Mining Disaster in Maceió-AL: Assessing the Health Impact on the Victims

Lima, Anacássia Fonseca de; Rodrigues, Diego Freitas; Junkes, Janaína Accordi; Mendonça, Bibiana Toshie Onuki de; Bernardo, Juliana Matos Ferreira

doi:10.1590/1809-4422asoc00522vu28L1OA

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Original Article • Ambient. soc. 28 • 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4422asoc00522vu28L1OA linkcopy

Mining Disaster in Maceió-AL: Assessing the Health Impact on the Victims

Desastre de la Minería en Maceió-AL: Evaluando el Impacto en la Salud de los Afectados

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

This study analyzed the health impact on residents of neighborhoods in Maceió-AL, who were affected by ground subsidence resulting from halite extraction by the mining company Braskem. A mixed-methods approach was employed, beginning with a cross-sectional study phase in which a validated scale (DASS-21) and a sociodemographic questionnaire were administered, followed by a phase of qualitative research. The findings revealed that the disaster significantly impacted the mental health of these individuals, with heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and depression surpassing normal thresholds. A correlation between mental disorders and the diagnosis of systemic arterial hypertension was observed, suggesting extended physical health implications from the disaster for the affected individuals, who are subjected to a perpetual state of uncertainty leading to mental disorders and the worsening of pre-existing chronic diseases. The study underscores the significance of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in risk identification and decision-making processes to mitigate the disaster’s impacts.

Keywords:
Braskem; Mental Health; Mining; Anxiety; Depression

Characteristic	n	%
Gender
Female	119	70
Male	50	29,4
Other	1	0,6
Age
18 to 39 years old	83	48,8
40 to 59 years old	68	40
60+	19	11,2
Education
Preschool	1	0,6
Elementary School	7	4,1
High School	46	27,1
Undergraduate	63	37,1
Postgraduate/ Specialization (Lato Sensu)	40	23,5
Master’s degree (Stricto Sensu)	8	4,7
Doctorate	5	2,9
Race
Asian	3	1,8
White	73	42,9
Mixed race	77	45,3
Black	17	10
Marital Status
Married	67	39,4
Divorced	13	7,6
Separated	3	1,8
Single	70	41,2
Common-law marriage	12	7,1
Widowed	5	2,9
Family income
Above 20 minimum wages	3	1,8
From 10 to 20 minimum wages	20	11,8
From 4 to 10 minimum wages	50	29,4
From 2 to 4 minimum wages	44	25,9
Up to 2 minimum wages	53	31,2
Current Housing
Rented apartment	26	15,3
Owned apartment	22	12,9
Rented house	47	27,6
Owned house	75	44,1
Chronic Disease
Yes	73	42,9
No	97	57,1

		DASS-21	DASS-21	DASS-21
		Stress	Anxiety	Depression
Mean ± SD		19,8 ± 11,8	13,3 ± 11,5	17,0 ± 12,6
Normal - n (%)		44 (25,9%)	67 (39,4%)	54 (31,8%)
Mild - n (%)		44 (25,9%)	12 (7,1%)	21 (12,4%)
Moderate - n (%)		29 (17,1%)	26 (15,3%)	35 (20,6%)
Severe - n (%)		30 (17,6%)	14 (8,2%)	18 (10,6%)
Extremely severe - n (%)		23 (13,5%)	51 (30,0%)	42 (24,7%)
Normal		Mean ± SD	Interpretation	Prevalence (%)
Stress	<15	19,8 ± 11,8	Moderate	59,41
Anxiety	<8	13,3 ± 11,5	Moderate	53,53
Depression	<10	17,0 ± 12,6	Moderate	62,35

		Prevalence (%) (IC95%)
		Anxiety	Stress	Depression
Total		53,53	59,41	62,35
Gender	Female	53,78	61,34	61,34
	Male	52	56	61
	Other	100	0	100
	p	0,83223	0,51816	0,93628
Age	18-39	55,42	68,67	65,06
	40-59	54,41	52,94	60,29
	60+	42,11	42,11	52,63
	p	0,57917	0,015839	0,36764
Education	Preschool	100	100	100
	Elementary School	100	100	85,71
	High School	58,69	69,56	71,74
	Undergraduate	49,21	55,55	57,14
	Postgraduate/ Specialization	42,5	47,5	45
	Master’s degree	50	50	75
	Doctorate	80	60	100
	p	0,04565	0,0089374	0,025961
Race	Asian	66,67	66,67	66,67
	White	47,94	56,16	60,27
	Mixed race	57,14	61,04	57,14
	Black	58,82	78,57	70,59
	p	0,20614	0,45476	0,72865
Marital Status	Single	51,43	64,28	62,86
	Married	56,72	56,72	58,21
	Divorced	46,15	46,15	61,54
	Separated	0	33,33	66,67
	Common-law marriage	75	66,67	66,67
	Widowed	40	60	80
	p	0,50184	0,56398	0,442
Family income	From 2 to 4 minimum wages	62,26	69,81	77,36
	From 2 to 4	47,73	52,27	59,1
	From 4 to 10	48	52	48
	From 10 to 20	55	70	60
	Above 20 minimum wages	66,67	33,33	66,67
	p	0,19249	0,13849	0,058126
Current Housing	Rented apartment	53,85	50	61,54
	Owned apartment	59,1	72,73	59,1
	Rented house	57,45	61,7	74,47
	Owned house	49,33	57,33	54,67
	p	p<0,001	p<0,001	0,0033896
Chronic Disease	Yes	64,38	73,97	73,97
	No	45,36	48,45	52,58
	p	0,71329	0,400639	0,72475

Before and after the disaster
	With disorder	Without disorder	Total
Depression	r=0,154 p=0,0987	r=0,0309 p=0,825	r=0,0926 p=0,230
Anxiety	r=0,140 p=0,157	r=0,180 p=0,145	r=0,108 p=0,161
Stress	r=0,205 p=0,0396	r-0,120 p=0,326	r=0,106 p=0,169
Before the disaster
	With disorder	Without disorder	Total
Depression	r=0,151 p=0,107	r=0,0309 p=0,825	r=0,0589 p=0,446
Anxiety	r=0,102 p=0,306	r=0,180 p=0,145	r=0,0516 p=0,504
Stress	r=0,134 p=0,183	r=0,155 p=0,204	r=0,0561 p=0,467
After the disaster
	With disorder	Without disorder	Total
Depression	r=0,252 p=0,00640	r=0,0896 p=0,519	r=0,240 p=0,00163
Anxiety	r=0,313 p=0,00129	r=-0,193 p=0,119	r=0,300 p=0,00000724
Stress	r=0,322 p=0,00101	r=0,0200 p=0,871	r=0,258 p=0,00682

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