Bolivian indigenous groups demand studies into Amazon mercury contamination

The National Coordinator for the Defense of Indigenous, Native, Peasant Territories and Protected Areas (CONTIOCAP) has called on the Bolivian government to conduct studies regarding potential mercury contamination in the Amazon. The organization warned of signs consistent with Minamata syndrome among indigenous populations, citing reports of physical deformities in children, mobility issues, and spontaneous abortions.

CONTIOCAP noted that mercury used in gold mining can enter rivers and transform into methylmercury, which accumulates in fish consumed by riverside communities. The group emphasized that the absence of a formal diagnosis does not negate the risk and urged the state to apply the precautionary principle. A delegation from Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, and Brazil plans to present a report on the environmental and health crisis caused by gold mining and mercury to the Vatican on September 30.