The rupture of Fundão Dam is considered one of the largest environmental disasters in Brazilian history and one of the largest in the world involving tailings dams. The present study analyzed the changes in metal concentrations in the dissolved, suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediment in the period just after (15 days) and six months after the dam rupture, together with the biological and cytogenotoxic effects, from the collapse site until the Doce River mouth in the Atlantic Ocean. After the dam rupture, the tailings were mainly transported as SPM. After six months, with the deposition, there was a decrease in metal concentrations in dissolved and SPM and increased levels were observed in the sediment. Cr, Ni, Cd and Hg levels in sediment were higher than the threshold effects level (TEL/NOAA), especially six months after the dam rupture. The water induced immediate negative biological effects at different levels of the trophic chain, together with Al, Fe, Mn and Zn accumulation in fish muscle. Both water and sediment also showed cytotoxic, genotoxic and mutagenic effects. These data demonstrate the importance of long-term monitoring with abiotic and biotic parameters to clarify the impacts of mining tailings and can help to direct future monitoring programs.

Fundão大坝的破裂被认为是巴西历史上最大的环境灾难之一，也是世界上最大的尾矿坝之一。本研究分析了大坝破裂后（15天）和六个月后的溶解，悬浮颗粒物（SPM）和沉积物中金属浓度的变化，以及塌陷部位的生物学和细胞遗传毒性效应。直到大西洋的Doce河口。大坝破裂后，尾矿主要以SPM的形式运输。六个月后，随着沉积，溶解和SPM中的金属浓度降低，沉积物中的金属含量增加。沉积物中的Cr，Ni，Cd和Hg水平高于阈值影响水平（TEL / NOAA），尤其是在大坝破裂后的六个月。水在营养链的不同水平上引起立即的负面生物学效应，以及鱼肌肉中的Al，Fe，Mn和Zn积累。水和沉积物均显示出细胞毒性，遗传毒性和诱变作用。这些数据证明了使用非生物和生物参数进行长期监测的重要性，以阐明采矿尾矿的影响，并有助于指导未来的监测计划。