destroy something sacred and there is no place to cool off on hot days — or even to get drinking water Water trucks paid for by Samarco have been supplying water to the community since the disaster but residents complain that this water has high levels of chlorine that irritate the skin and digestive system the issue goes beyond the physical problems the community is facing and touches on an existential one If you eliminate a people’s sacred points It’s an indirect massacre,” he declares Ágencia Pública a Brazilian investigative news organization reports that government leniency and corporate impunity are recurring themes in Brazil’s handling of environmental disasters Eduardo Santos de Oliveira has worked on past dam ruptures in Minas Gerais Now a member of a task force of prosecutors handling the Samarco case he told Ágencia Pública that the cause of such a disaster is a sum of things: “An accident of this proportion never happens for this or that reason it’s a sum of omissions or bad decisions.” Yet he also admitted that such impoundments represent a relatively cheap way for mining companies to handle their waste even though better options exist Brazil’s slap-on-the-wrist regulatory culture raises the possibility that the country will see more disasters like the Fundão dam collapse as its mining and other industrial infrastructure ages and deteriorates This concern became even stronger in recent days as Dilma Rousseff’s Workers’ Party government — which was more inclined to help Brazil’s poorest citizens — has been replaced by the far more conservative Michel Temer PMDB government these potential threats are taking a back seat to the immediate need to find drinkable water had no water at all for nearly two weeks following the dam break bystanders who talked with Mongabay agreed with the need to hold Samarco accountable for the disaster told mongabay.com that he thought the protest march was important: “We’re suffering a lot from the effects of the disaster and I’m really worried about the water quality and the guilty parties really need to be punished.” Far downriver in the seaside town of Regência the local state-run school has been without drinking water since the mining disaster a master teacher there says that the school has been forced to rely on donations from individuals the church and other entities to get their needs met “Our own government didn’t worry about whether the school in Regência We have drinking water that has come from various entities — but not our government.” Art teacher Maria Ofrecida Calha de Souza says that students are suffering: “In the school there are a lot of children going home with headaches and diarrhea after this mud arrived in the community.” She charges that the government isn’t properly protecting drinking water Often the water comes to supply the houses Samarco is conducting sampling and analysis of the Rio Doce water supply for IBAMA, Brazil’s federal environmental authority. An agency report issued in March found that lead levels in the water were within legal limits throughout the monitoring period but that iron and manganese levels were both greatly over the limit Excesses of iron can provoke diarrhea and vomiting while high doses of manganese affect the central nervous system and can lead to tremors and weakness Those living along the Rio Doce acknowledge that the stream was contaminated even before November’s disaster But a sense of extreme frustration at the inadequate government and corporate response now seems to have settled on those who live on or near the waterway Cordeiro Alves dos Santos feels strongly that the spill’s damage to the river is likely incalculable: “I don’t think we’re going to be able to get it back to where it was before.” Environmental PollutionCitation Excerpt :Even though high levels of some inorganic contaminants significantly reduced more than 5 years after the event they remain exceeding legal limits mainly during the rainy season due to resuspension and remobilization of sediment (Davila et al. Despite the massive mortality of fish after the dam failure very few studies have investigated the environmental risks for the health of wild fish chronically exposed to contaminants in DRB (Fernandes et al. may cause significant adverse effects in non-target organisms and even increase associated human health risks (Monroy et al. Journal of Photochemistry and PhotobiologyCitation Excerpt :The result of this condition are plants with sophisticated mechanisms of adaptation and tolerance to the rigid abiotic conditions of the coastal area the increase in the levels of metals that reach the coast mainly in response to the increase in the water column with resuspension of the material contained in the river bottom and reaching the coast [110 it may be important to mention that the higher levels of metals present during the rainy season are presumably the result of mixing events that redistributed the metals to the surface water allowing them to be released onto vegetation and sediments as marine aerosols Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :The sedimentary environment has changed to a new sort of fine particles (very fine clay material and/or metallic coating) of a more homogeneous size with delayed settlement and inhibited flocculation (Marta-Almeida et al. Fundão dam tailings mud remains a source of contaminants to the continental shelf adjacent to DRM either to a constant influx of tailings mud through Doce River discharge (Rudorff et al. 2021) or by climate-driven events that constantly resuspend deposited materials making its contaminants available to biological communities (Bonecker et al. The impacts of mine tailings on macrofauna are generally related to two main effects: increased sediment inflow and a rise in metal(oid)s concentration (Augustinus et al. Engineering Applications of Artificial IntelligenceCitation Excerpt :Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UVV) has been also used in 3D reconstruction of dams (Araújo Filho et al. 2012): Drones can be used to quickly assess damage after a natural disaster or other events ( iv) Hydrographic Surveying (Ridolfi and Manciola 2020): Drones equipped with LiDAR sensors can be used to create detailed maps of the terrain and water levels allowing for accurate monitoring of water levels and predicting potential flooding (Przyborski et al. Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :Using a combination of aerial and underwater surveys researchers identified the behaviors of sea turtles using fish-cleaning stations (where turtles remove unwanted organisms from their body surfaces with the help of fish) during the breeding season as well as the temporal variation in these behaviors (Schofield et al. providing data to improve the understanding of the biological phenomenon of symbiotic cleaning Aerial and underwater data obtained by drones and underwater vehicles were used to assess the abundances and habitat use of marine macrofauna in environmental hazard zones revealing the associations of these organisms with coastal microhabitats including trends in faunal aggregation and displacement under the influence of environmental change (Giacomo et al. the combination of aerial drones with autonomous underwater vehicles carrying cameras and microsensors computer simulation of fishing gear geometry and computer visualization promises to improve our understanding of fish aggregations leading to scientific management of marine biotic resources (Poisson et al. Ocean EngineeringCitation Excerpt :With the increasing interest in having these vehicles navigate in very sophisticated way enhancing the navigation control of such vehicles has therefore become a rapidly emerging topic in various research communities (Fossen Such as in dynamic positioning applications where vessels are to be maintained stable in a specified position (Rabanal et al. in marine species tracking for environmental data collection and monitoring (Gu et al. in berthing and more complex maneuverability operations (Sawada et al. 2017) and more importantly in collective and formation control of marine vehicle operations (Peng et al. containment control of multiple autonomous vehicles where a group of vehicles are driven by another group of leader vehicles Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :Most of the species observed are piscivorous (e.g Scolopacidae) and therefore use prey available in the water column or in the sandy substrate and thus is likely to be foraging in the region (Schreiber and Burger Occurrence of other large vertebrates in the area 2021) is also evidence that tailings from the Fundão dam did not reduce food availability for seabirds on the continental shelf and sandy beaches around the mouth of the Doce river The maintenance of prey availability for seabirds may be associated with the non-lethal effect of tailings due to their composition and dynamics (Sá et al. Journal of South American Earth SciencesCitation Excerpt :Higher organic matter (35%) and siliciclastic minerals (46%) were recorded in the sediment samples from the inner reef arc site (PL) which reflects the greater riverine influence (Leão and crustose coralline algae (CCA) are responsible for the predominance of carbonate sedimentation in this region (Evangelista et al. have also been previously recorded in mesophotic environments (CR) in the Abrolhos Bank (Bastos et al. ChemosphereCitation Excerpt :Linear relationships between CA activity and oxidative damage did not follow the same pattern found for M but the highest activities were correlated with high TAC (Fig The Abrolhos banks is the major coral reef system of South Atlantic and is relatively preserved of anthropogenic activities but oceanographic processes can transport contaminated water and sediments to this unique and sensitive ecosystem (Francini-Filho et al. Despite its social and ecological importance there is little background data about metal levels and biochemical attributes of Abrolhos corals and this lack of data may jeopardize environmental studies related to human impacts in the area (Cardoso et al. Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :These effluents likely introduce other metals into the Doce River the Lower DRB includes agricultural practices in addition to the urban and industrial local activities representing diffuse sources of inorganic and organic contaminants (e.g The highest levels of PAHs in the Lower DRB associated with induced antioxidant responses in embryos (GST and GSH levels) by multivariate analysis evidenced that co-occurrence of organic chemicals with metals may produce distinct toxicity mechanisms Environmental PollutionCitation Excerpt :The prevalent form in ΣDDTs was p.p’-DDE and the ratio p.p’-DDE/ΣDDTs after collapse was higher than that before altogether suggesting historical rather than recent contamination by DDT in southeastern Brazil (Borrell and Aguilar low concentrations of OCPs and PCBs were reported in recently deposited sediment from the Doce River mouth before collapse (de Souza et al. it is likely that old stocks of DDTs were disturbed by the mud drag and made available for bioaccumulation in franciscana