Health evaluation of gold miners living in a mercury-contaminated village in Serra Pelada, Pará, Brazil.
Serra Pelada is a village in the Amazon region of Brazil where most of the inhabitants are former gold miners. Of 235 individuals evaluated, 219 were males (93.19%), 16 were females (6.80%), and the mean age was 52.07 years (standard deviation = 11.57). Most were heavy drinkers (62.44%) and smokers (70.30%), and 85.53% had previously suffered from malaria. Reported symptoms included fatigue (30.60%), irritability (35.62%), excitability (14.16%), insomnia (34.48%), memory loss (61.80%), visual field constriction (4.18%), paresthesia (64.93%), partial hearing loss (16.35%), and gingivitis (18.01%). After an examination of the residents, the authors observed several neurological symptoms: tremors (22.80%), involuntary ocular movement (2.20%), visual field constriction (4.18%), Romberg syndrome (2.33%), involuntary tongue movement (2.19%), dysdiadochokinesia (0.43%), failure of a finger-nose test (10.96%), failure of a knee-heel test (4.84%), inability to complete a tandem march (6.25%), muscular weakness (2.27%), and damage to sensory organs (24.66%). The authors concluded that these neurological changes possibly resulted from mercury toxicity; however, they could not determine a significant correlation with the mercury levels detected in participants' urine.
Corbett
Carlos Eduardo Pereira
CE
University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. ccorbett@usp.br
El Khouri
Marcelo
M
Costa
André Nathan
AN
Gyuricza
Janos Valery
JV
Corbett
Julieta Franca
JF
Frizzarini
Ronaldo
R
de Araújo Andrade
Daniel Ciampi
DC
Cordeiro
Quirino
Q
Stravogiannis
Andréas
A
Chassot
Celso Alberto
CA
Vieira
José Luiz Fernandes
JL
Pinheiro
Maria da Conceição
Mda C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006046:Gold; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020262:Mercury Poisoning, Nervous System / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008906:Mining; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012424:Rural Population; D012907:Smoking
D006046:Gold