EDITORIAL – The poison flowing through the rivers

By Eduardo Figueiredo – From Cenarium

The Amazon bleeds in silence. The rivers, once sources of life and abundance, now carry an invisible poison that threatens ancient cultures, entire ecosystems, and the future of traditional peoples. Mercury, a metallic chemical element widely used in illegal gold mining, courses through the arteries of the forest, contaminating the region’s rivers and fish, directly affecting the Indigenous peoples, especially the Yanomami and the Munduruku.

Just as happened in Japan in the 1950s, when Minamata Disease devastated fishing communities after industrial waste was dumped into the rivers by the Chisso Corporation, we are now witnessing history repeat itself. At the time, hundreds of people fell ill with severe neurological symptoms caused by methylmercury contamination—a toxin that accumulates in fish and, consequently, in those who consume them. What was once considered one of the greatest environmental disasters in history now echoes, decades later, in the heart of the Amazon.

In this edition, CENARIUM MAGAZINE covers the plight of the Yanomami and the Munduruku, who face a similar, yet silent, tragedy. Recent studies confirm high levels of mercury in the blood of both adults and children, with effects ranging from cognitive loss to congenital malformations. In some regions, 100% of the samples collected from Indigenous individuals showed mercury levels above the safe limit established by the World Health Organization (WHO). This is not merely a public health issue—it is an environmental and humanitarian crime.

Illegal mining has turned rivers into channels of death. The destruction goes beyond contamination: it involves violence, territorial invasions, human trafficking, and cultural disintegration.

Today, the Amazon is living its own Minamata. We cannot stand by and passively witness the repetition of a foretold tragedy. It is urgent to recognise that protecting Indigenous peoples is protecting the forest itself—and therefore, protecting all of us. The time to act is now.

The topic was featured on the cover and as a special report in the latest edition of CENARIUM MAGAZINE. Click here to read the full content.