dolphins You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed CP - Comboios de Portugal's Cherry Blossom Circuit is back and promises unique journeys that combine the pleasure of travelling by train the beauty of the landscape of the Beira Baixa line and the spectacle provided by the white mantle of the cherry trees that bloom at this time of year from the breathtaking view of the River Tagus to the foothills of the Serra da Gardunha passengers can enjoy a cultural experience in the municipality of Fundão visiting the cherry orchards in bloom and the Historic Village of Castelo Novo and tasting the local cuisine Six trips are planned between March and April The return journey will take place in a first class carriage reserved exclusively for Cherry Blossom Circuit passegers CP is committed to reformulating its railway tourism services making them a more attractive experience that enhances the territory which has generated great demand for these products showcasing its natural beauty and endogenous products By taking people to the interior regions of the country CP has contributed to territorial cohesion while at the same time encouraging the use of an environmentally friendly mode of transport and promoting sustainable tourism CP and Fundão City Council have joined forces to organise this circuit The protocol formalising this partnership was signed at a press conference by the CP Director responsible for Tourism Products the cherry blossom trees paint the Gardunha mountains white The Cherry Blossom Circuit combines travelling by train along the breathtaking scenery of the Beira Baixa line with the tradition of the region where cherries are of vital importance to the economy The trip connects Lisbon-Santa Apolónia to Fundão with passengers travelling in a first class carriage reserved exclusively for the Cherry Blossom Circuit with a capacity of 58 seats attached to the Intercidades train This is where the cultural programme will take place After being welcomed by a guide from Turismo do Fundão participants will have the opportunity to visit the city's historic centre and the Milling Museum This will be followed by around two hours of free time for lunch which will allow our passengers to enjoy the region's typical cuisine in local restaurants buses provided by the municipality will take passengers to Alcangosta for a guided tour of the ‘Cherry House’ and a visit to the cherry blossom orchards by tourist train passengers can visit the Historical Village of Castelo Novo recently distinguished as one of the best villages in the world by the World Tourism Organisation Set on a hillside in the Serra da Gardunha Castelo Novo promises to offer one of the most beautiful views in the region Departure from Fundão station for Lisbon takes place at 19.25 This programme costs €47 per adult and €26 per child Further information can be found at www.cp.pt Unreported documents show mining company was aware of threat before country’s worst environmental disaster but took no action Six months before a dam containing millions of litres of mining waste collapsed, killing 19 people in Brazil’s worst environmental disaster the company operating the mine accurately predicted the potential impact of such a disaster in a worst-case risk assessment But federal prosecutors claim the company – a joint venture between the Brazilian mining giant Vale and the Anglo-Australian multinational BHP Billiton – failed to take actions that they say could have prevented the disaster The prosecutors instead claim the company focused on cutting costs and increasing production “They prioritized profits and left safety in second place,” said José Adércio Sampaio coordinator of a taskforce of federal prosecutors summarising the criminal case against the joint venture and its parent companies When the Fundão tailings dam failed on 5 November 2015 it unleashed about 40m litres of water and sediment from iron ore extraction in a wave that polluted the water supply for hundreds of thousands of people decimated wildlife and spewed a rust-red plume of mud down the Doce river Previously unreported internal documents from the joint venture Samarco show that six months before the collapse the company carried out a worst-case assessment of the dam The Fundão dam had a catastrophic failure in 2015 Photograph: Nicoló LanfranchiThe document – one of hundreds submitted to the court by prosecutors – warned that a maximum possible loss from a “liquification break” could mean up to 20 deaths water resources and biodiversity over 20 years The prosecutors’ complaint also includes harrowing accounts by survivors from Bento Rodrigues a small community obliterated by the mud released in the disaster Wesley Izabel managed to save his two-year-old son 21 people were charged with qualified homicide including Samarco’s former CEO and representatives from Vale and BHP Billiton on its board of directors All the defendants and three companies were also charged with environmental damage A separate civil action by prosecutors seeking $48bn in damages was launched in 2016 and is still being negotiated prosecutors and the three companies signed a preliminary deal worth $680m to guarantee recuperation work Vale and BHP Billiton said they rejected the charges that safety had been and remained a priority and that the dam complied with Brazilian legislation The companies have separately said they would defend their employees and executives the three companies made a deal with the federal and state governments in March 2016 to carry out repair They have spent more than $1bn on a huge