"Mining company in Juiz de Fora faces allegations at hearing", 22 April 2025

Nexa Resources, which operates a facility in the Igrejinha neighborhood, in the northern zone of Juiz de Fora, was the target of allegations during a public hearing held at the City Council on Tuesday morning (22). The company presents itself as one of the world’s largest zinc producers, with consolidated net revenue of US$2.6 billion in 2023. Its zinc refinery in Juiz de Fora has been operating since 1980 and, in 2021, produced around 81.1 thousand tonnes of the chemical element...

A company employee for 20 years, Ricardo do Nascimento Pereira, who was born in Igrejinha, said the plant has been structurally deteriorating and lacks a regular maintenance plan. He added that the company’s health policies do not cover everyone involved: “For example, our uniforms are washed by an external laundry precisely because of contamination. And outsourced workers do not have changing rooms or proper bathrooms; they have to leave the factory covered in ore and go home, contaminating their loved ones.” Ricardo listed exposure to mercury, cadmium, cobalt, and manganese...

In the case of Sebastião Geraldo de Souza, the contamination occurred at the end of 2003. He said he spent eight days hospitalized in the intensive care unit and still requires ongoing monitoring at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora University Hospital. According to him, after repeated complaints, the Ministry of Labour at the time identified several gas leaks at the company...

According to STIM director João César da Silva, who has worked at the company for 40 years, the current situation is more serious than in the past. “For example, excessive exposure to zinc causes neurological disorders, and there are two retired workers there because of this,” he said...

No Nexa representative attended the hearing. The general manager of the Juiz de Fora unit, José Maximino Tadeu Miras Ferron, sent a letter in which he “thanks you for the kind invitation to participate and respectfully informs that, on that date, due to previously scheduled commitments, he was unable to attend.”...

“I reaffirm our company’s commitment to the city and to our direct and third-party employees,” he continued, “as well as our openness to dialogue with all stakeholders with whom we have interacted for so many years in a friendly and harmonious environment, always guided by respect and transparency. I take this opportunity to reinforce important points that demonstrate our commitment, seriousness, and responsibility in conducting our business, with full focus on the health and safety of our employees and respect for our surroundings.”...

“The Nexa reaffirms its commitment to ethics and people’s safety and remains available for any further clarifications that may be necessary,” the letter concludes...