Notable case, Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Brumadinho (Córrego do Feijão dam)
On 25 January 2019 Dam I at Vale's Córrego do Feijão iron ore mine gave way: about 12 million cubic metres of tailings killed 272 people and reached the Paraopeba River.
At a glance
- Status
- Remediation under way
- Activity
- 2019–2019
- People affected
- 272 (2019)2
- Media
- sediment, surface water, soil
- Kind of site
- mining, accident
- Area. Effects on the Paraopeba River for at least 120 km beyond Brumadinho, in twenty municipalities; high cadmium concentrations detected 302 km downstream at Retiro Baixo.
- People affected. Deaths, including two unborn children.
Contaminants
Status
Remediation under way
Reparation is under way under the 2021 settlement. Criminal proceedings are open against Vale, the inspecting firm TÜV Süd and 16 individuals. In January 2022 six people were still missing.
Story
The flow travelled more than 5 km within hours and entered the Paraopeba that same afternoon. It was the second major tailings dam collapse in Minas Gerais in little more than three years, after Mariana, which involved the same company, Vale.
In April 2019 Vale's inspectors could not guarantee the stability of at least 18 other dams and dikes owned by the company in Brazil. The inspecting firm TÜV Süd is charged along with Vale and 16 individuals.
Timeline
- 2019Dam I collapses (25 January).
- 2021$7 billion reparation settlement.
From the literature
Species that acted on one of this site's contaminants in at least one study. The list is automatic and takes no account of this site's soil, concentrations or climate.
Plants
- Arabidopsis halleriHaller's rockcressEvidence: field
- Cannabis sativaIndustrial hempEvidence: field
- Miscanthus × giganteusGiant miscanthusEvidence: field
- Noccaea caerulescensAlpine pennycressEvidence: field
- Phytolacca americanaAmerican pokeweedEvidence: field
- Robinia pseudoacaciaBlack locustEvidence: field
Fungi
- Paxillus involutusBrown roll-rimEvidence: greenhouse
- Agaricus bisporusButton mushroomEvidence: laboratory
- Aspergillus nigerBlack mouldEvidence: laboratory
- Cunninghamella elegansEvidence: laboratory
- Mucor circinelloidesEvidence: laboratory
- Oidiodendron maiusEvidence: laboratory
The rest are on the contaminant pages.
Nearby
Sources
- Brumadinho dam disaster, Wikipedia, 2026
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.