clean-up and relief operation separate from civil actions launched by prosecutors Samarco has also paid about $6.7m in fines levied separately by the state government of Minas Gerais – but none of the 24 fines totalling $105m imposed by the Brazilian government’s environment agency Federal prosecutors say Samarco failed to take action despite its knowledge of the risks of a dam collapse Photograph: Nicoló Lanfranchi“Samarco believes there are technical and juridical aspects in the decisions that need to be re-evaluated,” the company said in a statement None of the 375 families who lost their homes have yet been rehoused “It is a lot of injustice,” said Sandra Quintão whose small restaurant in Bento Rodrigues was swallowed by the mud But prosecutors allege that its directors encouraged the company to keep cutting costs The importance of safety was also stressed at board meetings. At a meeting in August 2012, the board praised Samarco’s safety performance and said the company should “maintain its focus on eliminating fatal risks”. Prosecutors say that the Fundão tailings dam, one of several huge earthworks built to store iron ore mining waste, had always been problematic. “The dam had been giving problems year after year,” claimed Sampaio, the prosecutor. Read moreAlmost as soon as it started operating in 2008 the dam presented problems with its drainage system and signs of erosion according to photographs and inspection reports included in court documents changed the drainage system and embarked on a series of remedial works Vale and BHP Billiton commissioned an investigation by the international law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton (CGSH) it found that construction flaws had damaged the dam’s original drainage system and described attempts to correct the problems The report also pointed to three small seismic shocks in the area about 90 minutes before the dam failed “This additional movement is likely to have accelerated the failure process that was already well advanced,” it said The CGSH report did not apportion any blame and Samarco said it would not comment on it Many of the issues it described are also included in the prosecutors’ complaint saturation and cracking were seen at the dam in 2013 Sandra Quintão with her daughter in front of a temporary new house in Mariana Photograph: Nicoló LanfranchiA month later a consultant who had previously carried out work for Samarco reported that “static liquefaction could be present” He inspected the area in December 2014 and told prosecutors he had informed Samarco the situation “was not under control” Samarco continued raising the height of the dam this was done in part to enable the company to correct drainage problems all three companies denied the prosecutors’ charges Samarco did not respond to questions on the dam’s problems it said prosecutors had “disregarded the defences and testimonies presented during investigations” which it said “prove that Samarco did not have any previous knowledge of the risk to its structures” said in an email: “We have no reason to believe BHP people knew the dam was at risk of failing BHP and its representatives will defend these charges.” which owns the other half of the joint venture said in an email that it “repudiates vehemently the complaint presented by prosecutors because innumerable pieces of evidence and testimony presented in the case files that proved that Vale was never responsible for the operational management of the Fundão dam were disrespected” Vale said: “Board members were always expressly assured of the regularity of the structures.” According to minutes included in court documents which included representatives of Vale and BHP Billiton was briefed several times between 2009 and 2014 on the dam’s construction problems and efforts to fix it Minutes for all of these meetings – included in court documents – state that representatives from all three companies attended the Fundão dam was fitted with devices used to measure liquid pressure and water level lacked batteries or had been moved to another dam Samarco said that at the time of the disaster, sirens were not legally required. The court case, which is being heard in the town of Ponte Nova, is in its preliminary stage and the judge is yet to decide whether it will be heard by a jury. It was suspended in July after the former Samarco CEO Ricardo Vescovi and another defendant complained that wiretaps were recorded outside of the investigation period, and that the inclusion as evidence of corporate emails and chats invaded their privacy. after the judge decided that corporate emails and chats could not be included and ruled to separate out the cases involving foreign defendants Samarco and its owners are keen to return to production Samarco was given preliminary licences by the Minas Gerais state government’s environment agency for a new reject storage system at the plant President Michel Temer’s business-friendly government wants to increase mining and make environmental licensing more flexible Environmental ResearchCitation Excerpt :In the present study we observed a positive correlation between the dominant genus uncultured_f_Anaerolineaceae and the NDVI Anaerobic bacteria are able to ferment sugars and proteins in detritus (Yamada and Sekiguchi which has been widely found in sediments (Fernandes et al. Abundant vegetation leads to the increase of root exudates and litter inputs with the anaerobic bacteria uncultured_f_Anaerolineaceae potentially plays a key role in anaerobic decomposition of organic matter and vegetation growth (Zhou et al.