Contaminação de corpos hídricos por mercúrio

Abstract: This article aims to expose the damages caused by illegal gold mining to water bodies, with a focus on the cultural impacts that affect the Yanomami indigenous population. The majority of the Yanomami people reside in the upper reaches of the right bank tributaries of the Rio Branco in Roraima. Human exposure to mercury leads to various harms, not only to their health but also to their cultural practices and their relationship with the local ecosystem. This resistance of the Yanomami people against environmental crime becomes an essential factor for analysis. Through a qualitative approach based on bibliographic and documentary revision, encompassing the perspective of the Yanomami people and the laws governing the matter, the objective is to highlight the inadequacy of legislative enforcement, as well as the state's negligence, as responsible for the damages caused by the intensive use of mercury in the region. Keywords: mercury, gold mining, Yanomami, culture.