The construction of the Tucurui dam across the Tocantins river, which has generated electricity for the aluminum industry since it was inaugurated in 1984, led to the forced relocation of around 20,000 families in the region. A number of the families were never compensated for the resettlement, said participants at the Sao Luiz meeting. Local communities now complain that they are plagued by mosquitoes that breed in the dam reservoir. Upstream from the dam, the Tocantins River is so polluted as to make fishing impossible, creating problems for the families living on the riverbanks. The red sludge is deposited in pools which are buried once full.
Community groups argue that the waste filters into and contaminates waterways and groundwater.
Among the problems caused by bauxite mining in the region of Oriximina, in the state of Para, are the logging of large tracts of woodland, the contamination of lakes, rivers and streams, oil spills from boats and air pollution from bauxite dust and machinery exhaust fumes. Aluminum workers also complain that the industry has a poor health and safety record. Union representatives complained of cancer, lung disease, skin rashes, nausea, caustic soda burns, chronic back pain, damaged eyesight, osteoporosis, excessive vibrations, noise and heat, contamination by dust, and a reduction of white blood cells caused by benzene intoxication. Jose de Ribamar Ferreira, head of the Union of Metallurgical Workers of Maranhao, says that the companies, however, refuse to admit the existence of such problems in order to avoid paying higher wages which should result from the high risk level and unsanitary conditions. One of the main decisions to come out of the gathering was the formation of a commission to discuss initiatives for the creation of a Reference Center on Worker's Health in Sao Luiz.