Respiratory changes in children exposed to dust from mining waste in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais State, Brazil: Bruminha Project

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of respiratory diseases in children exposed to dust from mining waste after the Brumadinho dam disaster, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The study population included children aged 0-6 years, living in three communities exposed to mining waste dust (Córrego do Feijão, Parque da Cachoeira, and Tejuco) and one unexposed community (Aranha). Data were collected from July 19 to 30, 2021, using questionnaires that addressed sociodemographic information and a recall survey on signs, symptoms, and respiratory diseases. A total of 217 children were evaluated, 119 living in the exposed communities and 98 in the non-exposed community. The residents in the exposed communities reported an increase in the frequency of home cleaning (p = 0.04) and in vehicular traffic (p = 0.03). Among children aged four, a higher frequency of upper (p = 0.01) and lower (p = 0.01) airway disorders, as well as respiratory allergy (p = 0.05) was observed. The exposed group had 1.5 times more reports of respiratory allergy (75%; p = 0.02) compared to the non-exposed group (50.5%). Children living in communities exposed to waste dust were three times more likely (adjusted OR = 3.63; 95%CI: 1.37; 9.57) to have respiratory allergies than those not exposed. Two years and six months after the environmental disaster occurred, children living in the communities affected by waste from mining and remediation activities remained exposed to dust with harmful effects on respiratory health.