Mining Activities Have Exposed Individuals of an Indigenous Tribe in Brazil to Toxic and Potentially Toxic Elements

The intensification of mining activities in the Brazilian Amazon has generated profound socio-environmental impacts, particularly on Indigenous populations. This study assessed the levels of contamination by toxic and potentially toxic elements in 720 individuals from the Xikrin do Cateté Tribe, located in the State of Pará, Brazil, a region heavily affected by copper (Cu), gold (Au), and nickel (Ni) mining. The data are part of the public documentation associated with Civil Public Action n° 1,001,462 − 67.2025.4.01.3901. The results showed that 98.5% of the participants had excessive concentrations of at least one toxic or potentially toxic element in their bodies, and 99.7% had at least one chemical element above the recommended limit. The prevalence of excessive chemical elements in the population revealed that manganese (Mn) was the most frequent, detected in 97.0% of individuals, followed by Ni (40.0%), iron (Fe, 32.5%), and cobalt (Co, 19.0%), the latter being a typical geochemical marker of Ni mining. Highly toxic metals with no known physiological function were also detected, including aluminum (Al), barium (Ba), beryllium (Be), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), titanium (Ti), and Arsenic (As), a semimetal, with prevalence reaching up to 37.0% of the population. All 121 children analyzed showed contamination by multiple toxic and potentially toxic elements, including a one-year-old child with significant exposure to six different metals. In total, 59.1% of the sample exhibited five or more chemical elements at excessive levels. These findings highlight ongoing environmental contamination, potentially associated with regional mining activities. Limited mitigation and remediation efforts may pose risks to the health and well-being of vulnerable populations.